Reute Parish, Appenzell, Switzerland Genealogy

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Geography
Reute lies in the mountains between Heiden and Rebstein. The parish divides the Innerrhoden parish of Oberegg into two pieces. It is divided into three districts which are individual hamlets: Mohren, Reute, and Schachen. It has an area of 4.9 square kilometers (1.9 square miles). The area is divided thusly:

40.4% agriculture 52.7% forest 6.9% settlement

History
Reute was created during the Reformation during the division of Appenzell. The residents of Hirschberg were mainly Catholic and wanted to remain with the Innerrhoden, while the Protestant minority wanted to become part of the Ausserrhoden. During the division of Appenzell (known as the Landteilungsbrief or Land division treaty), the land owned by the Protestants became Reute in Ausserrhoden. The Catholic portion of Hirschberg became part of the parish of Oberegg. The residents of Reute belonged to the parishes of Marbach, Berneck, and Altstätten in Sankt Gallen until 1687, when an independent church was built and the parish was established and named Reute.

Locations within Reute
Bechreuthe Berg Buchtobel Bühl Eschenmoos Hägli Hard Herren Hirschberg Hof Horn Kapf Klen Knollhausen Knuser Laderen Mohren Rank Reute Rickenbach Rohnen Säge Schachen Schwellmühle Schwendi Städeli Steinigocht Watt

Surrounding Parishes
Balgach (Sankt Gallen) Heiden Marbach (Sankt Gallen) Oberegg (Appenzell-Innerrhoden) Rebstein (St. Gallen)

Church Records
Reute was established as a Reformed protestant parish in 1687 from the parish of Berneck, the parish of Marbach, and the parish of Altstätten. Some baptisms of citizens of Reute were extracted from the three parishes from 1658 onward. Records held by the Family History Library include baptisms (Taufen) 1698-1840, marriages (Heiraten) 1698-1828, and burials (Toten) 1698-1829. Records after this time period are housed at the Cantonal Archive in Herisau, Switzerland. Family book records were established in 1740, 1786, and 1830 and contain information into the late 1600s.

Census Records
Census records, taken by the Zürich Synod, exist for the area that is now Reute. The censuses are numerated under the parishes of Berneck and Marbach and exist for the years: 1634 (Berneck): FHL Film 1185140, item 2, beginning on page 831 1634 (Marbach): FHL Film 1185140, item 2, beginning on page 885 1637 (Berneck): FHL Film 1185142, item 2, beginning on page 669 1637 (Marbach): FHL Film 1185142, item 2, beginning on page 645 1640 (Berneck): FHL Film 1185144, item 1, beginning on page 881 1640 (Marbach): FHL Film 1185144, item 1, beginning on page 861

Genealogies
(see here for article describing Swiss compiled genealogies)

The following genealogies have been researched for Reute:

Künzler family, by Julius Billeter (FHL Film 1,183,714) Niederer family, by Julius Billeter (FHL Film 127,965; see also FHL Film 193,480)

Civil Registration
Civil registration began in 1876. Reute belongs to the Vorderland Appenzell civil registration district. Records are only available in Switzerland. For further information, contact the civil registry office at:

Zivilstandsamt Vorderland Appenzell Ausserrhoden St. Gallerstrasse 9 Postfach 13 CH - 9038 Rehetobel

Tel: +41 71 878 70 20

email: [mailto:jeannette.eisenhut@rehetobel.ar.ch jeannette.eisenhut@rehetobel.ar.ch]

Surnames
The following surnames have citizenship in Reute prior to 1875: Bänziger Eugster Graf Hohl Keller Klee Knechtli Künzler Niederer Rechsteiner Rohner Sturzenegger

Societies and Libraries
Cantonal Archive of Appenzell-Ausserrhoden (in German)