Canton Bern Church Records
During the 1520’s, in the Protestant (Reformed) areas of the Bern Canton, mandates were issued by the Church leaders to keep christening records. In some of the older churches, the baptismal records go back to 1528. Some of these older churches service smaller communities that are nearby or in their district. When a community grew large enough to form their own church, they kept their own records. It is not always evident where the community records were recorded prior to the start of their own Church Book. A search of the most likely larger communities near your community will eventually bear fruit
With a few exceptions, the available church records do not go beyond 1876. Beginning in 1876, the task of recording family information such as births, marriages and deaths was the responsibility of Civil Registry Offices. As of the year 2000, there are 24 Civil Registry Offices (Zivilstandsämter) in the Bern Canton. If you are looking for family information after 1876, you may find it in one of the Civil Registry Offices. The address for each village/community is listed.
Church Records for the following Communities have been microfilmed by the Family History Library. Also included are some Civil Registers, Inventories and Notarial Records. Microfilm can be ordered and viewed at most Family History Library Centers. Communities will be added as they become available.
If you find a community that you are interested in you can check it out at the FH Library. You can view the Church information and the microfilm number. The microfilm may be ordered from the nearest FH Center.
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