Switzerland Compiled Genealogies

Swiss Compiled Genealogies Genealogische Sammlungen, Stadtregister Collections généalogiques Collezione genealogia
A good source for Swiss compiled genealogy references is a book written by Mario von Moos. The Family History Library reference is 949.4 D23v. This book is not on microfilm. It is a bibliography of compiled genealogies of Swiss families giving the locality where the family lived. A repository is given as to where the published genealogy is located. Many Swiss emigrants came to Pennsylvania in the 18th century. This book contains over 9,000 entries of genealogies of Swiss families that have been compiled.

Julius Billeter produced records covering at least one thousand family names, with each surname covering well over a thousand individuals. Consult the Familysearch Family Tree to see if you can identify your family since most of Julius Billeters work is there. It comes in the form of submissions made by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1900 and 1960, well before computers were thought of. The library has on film his original notes from his research on the ground. The notes are hand written and can be difficult to read and navigate. Many of the names he researched were later complied by place and surname. Do a keyword or surname search of the FamilySearch Catalog to identify such works. Die Genealogisch-Heraldische Gesellschaft der Regio Basel (GHGRB) has a listing of the names that he and others researched.

As with all compiled research, these genealogies are prone to errors. Julius Billeter's research, in particular, is suspect; in some cases, more than 25% of his generational connections are incorrect. For a more thorough analysis of Billeter's research, read the article here. Many of these genealogies do not have further source information, nor explanations to generational connections. It is encouraged to check the information within these genealogies against primary sources (church books, family registers, etc.) to ensure that the research is correct. In particular, pay attention to the connections between generations; in most cases, numerous persons with the same name lived in the same parish at the same time, and it is easy to connect the wrong person to a family tree.

A wiki article describing an online collection is found at:

Suisse Généalogie

Switzerland, Schaffhausen Genealogies and City Directories - FamilySearch Historical Records