Zürich Canton, Switzerland Genealogy

Guide to Zürich canton ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, parish registers, and military records.

Getting Started
If you are new to Swiss research, you should watch this introductory course. Then study the articles on church records and civil registration, as almost all of your research will be in those two record groups.
 * Introduction to Swiss Research
 * Switzerland Civil Registration
 * Switzerland Church Records

History
The Reformation resulted in major changes in state matters and civil life in Zürich, spreading also to a number of other cantons. Several cantons remained Catholic and became the basis of serious conflicts that eventually led to the outbreak of the Wars of Kappel. The Helvetic Revolution of 1798 saw the fall of the Ancien Régime. Zürich lost control of the land and its economic privileges, and the city and the canton separated their possessions between 1803 and 1805. In 1893, the twelve outlying districts were incorporated into Zürich, including Aussersihl, the workman's quarter on the left bank of the Sihl, and additional land was reclaimed from Lake Zürich. Zürich is a German speaking canton. 

Census Records Online
Starting in 1633, all Reformed residents of Canton Zürich and some parishes in surrounding cantons were recorded in census records. The latest census record was created in 1767. For a list of censuses available for your parish, see the corresponding parish page in the Research Wiki.

Civil Registration
Civil registration began in Zürich Canton in 1876. To understand the records available, read the Wiki article, Switzerland Civil Registration.
 * Addresses for Civil Registration (Zivilstandesamt) Offices (.pdf)
 * You will be able to write your request in German with the help of the German Letter Writing Guide.

Zürich Marriage Records

 * The Zürich State Archive has a canton-wide marriage index, for every parish, through 1800. Click here to access the search feature. You can also access PDFs of the marriage index by clicking here

Instructions
To learn how to use the Zürich Marriage Index, check out the "How to" Guide.
 * First, read through the [[Media:1-Z%C3%BCrich_Marriage_Index-Instruction.pdf|Instruction]]
 * Then test your knowledge with the short [[Media:2-Z%C3%BCrich_Marriage_Index-Assignment.pdf|Assignment]]
 * [[Media:3-Z%C3%BCrich_Marriage_Index-Answer_Key.pdf|An Answer Key]] is provided to check your answers. br>

Links
Zürich marriage records have been indexed through 1800 by groom or bride, then by surname. This index can be accessed at the following links:

Online Church Records
For information on the coverage, content, and locating of church records, read Switzerland Church Records. Ancestry.com, MyHeritage, and FindMyPast collections can be view free of charge at a Family History Center near you.
 * . FamilySearch Historical Records. Images, no indexes. Incomplete.
 * . FamilySearch Historical Records. Images, no index. Incomplete.
 * Switzerland, Church Book Extracts, 1550-1875. Ancestry.com. images, incomplete.
 * . FamilySearch Historical Records. Index. Incomplete.
 * Switzerland, Baptisms, 1491-1940. MyHeritage.com, ($). Index. Incomplete.
 * Switzerland, Baptisms, 1491-1940. Ancestry.com, ($). Index. Incomplete.
 * . FamilySearch Historical Records. Index. Incomplete.
 * Switzerland, Marriages, 1532-1910. My Heritage.com, ($). Index. Incomplete.
 * Switzerland, Marriages, 1532-1910. Ancestry.com, ($). Incomplete. Index.
 * . FamilySearch Historical Records Index. Incomplete.
 * Switzerland Burials, 1613-1875. MyHeritage. ($). Index. Incomplete.
 * Switzerland Burials, 1613-1875. Ancestry.com. Incomplete. Index. ($).

FamilySearch Microfilmed/Digitized Records
Several parish records have been microfilmed and are currently being digitized. Eventually, all of them will be digitized, so check back frequently. These records may have a restriction for use only at a Family History Center near you.

Instructions:
 * 1) Click on Switzerland, Zürich FamilySearch Catalog.
 * 2) Open the list "Places within Switzerland, Zürich". Select your town.
 * 3) A list of record categories will open up. Click on "Church records".
 * 4) A list of available records will appear. Click on the record title you are interested in searching.
 * 5) Scroll down to the list of microfilm numbers. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the microfilm listed for the record. FHL icons.png. The magnifying glass indicates that the microfilm is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the microfilm.

Writing for Church Records

 * You will be able to write your request in German with the help of the German Letter Writing Guide.

Reading the Records

 * German Genealogical Word List
 * Swiss Dialect Genealogical Word List
 * Reading German Handwritten Records
 * Lesson 1: Kurrent Letters
 * Lesson 2: Making Words in Kurrent
 * Lesson 3: Reading Kurrent Documents
 * Old German Script
 * Part 1
 * Part 2
 * Part 3 (German Church and Civil Records)

Search Strategy
This search strategy will help you determine what to write for. Limit tour requests to just one of these steps at a time. Once you have established that the parish is cooperative and perhaps more willing to do more extensive research (for a fee), you might be able to ask them for more at a time.
 * Search for the relative or ancestor you selected.
 * When you find his birth record, search for the births of his brothers and sisters.
 * Next, search for the marriage of his parents. The marriage record will have information that will often help you find the birth records of the parents.
 * You can estimate the ages of the parents and determine a birth year to search for their birth records.
 * Search the death registers for all known family members.
 * Repeat this process for both the father and the mother, starting with their birth records, then their siblings' births, then their parents' marriages, and so on.
 * If earlier generations (parents, grandparents, etc.) do not appear in the records, search neighboring parishes.

Research Tools

 * Swiss Genealogy on the Internet - Zürich
 * Zürich, Family pages by surname
 * Zürich Government Archive
 * Inhabitants of the Wil Parish, Zürich, Switzerland 1640 - 1900

Parishes in Zürich
The following is a list of the church parishes of Canton Zürich as they existed by 1875.