Sins Parish, Aargau, Switzerland Genealogy

Description: Guide to Sins (Meienberg) 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 former municipality of Sins is in the Muri district and the Aargau canton. It is located from the banks of the Reuss to the heights of Lindenberg. It is in the upper Freiamt. The municipality of Sins includes the villages of Sins, Alikon, Reussegg, Aettenschwil, Meienberg and Fenkrieden.

Sins (as of 2009) has an area of 20.3 km² (7.8 square miles). The land use is divided up as follows:
 * 72.1% - agricultural purposes
 * 17.4% - forested
 * 9.6% - settled (buildings or roads)
 * 0.5% - rivers or lakes

History
In 1236, Sins was first mentioned by the name of Sins. Sins is in the Muri district and the Aargau canton.

The population history of Sins is: 1803 - 1,136 inhabitants 1850 - 1,788 inhabitants 1900 - 1,480 inhabitants 1950 - 2,160 inhabitants 1975 - 2,638 inhabitants 1980 - 2,730 inhabitants 1990 - 2,967 inhabitants 2000 - 3,294 inhabitants 2010 - 4,055 inhabitants 2020 - 4,299 inhabitants

Per the 2000 census:
 * 71.6% were Roman Catholic
 * 12.6% were Swiss Reformed Church
 * 0.12% were Christian Catholic Church

The village of Sins was the center of a large parish. The villages of Auw (1638), Abtwil (1748), and Mühlau (1878) separated from the Sins parish. In 1179, the Saint-Vérène chapel in Aettenschwil was built. It was rebuilt in 1638. In 1331, the Sainte-Catherine chapel was founded. In 1336, the Virgin Mary church was dedicated. In 1493, the Nativity of Our Lady church was founded. In 1746, a new building replaced the church. In 1500, the Sainte-Croix church was founded. In 1553, the Saint-Eloi chapel in Meienberg was built. In 1650, the Saints-Josse-et-Antoine-de-Padoue chapel in Alikon was built. It was rebuilt in 1755. In 1665, the Saint-André chapel in the Holderstock hamlet was built. In 1684, the Saint-Wendelin chapel in Fenkrieden was built.

Church Records
The parish of Meienberg, renamed Sins in 1941, is ancient; the parish church is called Mariä Geburt. It included Auw until 1638, Abtwil until 1748, and Mühlau until 1878.

Original church records are located onsite at the Sins parish church office. Microfilm copies of the following church records are available onsite at the Aargau State Archives:
 * Baptisms 1607-1689; marriages, burials 1607-1614
 * Baptisms 1690-1731
 * Baptisms, marriages, burials 1631-1761; confirmations 1731-1753; first communions 1732-1761
 * Baptisms 1762-1868; marriages 1762-1863; burials 1762-1858; confirmations 1762-1886; first communions 1762-1861
 * Baptisms 1817-1875
 * Marriages 1599-1603, 1616-1685; burials 1673-1686
 * Marriages 1686-1725; burials 1686-1731; confirmations 1693-1730
 * Marriages 1817-1852
 * Marriages 1853-1875
 * Marriages non-resident citizens 1818-1875
 * Burials 1616-1654
 * Burials 1817-1875
 * Confirmations 1603-1691

Post-1875 church records, as well as the following family books, are found onsite at the Sins parish church office.
 * Family book 1859-1890
 * Family book 1859-1909

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

The following censuses are available from FamilySearch for Sins:
 * 1837 (images 557-577)
 * 1850: Form A (images 738-780)
 * 1850: Form B (image 781)

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

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

Libraries and archives
State Archives of Aargau

Societies
Central Swiss Society for Family History (ZGF)