Waldstatt Parish, Appenzell, Switzerland Genealogy

Guide to Waldstatt Parish, Appenzell, Switzerland ancestry, family history, and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Waldstatt has an area of 6.7 square kilometers (2.6 square miles). The area is used thusly:

62.1% agriculture 25.9% forest 10.6% settlement 1.3% non-productive

Click for a geographical map of Appenzell, including Waldstatt.

History
Waldstatt was first mentioned in 1374 as Ober Walstatt. In 1415 it was mentioned as Wallstatt. It belonged to Herisau until 1720, when it was established as a separate parish. In 1734, the population was 634; by 1800, it had risen to 1,034. In 1850, the population had fallen to 983, while by 1870 it was at 951.

Surrounding Parishes
Click for a map showing Waldstatt in relation to the rest of Canton Appenzell.

Herisau Hundwil Schwellbrunn Urnäsch

Church Records
The parish records for Waldstatt are now available online from the Appenzell State Archives. They are organized by volume. Click here to access these records.

Waldstatt was established as an independent protestant parish in 1720 from the parish of Herisau. Records held by the Family History Library include baptisms (Taufen) 1643-1875, marriages (Heiraten) 1721-1875, and burials (Tote) 1721-1875. The baptisms 1643-1720 were extracted from the Herisau parish records.

Waldstatt has family books (Familienbuch), all available at the parish rectory: Volume 1 (1729) - Family register of citizens Volume 2 (1810) - Family register of residents Volume 3-4 (19th century) - Family register of residents

Genealogies
(see here for article describing Swiss compiled genealogies)

The following genealogies have been researched for Waldstatt families: Alder family, by Gottlieb Büchler (FHL Film 962,790) Alder family, by Julius Billeter (FHL Film 193,467) Frehner family, by Julius Billeter (FHL Film 128,007; see also FHL Film 193,471) Frischknecht family, by Julius Billeter (FHL 127,966; see also FHL Film 193,471) Keller family, by Julius Billeter (FHL Film 127,971) Müller family, by Julius Billeter (FHL Film 128,042 and 128,043) Näf family, by Julius Billeter (FHL Film 128,035) Preisig family, by Julius Billeter (FHL Film 128,084) Schlumpf family, by Julius Billeter and Rosa Holzer (FHL Film 128,105) Schmid family, by Julius Billeter (FHL Film 1,181,674; see also FHL Film 193,483) Schoch family, by Julius Billeter (FHL Film 127,986; see also FHL Film 193,483) Signer family, by Julius Billeter (FHL Film 193,484) Stricker family, by Julius Billeter (FHL Film 193,485) Tanner family, by Julius Billeter (FHL Film 1,224,627; see also FHL Film 193,485) Zeller family, by Julius Billeter (FHL Film 128,105) Züberbühler family, by Julius Billeter (FHL Film 128,036; see also FHL Film 193,488)

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

Zivilstandsamt Hinterland App. A. Rh. Poststrasse 6 CH - 9102 Herisau

Tel: +41 71 354 54 35

Email: [mailto:zivilstandsamt@herisau.ar.ch zivilstandsamt@herisau.ar.ch]

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

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

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