Research Notes for Arnold Surname

**Note**
The following may not necessarily pertain to my family line but were
interesting side notes that I have kept for future reference. They are from
personal correspondence, mailing lists & my finds while surfing the internet.

From: Seelentag Wolfhart Dr. KSSG_RO, To: [email protected], Sent: Wednesday, September 13, 2000 12:22 AM, Subject: [SWITZ] Submission of genealogies to Zivilstandsamt or Archives, (was: Hei matort).
I'm not a specialist in the civil registration legislation - but let me describe the situation from my viewpoint anyway: you have to differentiate between vital data on Swiss citizens, kept at the "Buergerort" by the Civil Registry Office (Zivilstandsamt), and genealogies, kept e.g. at state archives. If you are a Swiss citizen you should have your vital data recorded by the Civil Registry Office of your Buergerort - irrespective of your place of living. If you live in Switzerland, this will be done automatically by the "network" of Civil Registry Offices (recently it has been decided to set up a federal database - but this will take years to become functional). If you live abroad, however, this will work only if you report events to the Swiss Embassy in the country where you are living. It is this Embassy which has to accept (and check !) whatever relevant information you submit; consequently I feel it's plausible that information sent to a Civil Registry Office directly from abroad might be refused - I would assume, however, you would be given some instructions on the correct procedure. If you are no longer a Swiss citizen, just have Swiss ancestors, you will not show up in the Civil Registry records - and consequently Civil Registry Offices will not be interested in your genealogy. If you have some carefully researched and documented genealogy, including links back to your Swiss ancestors, however, places like city or state archives will likely be interested; possibly the regional genealogical society will have their collections at such an archive and would be interested as well. The emphasis is on carefully researched and well documented, i.e. anyone not familiar with your family has to be able to read and understand your text without too much guessing, and profit from it. This excludes texts in poor German: proper English is to be preferred if you are not sure about your German. Obviously you reduce the risk of misunderstandings if any accompanying letter is written in German (or French or Italian - depending on the canton) - but NEVER use automatic translators - they are at least bad, most are absolutely useless ! If you don't speak German (French, Italian) yourself, and haven't got a friend to help you, try the translation service offered by genealogy.net - see http://www.eye.ch/swissgen/asinfo-e.htm#3.
Best regards  -  Wolf

From: [email protected], To: [email protected], Sent: Wednesday, October 25, 2000 10:12 AM, Subject: [SWITZ] Start with SSD (was,RE: Ancestry)
In 1876, the local governments took over the responsibility of recording vital statistics.  So, prior to 1876, you would 'generally' look in church parish registers, after that you will need to contact the civil registrar's office (zivilstandsamt) in the village of citizenship (bürgerort), not necessarily the same as the village of birth.
Start by getting the data in SwissGen's Swiss Surname Directory to narrow down the number of villages in canton Luzern (LU).  http://www.eye.ch/swissgen/surnam-m.htm, Don't forget to read what all of it means at:  http://www.eye.ch/swissgen/famnam-m.htm, and http://www.eye.ch/swissgen/sursou-e.htm, Then check for the villages in LU to see which have been microfilmed: http://www.eye.ch/swissgen/ldsloc-m.htm,
best wishes, Dave Schmutz SwissGen volunteer

From: Maralyn A. Wellauer, To: [email protected], Sent: Wednesday, October 25, 2000 10:36 AM, Subject: [SWITZ] Beginning dates of civil registration in various cantons; Re: start with SSD - The beginning date for civil registration for all of Switzerland is generally recognized as 1876, however many cantons began the practice much earlier.  The starting dates for some cantons are Basel-Land 1827, Fribourg 1849, Geneve 1798, Glarus 1849, Graubuenden 1859, Jura (formerly part of Bern) 1829, Neuchatel 1824, Schaffhausen 1849, Solothurn 1836, St. Gallen 1834, Ticino 1855, Valais 1853, and Vaud 1821. The amount of information required by these cantons in the early years, before the process was regulated by federal legislation, varies region to region. Sincerely, Maralyn Wellauer

From: "guy grenny" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, September 08, 2000 5:13 PM Subject: [SWITZ] "Heimatort" (town of origin): how are Swiss citizens kept track of.
I was hoping that a savvy Swiss historian and expert on the subject of "Heimatort" would sign in, because I like to learn the total scope of it myself. But so far no one volunteered and I'll tell you what I know. "Heimatort" is the word you want to know in Swiss Genealogy research. When it started, I don't know, but centuries ago a person, mostly heads of households, needed to become a Buerger= citizen of a town to qualify for protection, help, rights, etc. What the criteria for acceptance was, I don't know - but the more capable and the more in line with a town's  politics, acceptable religion in some parts, wealth, etc. the more desireable a person was to be accepted as a citizen. That brought certain rights and of course obligations. The poor , sick, unfit represented a burden to the town fathers. So if  a person became destitute, in need of public support, the first thing the town council did was check (yep, you guessed it) to see if  that poor thing was actually a registered Buerger of their town. If he was not, happy day, they spared" no expense" to have them transported to the RESPONSIBLE town. If the poor creature, of which there were at times many, never was accepted as a "Buerger"  anywhere, he became part of the "lost people" who roamed the counrty in between towns. At a certain point established families in a town began to be registered and that town became their "HEIMATORT". From then on, all vital statistics of that family was recorded in their Heimatort (literally meaning Home Place). All marriages, children born, deaths, even changes in Domizil , were and are painstakingly recorded. Ah, that was easy if  you are a Swiss citizen and stay in Switzerland. Why? Because when you move to another town and set up new Domizil (living quarters), you hightail it to cityhall and REGISTER. Your landlady has a form to fill out, and besides your last adress, she asks you:"Heimatort"?  Bumms, there your change of ad! resse goes to your Familienregister in your Heimatort. My Heimatort is Leutwil, Aargau and to give Beth a hint, I was privileged to actually touch and see the entries of my now long deceased  father GustavAdolf Aeschbach b.1893 in Lenzburg (NOT Leutwil) in this beautiful, huge Book - all written in longhand . His father's family is registered in there, etc. The system of Heimatort goes through the Father of the family . So, no matter where you are born, get married, die, as long as you live within Switzerland and are Swiss citizen, your statistics go to your Heimatort - because all official papers keep asking for it. Now if you move abroad, say USA, it is up to you to register with the Swiss Consulate and to keep your Heimatort informed. But you know what, even though I am a dual-citizen, I asked to retain my Swiss citizenship , I keep my Heimatort informed about my marriage, my six children. It is a good feeling to think that "they care"; it always has been . Now  your ancestors may have had that same feeling of "Heimat". Its funny, it is so ingrained in the Swiss to REGISTER wherever they go. To answer Beth's question: I can tell you that my father's family, the Aeschbach, have lived in my Heimatort  Leutwil, Kt. Aargau since 1685. Before that they lived over the hills in Reinach, AG.  With this "Heimatort system" you can also keep same- name lineages apart: i.e. I met an  Ida Aeschbach in Biel,Kt.Bern at church. The first thing we asked each other was: "What is your Heimatort?" It is Leutwil and we found we were cousins nine times removed - meeting way back in  1596! But cousins, nevertheless. So, you will  find a "Geburtsort"=birthplace AND  the Heimatort=place of origin  on a birth,marriage or death certificate.  You want to find the Heimatort - its like a treasure map for a genealogist. Good hunting. sHanneli vo CA   PS. I hope the real experts will now come out of the woodworks!

From: "Pam Jennings" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, September 25, 2000 3:23 PM Subject: [ARNOLD] Re: ARNOLD-D Digest V00 #179 I have a lot of information on Arnolds and other families from a couple of tiny Swiss villages, Simplon-Dorf and Gondo/Zwischbergen.  These are tiny villages in the Swiss Alps, and the records I have are from a book compiled by the Roman Catholic priest of the village.  Other surnames include Theiler, Seiler, Rittiner, Zenklusen, Lauber, Gerold, Ritter and others.  I will be happy to do lookups if anyone has relatives originating in this part of Europe.  Some of the records can be followed for centuries. Hope this helps someone. Pam Jennings

Pam, I'm not sure if you can help but I would appreciate your checking for any information that your might have for my line in Switzerland.  This is what I have (not a lot): My grandfather Ernst Arnold was born in Brugg, Switzerland on 3/13/1892.  He took the compulsory military training for young Swiss boys (age 11-15).  He departed on the La Savoie in the port of Havre on 5/25/1907 for America at the age of 15.  He attended the Lutheran Church so may not be in your Catholic records.  His father was a railroad engineer. Sincerely,  Jan Arnold Blotz
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Regarding the requests for lookups in the Simplon-Dorf/Gondo-Zwischbergen family record book, I'm afraid I haven't found any of these people: Ernst Arnold b. Brugg, Switz. 3/13/1892: there were a number of Ernst or Ernest Arnolds, but none that fit this date and none with notes that they were from Brugg.  Brugg is north of this area by a decent distance.  There are a few folks listed from BRIG, Switzerland, though, which is closer.
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Elias Arnold, 1752, NY: No one by this name appears.  One possible alternate spelling you may want to keep in mind (although none appeared to fit datewise) is a fairly common name for that area, ALOIS.  It would be reasonable to me that Elias could be interpreted that way.
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Benjamin Arnold m. Susanna Wamsley with son Martin Van Buren Arnold b. 1837: None of these names appear, and they don't appear to me to be given names that would be common in German speaking countries.  German is the primary language for this area, with Italian and French tying for second.  The community is just north of the Italian border, if that helps anyone.Sorry I didn't turn anything up on these! Pam Jennings

I caught the subject: Aarau-Brugg and was wondering if someone could enlighten me??  My grandfather Ernst Arnold was from Brugg.  I have a document titled "Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft".  It lists the Kanton as Aargau and the Kadettenkorps as Brugg.   It says Schiess-Karte for Arnold Ernst von Basel, geb. 1892, Kadett von 1903 bis.  Die Richtigkeit umstehender Resultate bescheinigt Names der Kadetten-Kommission and signed by the Der Prasident & Der Instruktions Leitende. Am I right in saying that I believe this has something to do with his service in the Swiss Army?  If Brugg is the town and Aargau is the Kanton, how does von Basel fit into the scheme of things? Any information you can provide would be appreciated. Jan Arnold-Blotz

From: "guy grenny" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, November 20, 2000 7:34 PM Subject: [SWITZ] Brugg, Kt.Aargau / Kadettenkorps.Dear Jan, "Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft" simply means "Union of Swiss Kantons" (kinda like USA). Its an old Name that we Swiss love - and it refers to the Oath (Eid) that united (genossenschaft) those three early Kantons - namely Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden - taken on 1 August 1291. I imagine all subsequent Kantons that joined this Eidgenossenschaft also had to take this Oath of Allegiance. Anyway, it simply means SWITZERLAND. The "Kadettenkorps" you inquire about is NOT Swiss Military. Highschool age young boys can join the Kadettenkorps voluntarily. They have a uniform (it was green years ago). The boys get training, kindof a pre-bootcamp type. It is to prepare them somewhat for "Rekrutenschule" (bootcamp). Military service is compulsory in Switzerland. From my brothers I know they got training in sharpshooting, had to make LONG marches at times and had a wonderful band that was a delight to listen to. Three of my brothers learned to play the cornet during their activity in the Korps. It is extracuricular and I just read  in my Aargauer Historybook that it is no longer in existence? (Is that right, Wolf or Dave??) Anyway, the document you have says (loosely translated): "Sharp-shooting  Card for Arnold Ernst from Basel  *) born 1892. Was a Kadett from 1903-? The accuracy of these (shooting) results are witnessed in the name of the Kadetten Commission and signed by the President and the Instructor." *) It sounds  to me that he may have moved there from BASEL, where maybe he was a Buerger (citizen), rather than of Brugg. Don't we have a similar "National Guard preparatory type" program in highschool here in the States? Either way, its not military. Happy hunting! Greetings, Hanneli.

From: Seelentag Wolfhart Dr. KSSG_RO To: [email protected] Sent: Monday, November 20, 2000 11:00 PM Subject: WG: [SWITZ] Brugg, Kt.Aargau / Kadettenkorps. Von: guy grenny[SMTP:[email protected]] Gesendet: Dienstag, 21. November 2000 04:34 An: [email protected] Betreff: [SWITZ] Brugg, Kt.Aargau Kadettenkorps. ............ "Sharp-shooting  Card for Arnold Ernst from Basel  *) born 1892. Was a Kadett from 1903-? The accuracy of these (shooting) results are witnessed in the name of the Kadetten Commission and signed by the President and the Instructor." *) It sounds  to me that he may have moved there from BASEL, where maybe he was a Buerger (citizen), rather than of Brugg. Whenever you do genealogy in Switzerland, or on (semi-) official records like the one in question here, the "von ...." (like "von Basel") definitely (!) implies that he has been a citizen of Basel (-Stadt). This may not have anything to do with the place of living: good friends of mine are citizens of Wuelflingen (now part of Winterthur ZH), i.e. would say "Wimmersberger von Wuelflingen", though the family moved away from there 5 generations ago ! Best regards  -  Wolf

From: Kjell Ove Hattrem To: [email protected] Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2000 12:55 PM Subject: [SWITZ] Swiss military Cathy Raber] "Rekrutenschule" (bootcamp). Military service is compulsory in Switzerland. From my brothers I know they got training in sharpshooting, had to make LONG marches at times and had a wonderful band that was a delight to listen to. This message made me think of something I have pondered on for some time. I know that military service is compulsory in Switzerland but I wonder if it is likely that my immigrant ancestor from Richterswil, Zurich, served before he came to Norway 22 years old in 1859 subsequent to a two-year apprenticeship as an alpine dairyman. Military records can be a great source of information but also somewhat demanding to work with. Any tips are appreciated. Kjell Ove Hattrem Molde, Norway

From: "Steven Arnold" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, October 12, 2000 4:08 PM Subject: Family in Pleasanton From Steve & Paula. Hi Jan. Just wanted to let you know that we have a new baby girl. Her name is Ashley Renee Arnold. She was born on 9/21/00 at 6:32 a.m. She was 7 lb 9 oz. and 20 inch long. She came earlier then we thought. She was expected on the 27 but Ashley could not wait to see the world. Everyone here is doing fine. Also thank you for your Email on the family Tree. It helped a lot. By the way what is your Mothers maiden name. And also do you have your grandparents names. If you do could you drop me a Email. Thanks. Well just wanted to let you know how things are going. From your family in Pleasanton. Talk to you later.

HI Steven, Congratulations to you and Paula on your new "bundle of joy"!! Enjoy her as she will grow up before you know it. My moms maiden name was Stroud.  Her legal name was Levita "Ione" Stroud, she never used Levita.  She had a son (my brother) Charles Elbert Gilliam from her first marriage to Luther Gilliam.   Her mothers name was Alma Dean and her father was Elbert Stroud.  My mother had a brother named Dobert. My dads father was Ernst Arnold and his mother was Margaret Charcholla.  He had a sister named Margaret Arnold who married James Gore.  They had 2 children Nancy Gore and Arnold Gore. I would love a copy of the Arnold tree if you wouldn't mind giving me a copy.  I kind of need some more meat to continue my research online. Best Wishes, Jan

Alois Arnold, from Switzerland, 1848 Arnold Family Genealogy Forum posted by Pam Bradley
Alois (possibly John Alouise) Arnold came to America in 1848, seeking employment. He left in Switzerland a wife, Anna Marie, and three daughters, Louise'a, Minnie, and Vinzenzia Theresia. After a year the family received word that Alois was headed to California for the gold mines and that money was going to be sent for his families passage to America. They never heard from him again. Eventually, Vinzenzia married John Anton Hollenstein. John Anton brought Vinzenzia, her sisters, and mother to America to search for thier father Alois. They never found him. John Anton and Vinzenzia made their home in Randolph County, Arkansas. If anyone knows of Alois please contact me via my email address. Thank you.

Page Last Edited
03/04/2007