Auenstein Parish, Aargau, Switzerland Genealogy

Description: Guide to Auenstein 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 Auenstein is in the Brugg district and the Aargau canton. It is located between the south slope of the Mount Gislifluh and the north bank of the Aare river. Neighboring municipalities are Möriken-Wildegg to the east, Biberstein to the west, Rupperswil to the south, Oberflachs and Veltheim to the north, and Thalheim to the northwest. It includes the village of Auenstein and the hamlet of Fahr.

Auenstein (as of 2006) has an area of 5.7 km² (2.2 square miles). The land use is divided up as follows:
 * 31.0% - agricultural purposes
 * 46.4% - forested
 * 17.6% - settled (buildings or roads)
 * 4.9% - non-productive

History
In 1212, Auenstein was first mentioned by the name of Gowenstein. Auenstein is in the Brugg district and the Aargau canton.

The population history of Auenstein is: 1764 - 309 inhabitants 1803 - 447 inhabitants 1850 - 752 inhabitants 1900 - 719 inhabitants 1930 - 743 inhabitants 1950 - 864 inhabitants 1960 - 896 inhabitants 1970 - 1,165 inhabitants 1980 - 1,166 inhabitants 1990 - 1,176 inhabitants 2000 - 1,359 inhabitants 2005 - 1,421 inhabitants 2020 - 1,613 inhabitants

Per the 2000 census:
 * 16.9% were Roman Catholic
 * 65.0% were Swiss Reformed Church

Church Records
The parish of Auenstein was first mentioned in 1327.

Most original church records are held onsite at the Auenstein municipal archive. Copies of the following church records are available onsite on microfilm at the Aargau State Archives:
 * Baptisms, marriages, burials 1583-1635
 * Baptisms 1636-1734; marriages 1636-1752; burials 1636-1740
 * Baptisms 1734-1765; burials 1740-1764
 * Baptisms 1763-1817; baptisms non-resident citizens 1776-1876
 * Baptisms 1817-1875
 * Marriages 1752-1781; confirmations 1753-1763
 * Marriages 1781-1852
 * Marriages 1853-1875
 * Marriages, non-resident citizens 1817-1867
 * Burials 1763-1816
 * Burials 1817-1875

All church records after 1875 are available onsite at the Auenstein parish church office.

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

The following censuses are available from FamilySearch for Auenstein:
 * 1837 (images 169-183)
 * 1850: Form A (images 12-32)
 * 1850: Form B (image 33)

Surnames
The following surnames held citizenship in Auenstein 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 Bern (GHGB)