Oberdorf, Basel-Landschaft, Switzerland Genealogy

Description: Guide to Oberdorf, Basel-Landschaft, 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 municipality of Oberdorf is in the Waldenburg district and the Basel-Landschaft canton. It is located in the Waldenburger Valley on the old road over the Oberen Hauenstein Pass. The municipality includes the village of Oberdorf and 13 farm settlements scattered in the area.

Oberdorf (as of 2009) has an area of 6.19 km² (2.39 square miles). The land use is divided up as follows:
 * 43.5% - agricultural purposes
 * 43.8% - forested
 * 12.8% - settled (buildings or roads)
 * 0.5% - rivers or lakes

History
In 835, Oberdorf was first mentioned by the name of Honoltesuuilare. In 1345, as Onoltzwil in dem obern. In 1491, as Oberdorf. Oberdorf is in the Waldenburg district and the Basel-Landschaft canton.

The population history of Oberdorf is: 1497 - 92 inhabitants 1699 - 318 inhabitants 1743 - 348 inhabitants 1850 - 743 inhabitants 1860 - 843 inhabitants 1870 - 821 inhabitants 1880 - 822 inhabitants 1888 - 802 inhabitants 1900 - 801 inhabitants 1910 - 951 inhabitants 1920 - 1,024 inhabitants 1930 - 1,111 inhabitants 1941 - 1,145 inhabitants 1950 - 1,362 inhabitants 1960 - 1,622 inhabitants 1970 - 1,953 inhabitants 1980 - 1,940 inhabitants 1990 - 1,984 inhabitants 2000 - 2,319 inhabitants 2021 - 2,466 inhabitants

Per the 2000 census:
 * 23.4% were Roman Catholic
 * 54.4% were Swiss Reformed Church
 * 1.21% were Orthodox Church
 * 0.73% were Christian Catholic Church
 * 3.10% were Other Christian Church

The church of Oberdorf was the center of the valley of Waldenburg. In the 8th century, the Saint-Michel chapel was mentioned.

Church Records
Oberdorf belongs to the parish of Waldenburg. For church records, see Waldenburg.

Census
(See here for information regarding Basel-Landschaft census records.)

The following censuses are available from FamilySearch for Oberdorf:
 * 1815 (images 462-477)

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

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

Libraries and archives
State Archives of Basel-Landschaft

Societies
Genealogical-Heraldic Society of Region Basel (GHGRB)