Deutsche Zusammenfassung folgt unten.
Hello Larry,
welcome to the Forum! From other correspondence I know that Johann Wegmüller was a citizen of Walkringen BE - see
Wegmüller of Walkringen BE. Now this is important information if you are looking for any certificates, at least for people born after 1876, but mostly for anyone born after mid-19th century. The speciality of
Swiss citizenship is the "Bürgerort" or "Heimatort" (= place of citizenship):
all vital data of a Swiss citizen are registered at the Civil Registry Office of his Bürgerort. As a consequence, you don't ask for a birth or marriage certificate at the location where a person was born or married - there is only a single office (that at the Bürgerort) where you ask for a "
Familienschein". This will be "centred" on a husband (with all his vital data) and also contain the data of his wife(s) and children, often also the parents(-in-law) - so a single "Familienschein" can replace dozens of single certificates. Consequently, as you have an indication that your ancestor was a citizen of Walkringen (canton Bern), you don't search in Baar for a birth certificate, instead you enquire in Walkringen (or rather Konolfingen, which is responsible for Walkringen) whether your ancestor can be identified in their register, i.e. whether the information about his citizenship is correct. If he's identified, you ask for a Familienschein (enquire at the office about the exact procedure, as this is handled somewhat differently in different cantons) - which will contain his date of birth, and replace a separate birth certificate (which is not usually issued in Switzerland). As his parents were still alive after 1876, you should also be able to get a "Familienschein" for them (from the same office) - which will contain all their vital (birth, marriage, death) data.
Further discussions on your line should therefore take place on
Wegmüller of Walkringen BE.
Lary Wegmuller (in den USA ohne Umlaut) sucht nähere Angaben zu seinem Grossvater Jacob Wegmüller, * Baar ZG 18.01.1879, als Sohn des Schuhmachers Johann Wegmüller und seiner Ehefrau Anna Eberle.
Aus anderweitiger Korrespondenz ist mir bekannt, dass Johann Wegmüller wahrscheinlich Bürger von Walkringen BE war. Der obenstehende englische Text ist im Wesentlichen eine Beschreibung der Rolle des Familienscheins bei der Familienforschung in der Schweiz - und wie Larry ihn bekommt.
Weitere Diskussionen zur Familie sollten im Beitrag
Wegmüller von Walkringen BE geführt werden.