Switzerland, Vaud Terrier Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Why Should I Look at This Collection?
Terriers were created to keep track of money and goods owed by tenants to their landlords. These records provide an alternative source of genealogical information, supplementing and extending the church records. For the period when there are no surviving church records, terriers are the main source of genealogical information. Tterriers can also suggest the names of other parishes whose church records should be examined.

What is in This Collection?
This collection includes digital images of terrier records from the Canton of Vaud for the years 1234-1798. The original records are now housed at the Archives Cantonales Vaudoises (ACV).

Reading These Records
These records are written in Latin and French. Before 1536, the records are mostly in Latin; after that year, they are mostly in French. For help reading these records see the following:
 * Latin Genealogical Word List
 * French Genealogical Word List

These records contain many abbreviations. When a line is found over an "m", "n", or vowel, it usually means that an "m" or an "n" has been omitted. There are also shorthand symbols for syllables ending in r, and for common word endings, both in Latin and in French. Other passages in the same terrier will usually reveal the correct reading of the abbreviations.

When the clerks who compiled the terriers made a mistake, they normally did not cross out or erase the wrong word. Instead, they would usually mark the incorrect word by enclosing it in a box of dotted lines or by underlining it with a dotted line. They would then write the correct word immediately after. Some sentences might also include unique symbols; these indicate that a word, phrase, or passage is to be inserted at that point. The inserted material is usually found at the bottom of the page, marked by a matching symbol.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Terrier Records
 * The names of the present land holders as of a specific date. When there is more than one owner of a particular property, the relationships of the owners to each other are usually given. Names of spouses and fathers are often included
 * The names of previous owners of the same properties. When the property has passed to the present owner through inheritance, or has been kept in the family by some other method, the relationship of the previous owners to the present owner is normally given, with the result that several generations of ancestry are often listed. Occasionally a reconnaissance will list 5 or 6 generations
 * The names of adjacent property owners are usually found in the descriptions of the individual properties, often with additional genealogical information about them, too, such as names of fathers or spouses
 * In the course of explaining how an individual came to own specific properties, marriage contracts, testaments, leases, and other legal documents are sometimes cited, with dates and the names of the notaries who recorded these instruments. With this information, it is sometimes possible to locate the original contracts. (Most of the surviving registers of the notaries of Vaud are available on microfilm from the Family History Library)
 * Marginal notations often list later owners of the same properties. These notations sometimes include enough genealogical information to connect the later owners with the parties listed in the reconnaissance
 * Some family names in Vaud have changed over the centuries. Terriers that give extensive history of particular properties may include information about these changes

Sample Images
Click on images for a larger view.

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is best to know:
 * Name of the person
 * Period of their life

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select Place
 * 2) Select Volume to view the images.

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * While most of the genealogical information is likely to be summarized within the first few pages of each transaction, there may be more details, sometimes including additional ancestry, names of other spouses, etc., buried in the text that describes the individual properties

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * Most terriers have a "répertoire" at the front, either in the form of a simple table of contents or an alphabetical index of some sort. In this digital collection, the répertoires are normally found at the end of the series of images for each volume. The images of the répertoires will show an R before the page number. Until indexing of this collection is complete, the répertoires for each volume are probably the best way to locate individual transactions
 * At the ACV, these records are classified as "Series F". The terriers are then organized into subseries based on the traditional district most closely associated with each terrier. For example, ACV Fe covers the district of Vevey, Ff covers Lausanne, and Fh covers Aubonne. Within each subseries, volumes are assigned a sequence number, such as Fh 127. The number assigned to each terrier is found in the inventories prepared by the ACV, which contain a brief description of each volume

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in Switzerland.
 * Record Finder
 * Research Tips and Strategies

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.