Switzerland, Basel City, Local Citizenship Requests - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This is a collection of extracts of requests of citizenship in the city of Basel, Switzerland. These records are part of the Nachlaß F. Weiss-Frei Collection kept in the city archives of Basel, Switzerland. The communes and cantons were and are responsible for naturalization matters. Most of the foreigners came from neighboring France and Germany, while others came from Italy and other nearby countries. In order for foreigners to have the civil rights to live and work in Switzerland, they needed to apply for citizenship.

For a list of records by dates currently published in this collection, select the Browse link from the collection landing page.

This collection of citizenship requests from the City of Basel covers the years 1348-1798.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:
 * Name of person requesting citizenship
 * Place of origin or residence
 * Sometimes his/her occupation

View the Images
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 * 1) Select Browse
 * 2) Select Item of interest

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. The most important information one can take from this record is the place of origin of the immigrant, but it is first necessary to know the place where the person requested his/her citizenship and when he or she did so.

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

 * Use the age in the citizen to find an approximate birth year to begin your search in church or civil records.
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have moved, been recruited or lived nearby. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify. Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual. This compiled list can help you identify possible relations that can be further verified by researching vital records indexes in the country.
 * Save a copy of the image or transcribe the information. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details such as a title, an occupation, or land ownership. Add this new information to your records of each family.

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

 * Switch to a different record collection. Depending on the time period, either Civil Registration records or Church Records may be more useful.
 * While searching, it is helpful to know such information as the ancestor’s given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence and age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as an ancestor and that the ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist during the periods our ancestors lived in. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images. Pay special attention to how the name should have been pronounced and try variations on the pronunciation.
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. *Church *Records often were kept years before government records were required and are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900.


 * Search the indexes and records of local genealogical societies.

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.
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