Reinert im Kanton Solothurn (oder Schwyz?)

[jreinert]

My great-grandfather, Frank Joseph Reinert, was born in 1866. I think he was born in either Solothurn or Schwyz.
I am interested in birth certificate, baptismal records, and the names of his mother and father.

[Wolf]

First of all - welcome to the forum .

With just two cantons to select from as possible places of birth, and no further information, this will be tricky (unless by pure chance a relative reads your question).

Before starting reseach in Switzerland, you should familiarize yourself with the basics of Swiss Citizenship. Then check the Register of Swiss Surnames: this will tell you that there are no citizenships in Schwyz, but several in Solothurun - since before 1800 namely Bellach, Oberdorf, Rüttenen. You best contact the Civil Registry Offices responsible for these communities, and ask whether they can identify your ancestor in their registers - and what the fees would be to get a copy of the register page or a "Familienschein". You are lucky that all three communities are covered by the Civil Registry in Solothurn: click on "Zivilstandsamt Solothurn" to get contact details.

If your ancestor - or rather his parents were citizens of one of these 3 communities, the Civil Registry Office should have all details - irrespective of where your ancestor was actually born.

The Register of Swiss Surnames also lists several other citizenships: if your ancestor's parents held one of these citizenships, he also could have been born anywhere (including canton Schwyz) ... but this would be the next step. Check Solothurn first.