Seelig von Zürich ZH

[cmbellman5]

I am looking for information on the family of
Karl Seelig 1825-1904 and his wife Maria Rosine Kersting 1828-1891.
They ran a music hall in Zurich. Their daughter Clara Maria Emilie was born 21 Jan 1860.
She went to Denmark and married Ernest Boutard.

any help appreciated, thanks in advance.
(I am happy to write in French)
Peter

[Wolf]

A German person/family Seelig was granted citizenship of the city of Zürich in 1857 - quite possible this is the family you are looking for.

Kersting is not mentioned in the Swiss Surname Register - most likely her family was/stayed German.

If you are a direct descendant, Zivilstandsamt Zürich will be able to issue a "Familienschein" with all vital data of this family. If you are not a descendant, the Swiss Civil Registry Ordinance will make life much more difficult.

Just a comment on the organisation of this board: only a single family should be discussed in a single thread - so here only Seelig should be discussed. For a more detailed discussion of Kersting a new thread should be started (in the appropriate subforum). Related threads can be linked to each other.

[Peter.D]

Hello Peter, in addition or parallel to Wolf's proposition, you could also first contact the Archives of the City of Zurich and ask them if Karl Selig-Kersting was Swiss citizen and when he was naturalized. The lists of citizens of the city of Zurich were regularly published.
Ask them also if they kept the documents of naturalization. If not, you can certainly get them from the Archives of the Canton of Zurich. In those documents you usually find very detailed information on the family and its origins.

Peter

[Wolf]

The lists of citizens of the city of Zurich were regularly published.

I had forgotten about this source: several issues are available online - the latest one mentioned on this page is from 1892.

I have checked several - Seelig is not mentioned in any I have checked - which is surprising, if Seelig were actually citizens of Zürich .... at the time!

Now there were two major occasions when communities close to Zürich were incorporated into the city of Zürich:
1893: Aussersihl / Enge / Fluntern / Hirslanden / Hottingen / Oberstrass / Riesbach / Unterstrass / Wiedikon / Wipkingen / Wollishofen.
1934: Affoltern bei Zürich / Albisrieden / Altstetten / Höngg / Oerlikon / Schwamendingen / Seebach / Witikon.

So, if Seelig bacame citizens of one of these communities, they would be citizens of Zürich after these incorporations.

Conclusion: we need a Citizens Register from after 1893 (to my knowledge they were stopped in 1926 - no issue after 1934).

[cmbellman5]

Thanks to you both Wolf and Peter.
I have just discovered some new information. The family had a farm called Kastanienbaum and this may be in Lucerne so I shall try the Luzern forum and also apply to the city and canton archives.
I have a photo from the 1930s showing the reataurant owned by the family with their pet bear ouside at a table.

Peter