Brittnau Parish, Aargau, Switzerland Genealogy

Description: Guide to Brittnau 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 municipality of Brittnau is in the district of Zofingen in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland. It is located on the left side of the mid-Wigger river valley (Wiggertal). It consists of Brittnau itself and the following villages: The municipality borders include Wikon, Langnau bei Reiden, Pfaffnau, Murgenthal, Vordemwald, Strengelbach, and Zofingen.
 * Bergacker
 * Bösenwil
 * Bötschishalden
 * Fennern
 * Geissbach
 * Grod
 * Leidenberg
 * Liebigen
 * Mättenwil
 * Rossweid
 * Sennhof
 * Wilacker

Brittnau (as of 2009) has an area of 13.69 km² (5.29 square miles). The land use is divided up as follows:
 * 52.8% - agricultural purposes
 * 34.6% - forested
 * 11.8% - settled (buildings or roads)
 * 0.7% - either rivers or lakes

History
In 924, Brittnau was first mentioned by the name of Pritinouva.

The population history of Brittnau is: 1850 - 2,249 inhabitants 1888 - 2,069 inhabitants 1900 - 2,229 inhabitants 1950 - 2,972 inhabitants 1990 - 3,158 inhabitants 2000 - 3,400 inhabitants 2020 - 3,968 inhabitants

Per the 2000 census:
 * 21.3% were Roman Catholic
 * 65.9% were Swiss Reformed Church
 * 0.21% were Christian Catholic Church

The first church dates from the 10th. The current Hall church dates from the 16th century reformation.

Church Records
The parish of Brittnau was first mentioned in the tenth century. The Reformed church dates to the 15th century.

Original church records are located onsite at the Brittnau municipal archive. Microfilm copies of the following church records are available onsite at the Aargau State Archives:
 * Baptisms 1567-1602; marriages 1588-1602; 1580-1588
 * Baptisms, marriages 1602-1639
 * Baptisms 1645-1687; marriages 1639-1688; burials 1660-1688
 * Baptisms 1688-1750; marriages 1688-1752; confirmations 1707-1751
 * Baptisms 1751-1785
 * Baptisms 1786-1816
 * Baptisms 1817-1835
 * Baptisms 1836-1865
 * Baptisms 1866-1875
 * Marriages 1753-1843
 * Marriages 1817-1852
 * Marriages 1844-1852
 * Marriages 1853-1875
 * Marriages, non-resident citizens 1818-1875
 * Burials 1753-1816
 * Burials 1817-1873
 * Burials 1874-1875

The following volume is only located onsite at the Brittnau municipal archive.
 * Marriages 1751-1752; burials 1708-1752; confirmations 1751-1911

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

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

The following censuses are available from FamilySearch for Brittnau:
 * 1837 (images 400-445)
 * 1850: Form A (images 514-568)
 * 1850: Form B (image 569)

Surnames
The following surnames held citizenship in Brittnau 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)