Steinen Parish, Schwyz, Switzerland Genealogy

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



Geography
As of 2006, Steinen has an area of 11.9 km2 (4.6 sq mi). It is situated between Rossberg and Lake Lauerz.

The land use is divided up as follows:
 * 52.7% - agricultural purposes
 * 22.1% - forested
 * 10.5% - settled (buildings or roads)
 * 14.6% - non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains)

History
The first mention of Steinen was in 1124 as Steina.

The population history of Steinen is: 1850 - 1570 inhabitants 1900 - 1420 inhabitants 1950 - 1751 inhabitants 1980 - 1998 inhabitants 2000 - 2775 inhabitants

The construction of today's Gothic church (Jakobuspatrozinium) took place in 1318 and in 1540 there was a choir extension. The baroque building is from 1660-1700 and refurbished in 2003.

Surrounding parishes
Arth Lauerz Sattel Steinerberg Schwyz

Church Records
The parish of Steinen is ancient. Records are available from 1635 for baptisms, 1643 for marriages, and 1691 for burials.

Digital copies of the church records can be accessed onsite at the Schwyz State Archives. The archive has an online inventory of the records for Steinen.

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

Zivilstandsamt Innerschwyz Herrengasse 17 CH - 6431 Schwyz

Tel: +41 41 819 07 14

email: [mailto:zivilstandsamt@gemeindeschwyz.ch zivilstandsamt@gemeindeschwyz.ch]

Duplicate civil registration registers are located at the Schwyz State Archives. Additionally, the archive has a partial inventory of its holdings. The following records are viewable in person:


 * Births before 1900
 * Marriages before 1930
 * Deaths before 1960

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

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

Libraries and archives
State Archives of Schwyz

Societies
Zentralschweizerische Gesellschaft für Familienforschung

Historischer Verein des Kantons Schwyz