Wynau Parish, Bern, Switzerland Genealogy

Guide to Wynau parish, Bern, Switzerland ancestry, family history, and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Geography
Prior to 1817 Wynau shared a 5 miles border with Solothurn, the being the physical barrier between the two. Solothurn was a Catholic canton, and prior to the 1848 Federal constitution, the cantons were separated by a religious divide. Literally, people living in a Swiss reformed canton were not allowed to settle in a Catholic canton and vice versa. After the 1848 constitution small changes in religious demographics occurred.

History
When Aargau Canton was created in 1803 Wynau lost a significant part of land and population. The kirchegemeinde did not change until 1817 and as a result it is possible to find people who lived in Riken, Murgenthal, and Glashütten in the Wynau registers until 1817. Riken, Murgenthal, and Glashütten were in Murgenthal gemeinde. In 1817 Murgenthal kirchgemeinde was created in Aargau Canton.

Collections
There is an article describing the challenges of using the online collection and a general description of the records. i.e. Taufen, Heiraten, Toten, Auswärtige, and Ausbürger. Wynau registers are available on microfilm, CD, or online. The German Word List has many of the words you will find in the registers. ................................................................................................................ The parish registers for Wynau were recorded in the following volumes, as numbered by the Cantonal Archive of Bern with links to the online records:
 * available for loan at Family History Centers
 * Wynau registers on CD at Picton Press available
 * Wynau online registers can be viewed at Family History Centers around the world, and by members of the supporting organization, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, from home computers.

Genealogies
(see here for article describing Swiss compiled genealogies)

The following genealogies have been researched for Wynau families:

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

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

Societies and Libraries
Cantonal Archive of Bern