Genealogy Chat

Can anyone advise the best way to trace relatives in Switzerland, I know the town and canton, have contacted the Mayors House. Any advice would be gratefully received. Thanks Chris.

When?

Welcome to the Boards Chris - for older records, have you checked out Familysearch?

The following is copied from http://www.cyndislist.com/switzerland/ which is a portal for many records

FamilySearch.org - Switzerland Baptisms, 1491-1940 FREE

Index to selected Switzerland baptisms. Only a few localities are included and the time period varies by locality. This collection contains 1,001,685 records. Due to privacy laws, recent records may not be displayed. The year range represents most of the records. A few records may be earlier or later.

FamilySearch.org - Switzerland Marriages, 1532-1910 FREE

Index to selected Switzerland marriages. Only a few localities are included and the time period varies by locality. This collection contains 268,739 records. Due to privacy laws, recent records may not be displayed. The year range represents most of the records. A few records may be earlier or later.

The surname I am looking at is Wiget. And his birth place is listed as Arth in Switzerland. I also have found his sister living in London on the 1911 Census, so I have 2 Christian names and Arth to go on. So far neither have come up in any search abroad.
Thank you for your help so far.
Birth date for Alois Wiget is 1874.
Chris.

Do you have these?

London, England, Marriages and Banns, 1754-1921 about Alois Wiget
Name: Alois Wiget - Cabinet maker
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1879
Age: 24
Spouse Name: Eliza Ellen Woodward
Spouse Age: 25
Record Type: Marriage
Event Date: 25 Dec 1903 - incorrectly transcribed. Should be 1902
Parish: Woolwich St Michael and All Angels
Borough: Greenwich
Father Name: Alois Wiget - Electrician
Spouse Father Name: Thomas Woodward - Deceased Bootmaker
Register Type: Parish Register

His address 41 Martyr Rd, Barnes
Hers - 3 Upper Pellifer? Road

Witnesses Carrie Lane & Edward Mathews

England & Wales, Death Index, 1916-2007 about Alois Wiget
Name: Alois Wiget
Birth Date: abt 1879
Date of Registration: Mar 1946
Age at Death: 67
Registration District: Fulham
Inferred County: London
Volume: 1a
Page: 416

England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966 about Alois Wiget
Name: Alois Wiget
Probate Date: 12 Apr 1946
Death Date: 12 Mar 1946
Death Place: London, England
Registry: London, England

Of 4 Wingrave Rd Fulham London W8 died at Fulham Hospital Lonodn W8.
Admin to Eliza Ellen Wiget widow. £111 19s 10d

A relative?

1901 England Census about Lovis Wiget
Name: Lovis Wiget
Age: 25
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1876
Relation: Servant
Gender: Male
Where born: Swiss Subject, Switzerland

Civil Parish: Kensington
Ecclesiastical parish: St Mary Abbott
County/Island: London
Country: England


Name Age
Laura I Kelly 50
Annie E M Kelly 29
Rosaline B Kelly 25
Evan M Ewan Smith 32
Phyllis P M Ewan Smith 5
Lovis Wiget 25
Edith Cleeton 31
Anna Williams 29
Ethel Barry 21
Littie Dowsett 19
Ann E Jacobs 27

Another one?
1901 England Census about Josephine Wiget
Name: Josephine Wiget
Age: 24
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1877
Relation: Servant
Gender: Female
Where born: Arth (Swing Sub), Switzerland - Arth Switzerland, Swiss subject

Civil Parish: Paddington
Ecclesiastical parish: St Stephen
County/Island: London
Country: England


Name Age
Richard Hewitt 61
Lucy Hewitt 32
Alice Hewitt 26
Cecil Hewitt 24
Blanche Catteridge 23
Josephine Wiget 24 - Parlour maid
Eliza Foster 19

The 1911 you already have

1911 England Census about Alvis Wiget
Name: Alvis Wiget
Age in 1911: 32
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1879
Relation to Head: Head
Gender: Male
Birth Place: Switzerland
Civil Parish: Fulham
County/Island: London
Country: England
Street Address: 27 Brandenburgh Road, Fulham
Marital Status: Married
Years Married: 8
Estimated Marriage Year: 1911
Occupation: CABINET MAKER
Registration District: Fulham

Name Age
Alvis Wiget 32
Eliza Wiget 33
Rosa Wiget 5
Doris Wiget 3

If you get no joy from the Mayors Office, have you considered joining an Anglo-Swiss FH society? They may have more experience in tracing historical records and have volunteer linguists to help compose letters.

Thank you for all your help. My real task is to identify mother and father of alois, who must be from Switzerland, but you have confirmed all my findings so far, not sure if lovis or Louis is part of the family.

Chris.

The father of Alois 1879 was also called Alois Wiget - see the transcription of his MC. He was an electrician.

As Eliza Ellen Woodward said that hers was deceased, by impication Alois Snr (to the best of Jnr's knowledge) was still alive

"! also have found his sister living in London on the 1911 Census"
Would that be Josephine, and how do you know that she was Alois Jnr's sister? Family knowledge?

Thank you Detective for your interest.
It is a family picture that my mother has at the age of one.
Both her Grandparents are present, Eliza and Alois, also a Great Aunt Josephine.
The link to Switzerland and Arth is very strong, an electrical business in Arth is called ''Electro Wiget GMBH'' also listed in the Arth telephone directory are12 members of the Wiget family. It is strange that the name Alois or Wiget do not appear in any of the Swiss searches if both father and son are of the same name.
Thanks again,
Chris.