Reute Parish, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Switzerland Genealogy

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

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

Click for a geographical map of Appenzell Ausserrhoden, including Reute.

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.

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

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

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

The following family book (Familienbuch) records exist for Reute, and the following are found in the rectory of the parish church:

Volume 1 (1828) - household visitation book Volume 2 (1841) - family register Volume 3 (1846) - household visitation book Volume 4 (1849) - household visitation book Volume 5 (1852) - household visitation book Volume 6 (1856) - household visitation book Volume 7 (1866) - household visitation book Volume 8 (19th century) - Family register of citizens Volumes 9-11 (19th century) - Family register of citizens Volume 12 (19th-20th centuries) - Family register of citizens

Other family books (Familienbuch) available at the Family History Library are those that were established in 1740, 1786, and 1830. They contain information into the late 1600s. They include:

Familien-Register #1 early Familien-Register #2 1861 Familien-Register #3 1875

Census Records
Census records, taken by the Zürich Synod, exist for the area that is now Reute. Different parts of Reute were enumerated under three different parishes: Altstätten, Berneck, and Marbach.

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 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:

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

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