Birrwil Parish, Aargau, Switzerland Genealogy

Description: Guide to Birrwil Parish, Aargau, Switzerland, ancestry, family history, and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, parish census, civil census, family history, area history, and military records.



Geography
The municipality of Birrwil is in the district of Kulm in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland. Birrwil is situated in the Seetal valley, on the western shore of Lake Hallwil. It is located on four thin terraces on the steep eastern slopes of Mounts Eichhalde and Güggeliberg above the lake surface.

Birrwil (as of 2009) has an area of 3.42 km² (1.32 square miles). The land use is divided up as follows:
 * 58.8% - agricultural purposes
 * 28.7% - forested
 * 13.2% - settled (buildings or roads)

History
In 1185, Birrwil was first mentioned by the name of Beriuuillare.

The population history of Birrwil is: 1653 - 195 inhabitants 1850 - 972 inhabitants 1870 - 1,005 inhabitants 1900 - 850 inhabitants 1941 - 806 inhabitants 1950 - 845 inhabitants 1975 - 878 inhabitants 1980 - 941 inhabitants 1990 - 944 inhabitants 2000 - 960 inhabitants 2020 - 1,185 inhabitants

Per the 2000 census:
 * 22.6% were Roman Catholic
 * 58.0% were Swiss Reformed Church
 * 0.31% were Christian Catholic Church

The village church was first mentioned in 1275. In 1528, the church converted to the new religion during the Protestant Reformation. In 1689 the old church was replaced by a new one.

Church Records
The parish of Birrwil was first mentioned in 1275, and became Reformed in 1528. Part of Zetzwil belonged to Birrwil until 1636, when it was transferred to Gontenschwil. Original church records are located onsite at the Birrwil municipal archive or at the Menziken regional civil registration office. Microfilm copies of the following church records are available onsite at the Aargau State Archives:
 * Baptisms 1598-1670; marriages 1598-1720; burials 1640-1723
 * Baptisms 1670-1752
 * Baptisms 1752-1806
 * Baptisms 1806-1816; baptisms non-resident citizens 1755-1812
 * Baptisms 1817-1869
 * Baptisms 1870-1875
 * Baptisms non-resident citizens 1784-1875; confirmations 1877-1882
 * Marriages 1720-1751; burials 1721-1752; confirmations 1722-1751
 * Marriages 1752-1809
 * Marriages 1806-1852
 * Marriages 1817-1852
 * Marriages 1853-1875
 * Burials 1752-1816; burials non-resident citizens 1809-1861
 * Burials 1817-1875
 * Confirmations 1752-1869
 * Family books 1749-1831

Post-1875 church records are found onsite at the Birrwil parish church office.

Census
(See here for information regarding Aargau census records.)

The following censuses are available from FamilySearch for Birrwil:
 * 1837 (images 472-485)
 * 1850: Form A (images 565-587)
 * 1850: Form B (images 588-589)

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

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

Libraries and archives
State Archives of Aargau

Societies
Genealogical-Heraldic Society of Bern (GHGB)