Schönengrund Parish, Appenzell, Switzerland Genealogy

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Geography
Schönengrund has an area of 5.2 square kilometers (2.0 square miles). The area is used thusly:

65.5% agriculture 30.1% forest 4.4% settlement

Click for a map showing Schönengrund in relation to the rest of Canton Appenzell.

History
Schönengrund was established as an independent parish in 1720 from Urnäsch.

Surrounding Parishes
Click for a map showing Schönengrund in relation to the rest of Canton Appenzell.

Hemberg (Sankt Gallen) Sankt Peterzell (Sankt Gallen) Schwellbrunn Urnäsch

Church Records
The parish records for Gais are now available online from the Appenzell State Archives. They are organized by volume. Click here to access these records.

The protestant parish of Schönengrund was established in 1720 from the parish of Urnäsch. Records held by the Family History Library include baptisms (Taufen), marriages (Heiraten), and Tote (deaths) from 1720-1875 and confirmations (Konfirmanden) from 1830-1875.

The following family books exist for Schönengrund and are held at the Cantonal Archive in Herisau, Switzerland:

Volume 1 (1837) - Family register of citizens Volume 2 (1838) - Family register of cantonal citizens Volume 3 (1838) - Family register of foreigners Volume 4 (1838) - Register of settled journeymen and servants

Genealogies
(see here for article describing Swiss compiled genealogies)

The following genealogies have been researched for Schönengrund:

Alder family, by Gottlieb Büchler (FHL Film 962,790) Frehner family, by Julius Billeter (FHL Film 128,007)Näf/Nef family, by Julius Billeter (FHL Film 128,035; see also FHL Film 193,480)Preisig family, by Julius Billeter (FHL Film 128,084) Stricker family, by Julius Billeter (FHL Film 193,485) Tobler family, by Julius Billeter (FHL Film 128,005; see also FHL Films 193,485 and 193,486) Tobler family, by Julius Billeter (FHL Film 389,428; see also FHL Films 193,485 and 193,486)Tobler family, by Julius Billeter (FHL Film 962,815; see also FHL Film 193,485 and 193,486) Zellweger family, by Julius Billeter (FHL Film 128,008)

Civil Registration
Civil registration began in 1876. Schönengrund belongs to the Hinterland civil registration district. Records are only available in Switzerland. For further information, contact the civil registry office at:

Zivilstandsamt Hinterland App. A. Rh. Poststrasse 6 CH - 9102 Herisau

Tel: +41 71 354 54 35

Email: [mailto:zivilstandsamt@herisau.ar.ch zivilstandsamt@herisau.ar.ch]

Surnames
The following surnames held citizenship in Schönengrund prior to 1875:

Alder Fisch Fitzi (1821) Frehner Frick (extinct) Gaosser (extinct) Heuscher (extinct) Himmelberger (extinct) Hug (extinct) Krüsi Nef Preisig Rohner Schedler (extinct) Schindler (extinct) Solenthaler (extinct) Steingruber Stricker Tobler Vetter (extinct)

Related Sources
The town's website (in German) can be found here.

Societies and Libraries
Cantonal Archive of Appenzell-Ausserrhoden (in German)