The following history of the Herzog family from Schönenwerd was researched by Kurt F. Laube, as part of the same commission that produced the Wiser family history. The Herzog family connects directly to the Wiser family: Katharina Herzog, daughter of Urs Petrus Herzog and Maria Anna Balli, married Colonel Alois Wiser in Solothurn on May 14, 1832.
The spelling of the name Herzog varied over time — originally written Herzig, then Hertzig, Hertzog, and finally Herzog. The family’s origins are not in canton Solothurn; the name is widespread across Switzerland, appearing in the cantons of Aargau, Basel, Bern, Freiburg, Luzern, Neuenburg, Schwyz, Thurgau, Waadt and Zürich. This particular family came to canton Solothurn from canton Aargau, probably from the town of Aarau — though exactly when this happened would require further investigation.
The first documented Herzog in canton Solothurn is Ursus Herzog, whose date of birth, place of birth and parents are unknown.
1st generation: URSUS HERZOG (c.1640–1703)
(Schönenwerd)
Ursus Herzog lived in Schönenwerd/SO and married Catharina Keller, of unknown descent, in Gretzenbach on February 24, 1684. The couple had three children:
- Josephus — baptized November 27, 1687
- Anna Maria — baptized August 7, 1690
- Catharina — baptized July 11, 1695
All children were born in Schönenwerd and baptized in the church of Gretzenbach.
Catharina Keller died in Schönenwerd on July 13, 1695. Probably in the same year Ursus Herzog married Barbara Eng. This couple had three more children:
- Franciscus Josephus — baptized July 31, 1696
- Anna Helena — baptized August 14, 1698
- Ursus — baptized October 1, 1701
These children were also born in Schönenwerd and baptized in the church of Gretzenbach. There are no further details known about the first five children.
The sixth child, Ursus Herzog, became sacristan in Schönenwerd and married Anna Maria Lienhardt from Lostorf/SO on May 24, 1728 in Stüsslingen (see 2nd generation).
Ursus Herzog died in Schönenwerd on March 27, 1703. There are no details in the records of the State Archives in Solothurn about Ursus Herzog and his wife Barbara Eng.
2nd generation: URSUS HERZOG (1701–between 1744 and 1766)
(sacristan in the monastery church of Schönenwerd)
Ursus Herzog, son of Ursus Herzog and Barbara Eng, was born in Schönenwerd and baptized October 1, 1701 in the church of Gretzenbach. He grew up in Schönenwerd and married in Stüsslingen on May 24, 1728 the widow Anna Maria Lienhardt from Lostorf/SO. She was the daughter of Hans Lienhardt and Anna Maria Guldimann, born and baptized in Lostorf on October 22, 1701. Her first husband was Hans von Arx.
Ursus Herzog and Anna Maria Lienhardt had seven children:
- Helena — baptized May 10, 1729
- Ursus Fridericus — baptized February 2, 1731 (godfather: Friedrich von Sury)
- Petrus Josephus — baptized November 18, 1733 (godfather: Petrus von Vivis)
- Anna Maria Victoria — baptized June 1, 1735
- Urs Victor — baptized —?—
- Urs Peter — baptized —?—
- Anna Maria — baptized December 3, 1736
All children were born in Schönenwerd and baptized in the church of Gretzenbach.
The children:
- Helena — married in Gretzenbach January 26, 1754 Josephus Grolimund.
- Ursus Fridericus — his godfather was Fridericus von Sury.
- Petrus Josephus — his godfather was Petrus von Vivis. He became sacristan of the monastery church in Schönenwerd and married Elisabeth Hueber in Gretzenbach January 5, 1761. Petrus Josephus Herzog died October 24, 1780 — see 3rd generation.
- Urs Peter — married Barbara Schenker in Gretzenbach September 29, 1762.
Ursus Herzog served as sacristan of the monastery church in Schönenwerd. His wife Anna Maria Lienhardt brought a dowry of 1,412 pounds into the marriage. Ursus Herzog owned a house in Schönenwerd with an orchard and some land, and besides his job as sacristan also maintained a small farm. According to the inventory of Ursus Herzog, his property was estimated at approximately 802 pounds. (Note 1: Inventare und Teilungen Gösgen 1742–1747, vol. 7, Nr. 29)
Anna Maria Lienhardt died before 1744. According to the inventory dated February 27, 1744, (Note 2: Inventare und Teilungen Gösgen 1742–1747, vol. 7, Nr. 46) the heirs were the two children from her first marriage, Hans and Cathrin von Arx, and from the second marriage: Fredericus, Peter, Urs Victor and Urs Peter Herzog (the sons) and Helena and Maria Herzog (the daughters).
Ursus Herzog died between 1744 and 1766 — there is a gap in the deaths register for this period.
3rd generation: PETRUS JOSEPHUS HERZOG (1733–1780) from Schönenwerd
(sacristan of the monastery church in Schönenwerd)
Petrus Josephus Herzog, son of Ursus Herzog and Anna Maria Lienhardt, was born in Schönenwerd and baptized in the church of Gretzenbach on November 18, 1733. He married Elisabeth Hueber on January 5, 1761 in Gretzenbach. She was the daughter of Josephus Hueber and Anna Grütter, born in Schönenwerd on July 21, 1736.
Elisabeth Hueber gave birth to two children:
- Urs Petrus — baptized September 29, 1761
- Anna Maria — baptized October 13, 1766
Elisabeth Hueber died young, at the age of 32, on March 18, 1768 in Schönenwerd. The same year Petrus Josephus Herzog married Catharina Blauenstein, daughter of Joannes Blauenstein and Catharina von Arx, born in Schönenwerd on November 15, 1732. The couple had another ten children:
- Ursus Victor — baptized March 30, 1769
- Maria Cleopatra Elisabeth — baptized April 8, 1770
- Ursus Victor Leodegarius — baptized June 17, 1771
- Ursus Victor — baptized June 28, 1772
- Maria Anna — baptized October 27, 1773
- Franciscus Josephus Leodegarius — baptized October 7, 1775
- Maria Theresia Margaritha — baptized January 6, 1777
- Maria Theresia — baptized June 12, 1778
- Ursus Meinradus — baptized January 27, 1780
- Peter Joseph — baptized June 9, 1781
All children were born in Schönenwerd and baptized in the church of Gretzenbach.
The children:
- Urs Petrus — became a tradesman. His first wife was Maria Anna Balli, his second Theresia Disteli. Urs Petrus Herzog died August 11, 1834 in Schönenwerd — see 4th generation.
- Anna Maria — married Hans Joggi Schibler. She died August 29, 1826.
- Ursus Victor — died in childhood.
- Ursus Victor Leo — died in childhood.
- Franciscus J. Leo — died in childhood.
- Maria T. Margaritha — died in childhood.
- Maria Theresia — died in childhood.
- Peter Joseph — died in childhood.
The children Elisabeth, Ursus Victor, Maria Anna and Meinradus are mentioned as heirs in the inventory of their father, dated January 18, 1781, though no further details are recorded. (Note 3: Inventare und Teilungen Olten 1781–1782, vol. 20, Nr. 4)
Petrus Josephus Herzog became, like his father, sacristan of the monastery church in Schönenwerd. He owned a house in Schönenwerd and some land. He died October 24, 1780 at the age of 47, leaving most of his children still under age.
The division of the property took place October 23, 1789. (Note 4: Inventare und Teilungen Schönenwerd 1783–1790, vol. 23, Nr. 25) Heirs were the two children of his first marriage and four children of his second marriage. The widow, Catharina Blauenstein, married again on July 1, 1783 in Gretzenbach, Felix von Arx.
4th generation: URS PETRUS HERZOG from Schönenwerd (1761–1834)
(tradesman and assessor of the law-court in Schönenwerd)
Urs Petrus Herzog, son of Petrus Josephus Herzog and Elisabeth Hueber, was born in Schönenwerd and baptized in Gretzenbach on September 29, 1761. He grew up with his brothers and sisters in his father’s house in Schönenwerd.
He married on May 17, 1784 in Gretzenbach Maria Anna Balli, daughter of Franz Balli and Elisabeth Schenker, born in Wöschnau/SO and baptized March 2, 1764 in Gretzenbach. The Balli family connection is significant — it links the Herzog family directly to the Bally shoe enterprise of Schönenwerd, and the same family name appears again a generation later as godmother to Bruno Wiser’s child in Niedergösgen in 1873.
The couple had nine children:
- Anna Maria — baptized November 12, 1788
- Maria Anna — baptized February 7, 1791
- Josephus Petrus — baptized September 5, 1792
- Johannes — baptized October 8, 1794
- Franciscus Josephus — baptized April 26, 1797
- Katharina — baptized May 17, 1801
- Ursus Petrus — baptized January 6, 1804
- Maria Theresia — baptized August 11, 1805
- Ursus Petrus — baptized October 29, 1806
All children were born in Schönenwerd and baptized in the church of Gretzenbach.
The children:
- Anna Maria — died single, March 18, 1808.
- Maria Anna — married Peter Belli, tradesman. She died April 7, 1851.
- Josephus Petrus — married Anna Margaritha Müsset. He died young, May 29, 1824. The couple had no children.
- Johannes — became tradesman and governor of Schönenwerd. He married Veronika Charlotte Hunziger. The couple had three children. Johannes Herzog died June 4, 1832.
- Franciscus Josephus — no details mentioned in the records.
- Katharina — married May 14, 1832 in Solothurn Colonel Alois Wiser. Katharina Herzog died November 16, 1886 in Solothurn. See the Wiser family history.
- Ursus Petrus — died in childhood.
- Maria Theresia — married Johann Meyer, high Bailiff and head clerk in Olten.
- Ursus Petrus — died at the age of 5 months, March 7, 1807.
Urs Petrus Herzog was an able tradesman. He inherited from his parents only some land worth Fr. 900. During his marriage he bought a dwelling house, Nr. 61, in Schönenwerd, with a courtyard, garden and some land.
Maria Anna Balli, the wife of Urs Petrus, died after the birth of the youngest son on November 14, 1806. As the children were still under age, Urs Petrus Herzog married again — Theresia Disteli from Olten/SO, daughter of Franciscus Joseph Disteli and Maria Catharina Frey, born in Olten on July 6, 1778. The marriage took place in Gretzenbach on September 19, 1807. The couple remained childless.
In 1830 Ursus Petrus Herzog decided to distribute his property among his children during his lifetime. (Note 5: Inventare und Teilungen Schönenwerd 1822–1831, vol. 2, Nr. 57, division during lifetime, dated May 6, 1830)
The heirs were Johann and Franz Herzog (the sons) and Maria Anna, Katharina and Theresia Herzog (the daughters). The property was estimated at Fr. 70,724 — a substantial estate reflecting the family’s prosperity over four generations.
| Dwelling house Nr. 61 with courtyard and garden | included |
| Land inherited from parents | Fr. 900 |
| Total estate | Fr. 70,724 |
Ursus Petrus Herzog died August 11, 1834 in Schönenwerd. Theresia Disteli, his second wife, died August 25, 1868. Both were buried in Gretzenbach.
Annotations (source references from Kurt F. Laube’s research, State Archives Solothurn):
Inventare und Teilungen Gösgen 1742–1747, vol. 7, Nr. 29
Inventare und Teilungen Gösgen 1742–1747, vol. 7, Nr. 46
Inventare und Teilungen Olten 1781–1782, vol. 20, Nr. 4
Inventare und Teilungen Schönenwerd 1783–1790, vol. 23, Nr. 25
Inventare und Teilungen Schönenwerd 1822–1831, vol. 2, Nr. 57
Archives records used at the State Archives Solothurn:
Pfarrbücher (parish books) of:
Gretzenbach with Schönenwerd and Wöschnau (baptisms, marriages, deaths) 1607–1835
Lostorf 1628–1835
Olten 1609–1845
Zivilstandsregister Schönenwerd 1836–1875
Inventare und Teilungen Gösgen 18th century
Inventare und Teilungen Olten 18th century
Inventare und Teilungen Schönenwerd 18th and 19th century
Volkszählungen Schönenwerd 19th century
RM (Ratsmanual) 17th to 19th century
Sources and acknowledgements:
Original genealogical research: Kurt F. Laube, Swiss genealogist, commissioned August 1994.
Walsh/Herzog/Wiser family genealogy: lordoflucies.com/tng
© Copyright 1998–2026 by Craig W Walsh