Switzerland Church Records

For information about records for non-Christian religions in Switzerland, go to the Religious Records page.

Definition
Church records are often called church books or churches books or parish registers. They contain records of births, baptisms, marriages, deaths and burials. In addition, church records can contain financial account books, (the record charges for toll bells, fees for masses for the dead, and so on), lists of confirmation, lists protected persons, lists of foreigners, and the family register.

Time
Protestants first required the recording of baptisms and marriages in 1525; Catholics in 1563 at the Council of Trent. However, many of the early church records have been lost. The records can be written in German, Latin, French, Italian, or Romantsch.

Denominations
Generally church records exist for the following denominations:
 * Reformed (Reformierte Kirche/Eglise réformée) 1525-
 * Roman Catholic (Katholische Kirche/Eglise catholique) 1565 (1481)-
 * Swiss Baptist/Mennonite (Wiedertäufer, Mennoniten/Eglise baptiste, Eglise mennonite) 1622-
 * Brethren (Brüder/Herrnhuter) 1661-
 * Jews (Jüdische Gemeinde/Congrégation Juive) 1759-
 * Free Churches (Freie Kirchen) 1817-
 * Russian Orthodox Church (Russisch-Orthodoxe Kirche) 1817-
 * Methodists (Methodisten) 1856-
 * Christian Catholic (Christkatholische Kirche) 1872-

Other churches in Switzerland prior to 1900: Seventh-day Adventists (Adventisten vom 7. Tag), Swedenborgian (Schwedenborgianer), Anglicans (Anglikaner), Society for Propagation of the Gospel (Gesellschaft zur Ausbreitung des Evangeliums), Scottish Presbyterian Church (Schottische Presbyterianer Kirche)

Types of church records:

 * Baptisms, marriages, burials, confirmations
 * Lists of communicants
 * Family registers (soul registers)
 * Lists of ministers in the parish
 * Church council minutes
 * Notations about those who have fallen away, i.e. Anabaptists
 * Church censuses, membership lists
 * Church consistory minutes
 * Annual masses for the dead

Whenever possible, events concerning citizens of the home parish that took place in other parishes are listed in the home parish as well. Hence, there may be separate sections in the parish register, which in the FamilySearch Catalog entries may be described as “Auswärtige”. The women‘s maiden names are usually given in the church records throughout their lives. However, they may be buried under their married or maiden name. Also, the record keeping conventions vary somewhat by region. Surnames may be abbreviated. Also, there are many unusual forms of given names.