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@garstonite - His first name was Samuel (Samuel CHERY) and we believe he was born in Bern canton in 1692 - although this date maybe unreliable.  As a French Huguenot we think he was unlikely to ever be a Swiss citizen as he married in Ludweiler (now in Saarland, Germany) in 1717.  Many Huguenots were expelled from Bern canton in 1690s.

Does anyone know if there are Swiss records online that may help trace Huguenot families as they moved between France, Switzerland and Germany?  Possibly pauper records? Migration records? I know in the Bern Canton they drew up lists of Huguenot families who either had to leave or were selected for citizenship?  So far I cannot find anything.

Hi - I am researching my French Huguenot ancestors and I have evidence that a Samuel CHERY was born in the Bern canton of Switzerland in the 1690s. Within 10-20 years he had migrated to the Huguenot town of Ludweiler (now in Saarland, Germany).  I suspect there will be no records to search in Switzerland as his family is likely to have been there for a short time and won't have been citizens. I can see Swiss Parish Records for Bern are all online as PDF original images - but not transcribed nor indexed - so searching the 100 or so "parishes" within Bern would be a huge task even if it was worthwhile.  Is it worth attempting this? Are there other migration or pauper's records I wonder? Many thanks in advance.

Hi JayDown

Thank you for your post - I was the original poster.  I was trying to track down two possible residents (Mary Teresa BOYLE and Josephine NEALON) who may have lived there in the 1960s / 1970s.  I did some research at the Bristol Library going thru' the Bristol Poll Registers along City Road around the early 1960s and found that numbers 73 to 81 (inc) had a gap in the registers and just one or two names registered.  In the 1970s the last name I have a record of is Trevor & Mary WADE (Wardens Flat Dockland Settlement).  So I think this property may have acted as a hostel - because I was originally tracking down who was living at 77 City Road.  The women probably did not register to vote.  The two women I was researching had Irish origins and in at least one case had had a difficult time in the UK.  If you come across any register of residents in this time period especially with these names (Mary BOYLE, Josephine NEALON) that would be of interest.

Hi - Is there any such thing as uncertified BMD certificates in the UK instead of always applying to the GRO for a full cost certified BMD certificate?  For family history purposes it is the information on the certificate that is crucial - rather than requiring certification for another purpose e.g. passport applications etc...