Wittnau Parish, Aargau, Switzerland Genealogy

Description: Guide to Wittnau 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 Wittnau is in the Laufenburg district and the Aargau canton. It is located in the Fricktal along the Frick-Salhöhe-Aarau road.

Wittnau (as of 2009) has an area of 11.25 km² (4.34 square miles). The land use is divided up as follows:
 * 39.3% - agricultural purposes
 * 53.8% - forested
 * 6.7% - settled (buildings or roads)
 * 0.3% - river or lakes

History
In 1100, Wittnau was first mentioned by the name of Wittnow. In 1212 as Rudolfus decanus of Wittnouwe. Wittnau is in the Laufenburg district and the Aargau canton.

The population history of Wittnau is: 1758 - 465 inhabitants 1790 - 673 inhabitants 1850 - 939 inhabitants 1900 - 815 inhabitants 1950 - 737 inhabitants 1975 - 791 inhabitants 1980 - 790 inhabitants 1990 - 928 inhabitants 2000 - 1,139 inhabitants 2020 - 1,365 inhabitants

Per the 2000 census:
 * 63.2% were Roman Catholic
 * 18.1% were Swiss Reformed Church
 * 0.35% were Christian Catholic Church

In 1000, the Saint-Martin church was mentioned.

Church Records
The parish of Wittnau was first mentioned in 1000; the parish church is named St. Martin.

The following church records are available onsite in the Wittnau church parish office:
 * Baptisms 1585-1648
 * Baptisms 1648-1702; marriages, burials 1665-1702
 * Baptisms 1702-1780; marriages, burials 1702-1782; confirmations 1705-1712, 1730-1776
 * Baptisms 1781-1799; marriages 1783-1798; burials 1783-1790; confirmations 1805-1865
 * Marriages 1585-1642, 1653-1661; burials 1585-1660
 * Family book 1873-1934

Original church records are located onsite at the Wittnau church parish office. Microfilm copies of the following church records are available onsite at the Aargau State Archives:
 * Baptisms 1784-1817; first communions 1840-1875
 * Baptisms 1817-1875
 * Marriages 1785-1817
 * Marriages 1817-1851
 * Marriages 1853-1875
 * Marriages non-resident citizens 1817-1860
 * Burials 1784-1817
 * Burials 1817-1875

Post-1875 church records are found onsite at the Wittnau church parish office.

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

The following censuses are available from FamilySearch for Wittnau:
 * 1837 (images 79-94)
 * 1850: Form A (images 646-668)
 * 1850: Form B (image 669)

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

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

Libraries and archives
State Archives of Aargau

Societies
Genealogical-Heraldic Society of Region Basel (GHGRB)