• Guide for researchers
• Request for research help
• Research tools
  • List Swiss Emigrants in the 18th Century
  • Passport records for America 1848 - 1870
  • Swiss Family Websites
  • Billeter Collection
  • Swiss Geographical Dictionary
  • Swiss Family Names
  • Swiss Population 1835-7 / 1900-10
  • Your Ancestors' Documents
• Useful vocabulary
• Calendar
• Useful Links

Published by the National Genealogical Society in 1920. Contains extracts from the archives of Zurich (1734 - 1744), Bern (1706 - 1795), and Basel (1734 - 1794) with a total of about 2,300 names. The pdf search is not entirely reliable in this document. You are advised to search it directly.

Passport records for America and Australia issued by Canton Zurich 1848-1870 published by the Zurich cantonal archive.

Passport records are an important source for the names of emigrants. The records kept in the archives of Canton Zurich of the passports issued by the cantonal chancellery for the years 1848-70 contain a particularly large number of names of people traveling abroad, mainly to America. Most of these are likely to be emigrants. 1854 was a peak year for emigration. However, the list includes other groups, such as merchants or missionaries, who also needed a passport for their journeys.

Passport records for America and Australia 1848 - 1870 (pdf - german)

This collection of links leads to websites of families of Swiss origin. They are of varying quality, but in general are of great interest to genealogists.

The extraordinary Billeter Collection, plus a portrait of Julius Billeter.

A Swiss publication from 1910 in 6 volumes (c 5500 pages). Contains detailed descriptions of towns, villages and regions, and other factual information. An important work for genealogical research. Only in German.

• Swiss Geographical Dictionary: Book 1 (aa - emm)
• Swiss Geographical Dictionary: Book 2 (emm - kra)
• Swiss Geographical Dictionary: Book 3 (kra - ple)
• Swiss Geographical Dictionary: Book 4 (ple - schw)
• Swiss Geographical Dictionary: Book 5 (schw - tav)
• Swiss Geographical Dictionary: Book 6 (tav - zyb)
• Swiss Geographical Dictionary: Book 7 (Supplement)

Many Swiss family names were changed or anglicized when they came to America. This data base contains a number of examples.

These two censuses provide the Swiss population figures and give a picture of the population trends.

How to read your ancestors documents.