Huttwil Parish, Bern, Switzerland Genealogy

Guide to Huttwil parish, Bern, Switzerland ancestry, family history, and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Geography
The parish covers over 6½ square miles and had a population of over 3400 people in 1850. Huttwil shares about a 3½ mile border with Luzern canton on its east. The significance of this is that Luzern was a Catholic canton, and prior to the 1848 Federal constitution, the canton’s were separated by a religious divide. Literally, people living in a Swiss reformed canton were not allowed to settle in a Catholic canton and vice versa. Even in the 1840’s there was conflict in the region over religion. After the 1848 constitution there was slow and small changes in religious demographics, even today Huttwil is about 70% Swiss reform.

History
The first mention of the church in Huttwil is from 1108, and it references a donation made to the church in 1093. The building currently standing was build in 1705, but had to be repaired after a fire destroyed the city in 1834. In 1528, the Reformation was introduced to Huttwil as well as the rest of Bern. The pre-reformation patron saint of the church is unknown. Read more about the church building here.

Surrounding Parishes
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Huttwil Gemeinde
It consists of over 6½ square miles and had a population of about 3400 in 1850.

Surnames
The community or gemeinde of Huttwil was the heimat or ancestral home for over 40 different surnames. The Register of Swiss Surnames provides the surnames associated with every gemeinde or community in Switzerland. The register provides correct spellings for surnames and place names.

Locations
A google map that shows the villages in Huttwil centuries old.

Genealogies
There are numerous compiled genealogies that have been created since 1900; however, they need to verified by researching the parish registers since it has been proven that a percentage of them are inaccurate.

The following genealogies have been researched for Huttwil families:


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Church Records
There is an article describing the challenges of using the online collection and a general description of the records. i.e. Taufen, Heiraten, Toten, Auswärtige, and Ausbürger. Huttwil registers are available on microfilm, and online. The German Word List has many of the words you will find in the registers.


 * available for loan at FamilySearch Centers

................................................................................................................ The parish registers for Huttwil were recorded in the following volumes, as numbered by the Cantonal Archive of Bern with links to the online records:
 * Huttwil online registers can be viewed at FamilySearch Centers around the world, and by members of the supporting organization, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, from home computers.

Baptisms
The auswärt volumes (K7, K8, K9) have some entries outside the range of the volume as they are recorded when received. Be sure to check the index at the back of the volumes.

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

Societies and Libraries
Cantonal Archive of Bern