Please consider joining the Switzerland Project

Question

If you have Swiss roots or an interest in Swiss genealogy, culture, or history, please consider joining the Swiss project. There is no contribution requirement once you join — you may work as much or as little as you please. By joining, you will be invited to join the Google group, which hosts conversations between group members about Swiss genealogy and the Switzerland project. You will also receive a badge for your profile.

To learn more about the project, please visit the SWITZERLAND PROJECT PAGE.

Membership is open to all who have:

• signed WikiTree’s Honor Code
• been a WikiTree member for at least 3 months, and
• have made at least 100 contributions to our shared tree

We also ask that you be willing to receive a brief annual check-in from the project and signal your interest in continued participation.  

Joining is easy: post an ANSWER below (as opposed to a comment or reply - note that comments will be answered but then hidden).  Please state:

• that you'd like to join the project,
• what your Swiss-related interests are, and
• what you want to contribute to the project or gain by becoming a member

If you aren't using your entire allotment of tags (you can follow up to 20), please consider also following the Switzerland tag so you will updated on G2G conversations about Swiss genealogy and the project.

Comments

My maternal grandmother has a Swiss line. I would like to add the Swiss badge where appropriate. I will go see if my connection  here goes as far back as the one I have on ancestry.com.

---

Hi  i would luke to houn the Swiss project. my maternal grandmother is from  Village-bouquin vaud switzerland. its on the swiss- french boarders. tyvm

Answer 1

Hi
I'd like to join the Switzerland project, as nearly half of my ancestors are Swiss. They are / were from Canton Berne.

I have to admitt, that I'm focusing on my Italian ancestors at the moment, but maybe I can contribute with some inside information.

Comments

We are very happy to have you in the project. I have awarded you the badge.

To provide the inside information, it will help if you join the Google group:

https://groups.google.com/g/wtswitzerlandproject

Please request to join under the email you would like. Also, if you are under your followed tag quota of 20, you could add the Switzerland tag and then you would be informed about Swiss-related posts to G2G.

Welcome aboard!

---

Thank you!

I wrote you a message about the Google group, as I wasn't able to join under this url. I think I need to be added by a group admin with my e-mail, at least that's the only way how the other Google groups worked for me.

---

We don't know just from the WikiTree system what to use for your email address to be able to add you. But if you go to the group and request to join with the email address you'd like to use, then we will be notified of the request and can add you to the group.

---

If I go to the group, I get an access error saying "content not available". So I can't send a request :-(.

---

Hello I.

I changed a setting on the Google group that I hope will resolve the problem. Can you see it now?

Regards,
Barry

---

Great, thank you. Now I was able to ask for permission for the Google Group. :-)

---

Not sure if you know, but the Bern civil records are online and open to the public ;)

---

Hi Nicola
I already know for years, but thank you! :-)
A have researched also a bit my swiss family, but am still entering all my relatives to WikiTree.

---

Glad to hear it!

Answer 2

Just giving this post a bump for the weekend

Answer 3

Hi there!

I would like to join the project. My grandmother is Swiss (emigrated in 1940) and I'm still trying to trace any remaining relatives and track the family tree on both sides, as the trail goes cold quite quickly.

Comments

Hello Nicola,

Glad to welcome you to the project! I've awarded you the project badge for your profile. Please consider joining our Google group for project discussion:

https://groups.google.com/g/wtswitzerlandproject

and, if you are not yet at your quota of 20 followed tags, consider following Switzerland.

Best Wishes,

Barry

Answer 4

I would like to join the Switzerland project.

1/2 of my relatives(my father's side) are from Switzerland.

I have a TON of information of Swiss geon.information I would like to share.

Comments

Hello David,

Welcome aboard. That's really interesting that you have your tree documented back 7 centuries in Switzerland! (although I couldn't find the tree on FamilySearch using the profile ID currently shown on your Wikitree profile). 

I have awarded you the project badge for your WikiTree profile. Please consider joining the Google group for project conversation 

https://groups.google.com/g/wtswitzerlandproject

and adding Switzerland to your followed tags on G2G.

Best Wishes,

Barry

Answer 5

I have one Swiss ancestor, who immigrated to the U.S. from Bern, but this is a complete brick wall for me.  I don’t know what sources to look at to uncover more about the Swiss ancestors, and I would like to learn.

Thanks,

Web Coates

Comments

Hello,

Welcome to the project! I have awarded you the project badge for your profile.

Please consider requesting to join the project Google group to keep informed of project conversation and updates

https://groups.google.com/g/wtswitzerlandproject

 Please also consider adding Switzerland to your list of followed G2G tags.

Best Wishes,

Barry

Answer 6

I would like to get a member of the Switzerland Project.

I am living in the German speaking part of Switzerland and 3/4 of my ancestors are Swiss origin. Some of my ancestors emigrated to North and South America.

I used to work in an archive and am capable to transcribe handwritings.

I don't use Google anymore, instead Duck Duck Go.

Marlise

Comments

Hi Marlise
Awesome, we have the country and the profession in common :-). And I have distant deceased relatives in Schleitheim. I'll write you a message.

Despite the Google Group, we also have Discord for a more inofficial exchange: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Help:Discord
Ps: we translated all help pages of WikiTree to German last year. You find a yellow frame on the bottom of each translated page, where you can choose the language.

---

Thanks a lot Isabelle! I will try Discord!

---

Hello Marlise,

I have added the project badge to your profile. Please also consider adding "Switzerland" to your followed tags here on G2G to make it easier to find Switzerland-related posts.

Duck Duck Go is an alternative to Google for searching for information. But GoogleGroups is a separate service offered by Google -- they aren't connected. All you need to join a Google group is an email address. If you are not comfortable supplying your main email address to Google for just this purpose, you could create a separate email address and forward messages from there to your normal email address.

But... there is no requirement to join the Google group, nor really any other requirements for project members. We are just happy to have you on board, especially with your expertise and access! Welcome to the project. Please send me a message or post a comment to my profile any time if you have questions.

Answer 7

Hello! I would love to join since part of my ancestors were from Switzerland, (Naf, Naef, Nave)

Comments

Hello Mackenzie,

I have awarded you the project badge. Welcome to the project! I took a quick peek at your tree and do not yet see you connected to your Naf/Naef/Nave ancestors. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help you put them in the tree!

Please consider adding "Switzerland" to your followed tags here on G2G to make it easier to find Switzerland-related posts. There is also a Google Group for project conversations:

https://groups.google.com/g/wtswitzerlandproject

It does not get much activity, but it is another resource for directing Switzerland-specific questions, and it is the main outlet for general announcements/conversations about the project.

Again, welcome to the Project!

---

Thank you!  I'm in the process now of connecting them into. I have most of my family tree done on Ancestry now in the process of adding everything on here at Wikitree :)  Will love to join the google group!

Answer 8

I would like to join the Switzerland Project because my most recent immigrating ancestor was from Nunningen, Solothurn, Switzerland. I would like to work on Hänggi and Nunningen. I have some papers sent from a family historian (both of the authors passed away last year) who wrote a book about the Swiss family. I'd also like to learn more about available Swiss resources. Thanks!

Comments

Hello S

Sorry for the delay. I have awarded you the Project Badge. I found your profile for Jacob Hanggi. Finding Swiss resources can be tough, especially for certain Cantons. So it's great that you have those papers. There is a Facebook group for Swiss genealogy that has lots of knowledgable members, so if you use Facebook, I recommend joining that group as well. Welcome to the project!

Barry

Answer 9

Hello

I would like to join the Switzerland Project. I have many Swiss ancestors from Canton Schaffhausen. I have been working to put proofs into the wikitree for them for quite a long time now. I have been working on using the free Schaffhausen church books to build a large Swiss tree on the wikitree. The Swiss branch of my tree starts here:   https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Ehrmann-48

Comments

Anyone monitoring the Switzerland Project? Are you still out there?

Answer 10

Just checking to see if I can join the Switzerland Project ... This is my second request. Thanks.

Comments

Try writing to the project leader, Barry Smith (Smith-116348)

---

Yes, I sent him a message... Don't know why he has not responded. Can anyone else sign me up? Or, maybe I don't qualify? I believe that I should be able to join, though.

---

Hello Beth,

Sorry for the delay. I have awarded you the badge. Welcome to the project. I looked through some of your pages for your Ehrmanns, Schaads, and Muellers and they are really excellent. I am glad that you are on Wikitree!

Barry

Answer 11

I would like to join the Swiss Project. My paternal relatives are all from Bern or the surrounding area. We have traced our relatives back to 1550 but we have several dead ends that we would like to research. Thank you.

Comments

I have awarded the project badge and added you to the project Google group. Welcome to the Switzerland Project!

Answer 12

Through my grandfather Albert Luthi (1858-1903), the well-known glass painter, I have Swiss ancestry and citizenship.

Comments

Hello Dierk,

Welcome to the project! I have awarded you the project badge. I took a look at your pages, and I was impressed that you have photographs going back into the 1800s and portraits from even earlier. Such precious heirlooms.

Please consider adding "Switzerland" to your followed tags here on G2G to make it easier to find Switzerland-related posts. There is also a Google Group for project conversations:

https://groups.google.com/g/wtswitzerlandproject

It does not get much activity, but it is another resource for directing Switzerland-specific questions, and it is the main outlet for general announcements/conversations about the project.

Again, welcome to the Project!

Answer 13

Hello,

I'm sure that I'm at least 1/4 Swiss and have my last name (once Klasi, once Klaesi, and several other derivatives of it) relatives, and several others who married in, traced back to 1570.

My dad did visit Glarus in Switzerland and New Glarus in Wisconsin to gather a large amount of information about the Klassy line and has yet to complete his work.

One of the other last names prominent in my line is Pfeiffer, but it has been lesser researched back to Germany, though it would not surprise me if that line when back to Switzerland as well.

I'm interested in joining this and am quite Google savvy regarding groups as I'm a former educator, mainly in music, but also of a great deal of computer technology, like Google suites.

Thank you,

Dave Klassy

Comments

Hello Dave,

Welcome to the project! I have awarded you the project badge. That's amazing that your father already has a large amount of information from visiting Glarus in person.

Please consider adding "Switzerland" to your followed tags here on G2G to make it easier to find Switzerland-related posts. Since you mention Google, you can request to join the group and I'll add you, although right now it does not get much activity:

https://groups.google.com/g/wtswitzerlandproject

Still, it is the main outlet for general announcements/conversations about the project.

Again, welcome to the Project!

Answer 14

I would like to join the Switzerland Project.  I have one Swiss ancestor who immigrated to the United States from Canton Bern, but this is a brick wall at the moment.

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Abbühl-5

I've done extensive research on him and his family in the U.S., but I'm eager to know more about this family and their lives in Switzerland.  I'm hoping to find new sources from this project.

Thanks!

Mark

Comments

Hello Mark,

I found the name Abbühl in the Register of Swiss surnames. There are 6 municipalities that home municipalities for people of this name before 1800:

https://hls-dhs-dss.ch/famn/index.php

Fortunately for you, the Bern church registers are online (most Cantons do not have them online). You can find the Därstetten Parish records here:

https://www.query.sta.be.ch/detail.aspx?id=221644

Click the pdf. I found David's baptism on the bottom right side of p.98. The script is in the old Kurrent style, and the language is German! Hopefully this gets you started though.

I am awarding you the project badge. Welcome to the project! Please consider adding the Switzerland tag here and also joining our Google group:

https://groups.google.com/g/wtswitzerlandproject

---

Thank you for the link to the Parish records!  This is great information, and it definitely helps get me started.  Thank you so much, Barry!

Answer 15

Grüzi! I'm Swiss through my grandmother Elise [Lienhart-12] and have "cousin-documentation" of her ancestors.  I'd like to find more sources and investigate some puzzles.  Thanks!  Jane

Comments

Welcome to the project! I have awarded you the badge.

It's tough to find sources from so far away, as you know. I see on your profiles that you seem to have a cousin who resides in Switzerland. That is very fortunate! Otherwise, I have found cantonal and local archives to be responsive to be responsive.

For other sources, are you familiar with the sites for the Zürich State Archives

https://suche.staatsarchiv.djiktzh.ch/suchinfo.aspx

and with the digitized Swiss newspapers?

https://www.e-newspaperarchives.ch/

Again, welcome to the project!

---

Thanks, Barry, for the useful resources.  I have a little German and can poke my way around a bit.  I do not know if my Swiss cousin is still alive, but some other descendants are.  My last direct connection left Switzerland in the 1920s.  Best from Jane

Answer 16

Hey,

I would like to join the Switzerland Project WikiTree !

I am interested because I am indeed Swiss living in Switzerland ! and I discoverd WikiTree a year ago and I am a fan !

I come from the french part of Switzerland.

I am still hard workin, so I do not have a lot of time, so my contribution will be not so intense !

First remark : I have not seen a "Switzerland Project Reliable Sources" in the "Reliable Sources for Pre-1700 Profiles" ; do you think it should be a work to be done ? In the "Switzerland project" page you have already some sources.

Waiting to ear about you !

Sincerly,

Cédric

Comments

Greetings from Berne in Switzerland! :-)

Maybe you should also message Barry Smith, so he can award you the Project Badge.

---

Hello Cédric,

Sorry I missed your post. I see you have continued contributing to WikiTree. So assuming that you are still interested in the Switzerland Project, I have awarded you the badge. 

There is also a Google group used very occasionally for group communications.

https://groups.google.com/g/wtswitzerlandproject

If you want to join, request to at that link and I will add you.

A Reliable Sources for Pre-1700 Profiles page would surely be a welcome addition. If you have an idea about what one should encompass, you could create a page or an initial outline of the page and you or I could send it out to the project Google group for feedback.

Welcome to the Switzerland Project!

Barry


 

Answer 17

I would like to become a member but do not know how to

Fred Hebel, Michigan, USA and Jettenbach, Rheinpfalz, Germany

Comments

Try sending Barry Smith a private message. He will have to award you the project badge. But you could still use the

{{Switzerland Sticker}} and the Canton Categories on any Swiss profiles that you make until you get officially set up. Welcome@

---

How do I send someone a "private message"?

---

There is a little icon that looks like an envelope on their profile page. If you click that, it lets you send a message to them directly. It works well when people aren't checking G2G often, because it sends an email directly to the person.

---

Hello Frederick,

Are you still interested in joining? I notice you don't mention Swiss ancestors, just German, and I don't see Swiss ancestry in your tree. You are welcome to join even so. I just wanted to make sure that you are still interested.

Answer 18

Hello,

I'm a whopping 1/32 Swiss!  I have a Röthlisberger ancestor who came from Langnau im Emmental (of Swiss cheese fame), Canton Bern to Wisconsin, and wound up fighting in the Iron Brigade during the American Civil War and was wounded in action.  Anyways, thanks to the wonderful fact that Bern's churchbooks are all online, this Swiss branch is one of the most productive and traceable in my entire family tree.  Though the ancestors in my tree are well established on other sites like ancestry.com and familysearch.org, most of them have not made it on to wikitree yet, so I would enjoy helping in that regard--getting the cheese-making country folk of Canton Bern onto wikitree!

Thanks,

Jesse Thorstad

Comments

Hi Jesse
Maybe also private message Barry Smith, if you don't hear from him. So he can award you the project badge.

My mother is from Canton Bern and I have several of your surnames in my tree. I send you a message :-).

---

Hello Jesse,

Welcome to the Switzerland project. I have awarded you the badge. There is also a rarely used Google group for communications. If you want to be on that, just send a request here:

https://groups.google.com/g/wtswitzerlandproject

Answer 19

Hoi Zäme,

I'm still a bit under the 100 contributions so far, but I figured I might as well ask to join the Switzerland group.  I've lived in Switzerland for nearly 20 years, and only recently learned that I have some Swiss ancestors.  They're from Emmental, Tösstal/Kaltbrunn, and Basel.

I speak and read both German and Swiss-German and have been helping out the Palatine project with trying to figure out some of the Swiss-German names.

Comments

Hello Greg,

It's always great to have members who live in Switzerland, especially to help with language and also since there are so many Cantons with very few records online. I have awarded you the badge. There is also a Google group for communication (but with almost no activity). If you want to be in that, just send a request here

https://groups.google.com/g/wtswitzerlandproject

Welcome to the project!

Barry

Answer 20

I have documented ancestry from Canton Zurich and Canton Bern. Would love to be part of this project.

Comments

Hello Julia,

I have awarded you the badge. Welcome to the Switzerland Project! There is also a Google group for communication (but with almost no activity). If you want to be in that, just send a request here

https://groups.google.com/g/wtswitzerlandproject

Barry