Basel (Stadt) Canton, Switzerland Genealogy

Guide to Basel (Stadt) canton ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, parish registers, and military records.

Getting Started
If you are new to Swiss research, you should watch this introductory course. Then study the articles on church records and civil registration, as almost all of your research will be in those two record groups.
 * Introduction to Swiss Research
 * Switzerland Civil Registration
 * Switzerland Church Records

History
The canton of Basel-Stadt was created when the historic canton of Basel was divided in 1833, following political quarrels and armed conflict in the canton. This ultimately led to the separation of the canton Basel-Landschaft from the city of Basel on 26 August 1833. Since then, there has been a movement for reunification. This movement gained momentum after 1900 when many parts of Basel-Landschaft became industrialized. The two half-cantons agreed in principle to reunite, but in 1969, and again in September 2014, the people of Basel-Landschaft voted against this proposal in favour of retaining their independence. 

Civil Registration
Civil registration began in Basel (Stadt) Canton in 1876. To understand the records available, read the Wiki article, Switzerland Civil Registration.
 * Addresses for Civil Registration (Zivilstandesamt) Offices (.pdf)
 * You will be able to write your request in German with the help of the German Letter Writing Guide.

Church Records
For information on the coverage, content, and locating of church records, read Switzerland Church Records.

FamilySearch Historical Collection

 * 1277-1992 - Schweiz, Kirchenbücher, 1277-1992, Basel-Stadt, images.

Index to Basel City Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials
An index of Basel City baptisms, marriages, and burials can be found from the Basel-Stadt State Archives website. You can access: How to use the Index:
 * Baptisms 1529-1869
 * Marriages through 1869
 * Burials through 1869
 * 1) Create an account and then login.
 * 2) Click on one of the links above.
 * 3) In the left sidebar, click on "Localize in archive plan".
 * 4) About halfway down, find these entries: [[File:Index instructions.png]]
 * 5) Click on the white plus sign for the index you want. "Taufen" is christenings/baptisms. "Trauung" is marriages. "Bestattungen" is burials.
 * 6) Click on the year and part of the alphabet you want. [[File:Baselstadt instructions2.png]]
 * 7) Find the section "Digitalisierung". "Yes" means the record is digitized. The link in the next line takes you to the images.[[File:Baselland instructions3.png]]
 * 8) Click on the red link to accept the regulations.

Reading the Records

 * Reading German Handwritten Records
 * Lesson 1: Kurrent Letters
 * Lesson 2: Making Words in Kurrent
 * Lesson 3: Reading Kurrent Documents
 * Old German Script
 * Part 1
 * Part 2
 * Part 3 (German Church and Civil Records)

Search Strategy
This search strategy will help you determine what to write for. Limit tour requests to just one of these steps at a time. Once you have established that the parish is cooperative and perhaps more willing to do more extensive research (for a fee), you might be able to ask them for more at a time.
 * Search for the relative or ancestor you selected.
 * When you find his birth record, search for the births of his brothers and sisters.
 * Next, search for the marriage of his parents. The marriage record will have information that will often help you find the birth records of the parents.
 * You can estimate the ages of the parents and determine a birth year to search for their birth records.
 * Search the death registers for all known family members.
 * Repeat this process for both the father and the mother, starting with their birth records, then their siblings' births, then their parents' marriages, and so on.
 * If earlier generations (parents, grandparents, etc.) do not appear in the records, search neighboring parishes.