hegnauer.family
hegnauer.family
H1451 The study's number for this person. Cite it and it will always lead here, whatever the spelling.
· A life in the study

Margreta Wister

Born in 1535 and last recorded at Elgg in 1553.

born before 1535 died after 3 Sep 1553

Elgg

Margreta Wister was the wife of Hans Hegnauer of Elgg, in the canton of Zürich, Switzerland, and the mother of Anna, whose baptism on 3 September 1553 is the earliest record of the Hegnauer family at Elgg.1

In 1526, soon after the Reformation, Zürich had ordered that church books be kept, and those of Elgg survive from 1551.2–3 So far Margreta is known only as Anna's mother. Her own baptism, her wedding and her death have not been found.

What we know

Proven

  • Birth, 1535
  • Death, 1553
  • Marriage to Hans Hegnauer
  • one home, from the census and other records

What's still open

  • Death. When and where she died is not yet known.
  • Her husband. which of the Hans Hegnauers of Elgg in the 1550s and 1560s he was is not known (see his profile).
  • Parents. Not yet identified.

Sources

Source 1

1 Switzerland, Catholic and Reformed Church Records, 1553

Sources 2–3

2 Zivilstandswesen, 2003
3 Kirchenbuch, 1551–1933, 2026

Life in time

before 1535

Birth

proven Source 1

How we know

  1. 1535 Birth before 1535 · proven

    Estimated from the baptism of her daughter in 1553. Her baptism and birthplace are unknown.

    No record of her birth or age has been found. A woman who was a mother in 1553 was very probably born before about 1535.

    Source 1

  2. 1553 Residence 3 Sep 1553 · Elgg, Zürich · proven

    Her daughter Anna was baptised at Elgg on 3 Sep 1553 (FamilySearch index of the Elgg church book).

    Source 1

  3. 1553 Death after 3 Sep 1553 · proven

    Her death has not been found; the Elgg burial register survives only from 1591.

    She is named as the mother at the baptism of 3 Sep 1553, the only record of her found so far.

    Sources 1, 3

  4. 1553 Daughter born: Anna Hegnauer family event

    Their page →

  • proven
  • family event

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Places in this life

one place
1
  1. 1 Elgg, Zürich Residence 3 Sep 1553

Family

This page Margreta Wister bef. 1535–aft. 1553
Husband Hans Hegnauer bef. 1533–aft. 1553
Daughter Anna Hegnauer b. 1553
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Records

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Also cited as evidence: 2 records filed under relatives
The evidence 4 facts with their grades, 3 sources, and the research notes

Facts

Fact Date Place Grade Sources
Birth before 1535 proven 1
Residence 3 Sep 1553 Elgg, Zürich, Switzerland proven 1
Death after 3 Sep 1553 proven 1 , 3
Marriage with Hans Hegnauer proven 1

Research notes

  • Sources: FamilySearch's index of the Elgg church book: Anna's baptism, which names Margreta as the mother. The image (DGS 8014314) has not been seen.1
  • Name: indexed Margreta Wister; the surname should be checked on the image.
  • Her husband: which of the Hans Hegnauers of Elgg in the 1550s and 1560s he was is not known (see his profile).
  • Not yet searched: the Elgg index under the surname Wister, for her baptism, marriage or burial.
  • This profile is part of the Hegnauer one-name study.

Working notes

  • Family line: Elgg ZH; wife of Hans (H1450); index only (FamilySearch), images not seen

Sources

  1. 1

    "Switzerland, Catholic and Reformed Church Records, 1418–1996," database, FamilySearch, baptism of Anna Hegnoüwer [Hegnauer], 3 September 1553, Elgg, Zürich; parents Hans Hegnoüwer and Margreta Wister. FamilySearch record 66VS-87W8; father's entry FamilySearch record 66VS-87WF

    In the archive: O04411 , O04412

  2. 2

    Alfred Perrenoud, "Zivilstandswesen," Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz (HLS), version of 2003 (print-edition article, updated 21 January 2021; translated from the French), hls-dhs-dss.ch/de/articles/007986/2021-01-21 (accessed 27 September 2026).

  3. 3

    Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche Elgg (Zürich), "Kirchenbuch, 1551–1933," FamilySearch Catalog 309107, filmed 1955–1961 from the originals in the Staatsarchiv Zürich: film 996838, items 1–3 (DGS 8014314), marriages 1551–1588 and 1589–1657, baptisms 1551–1592 and 1584–1657 (with separate lists by hamlet, 1560–1594 and 1594–1657), burials 1591–1657; images viewable only at a FamilySearch Center. familysearch.org/search/catalog/309107 (catalogue entry viewed 27 September 2026).