Hermetschwil-Staffeln Parish, Aargau, Switzerland Genealogy

Description: Guide to Hermetschwil-Staffeln 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 Hermetschwil-Staffeln is in the Bremgarten district and the Aargau canton. It is located on the left bank of the Reuss river and outside of Bremgarten. The municipality includes the villages of Hermetschwil along the river and Staffeln in the hills above the river.

Hermetschwil-Staffeln (as of 2914) has an area of 3.3 km² (1.3 square miles). The land use is divided up as follows:
 * 54.2% - agricultural purposes
 * 31.1% - forested
 * 10.2% - settled (buildings or roads)
 * 4.5% - rivers or lakes

History
In 1064, Hermetschwil-Staffeln was first mentioned by the name of Hermenswil. In 1390 as Hermeczwil. Hermetschwil-Staffeln is in the Bremgarten district and the Aargau canton.

On 1 January 2014, the municipality of Hermetschwil-Staffeln merged into Bremgarten.

The population history of Hermetschwil-Staffeln is: 1850 - 346 inhabitants 1900 - 389 inhabitants 1950 - 379 inhabitants 1980 - 498 inhabitants 2000 - 1,087 inhabitants 2011 - 1,126 inhabitants

Per the 2000 census:
 * 55.5% were Roman Catholic
 * 28.5% were Swiss Reformed Church
 * 0.18% were Christian Catholic Church

Prior to 1878, the Convent church served as a parish church.

Church Records
The parish of Hermetschwil-Staffeln originated in the Abbey, first mentioned in 1083. The parish church is called Bruder Klaus.

Original church records are located onsite at the Hermetschwil Abbey. Microfilm copies of the following church records are available onsite at the Aargau State Archives:
 * Baptisms, marriages 1626-1735; burials 1627-1737; confirmations 1647-1731
 * Baptisms 1817-1875
 * Marriages 1817-1852
 * Marriages 1853-1875
 * Burials 1817-1875

The following church records are only available onsite at the Bremgarten city archive:
 * Baptisms, marriages, burials 1729-1836; confirmations 1731-1829
 * Marriages non-resident citizens 1832-1862

Post-1875 church records, as well as the following church record, are found onsite at the Hermetschwil Abbey.
 * Family book 1846-1920
 * Family book 1850-1873

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

The following censuses are available from FamilySearch for Hermetschwil-Staffeln:
 * 1837 (images 727-735)
 * 1850: Form A (images 462-470)
 * 1850: Form B (image 471)

Surnames
The following surnames held citizenship in Hermetschwil-Staffeln 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)