Switzerland and France - Roux and Viret

[gpixie]

Hello everyone, I'm looking for help to discover a branch of my tree. Details I have are:

Louis Roux (probably born France) married Rosa (or Rose) Viret (possibly born either in France or Switzerland). Louis was a farmer. Both he and Rosa had passed away before 1905. They had a daughter Elvine "Rosa" Elise Roux born about 1883 in Lausanne, Switzerland so I estimate their date of birth to around 1860. I don't know if they married in France or Switzerland (or come to think of it if they actually married!).

Elvine moves to the UK at some stage and is next found (using Elise but incorrectly transcribed as Elsie) at age 17 on the 1901 Census living in Floore, Northamptonshire as a domestic servant. It notes she was born in Switzerland but is a French subject. Because of this I assume her father was French and not a Swiss citizen.

She marries in 1905 at Edinburgh to James Graham Robertson (who is from Saline, Fife, Scotland). She is a domestic servant at Dean Parkhaus, Edinburgh. The certificate notes both parents are deceased.

I know her history from here (she has a number of children and immigrates to Australia with James) what is frustrating me is I can't find record of how she came to be in the UK and I know very little about her parents or if she had any siblings. I would love to find out more about their history.

I'm wondering if anyone would be able to help source the birth record for Elvine? Someone on the chat site did give me details of a genealogical society in Vaud but I can't seem to find where I saved the details. Sorry! If the birth record can be found will it tell me birthplaces etc for her parents? How would I go about looking for a French ancestor?

Thank you in advance - this one really has been difficult to research and I think that because I dont understand french/german this is making it more difficult.

[Manchester Rambler]

Here's the link for the Vaud FHS: http://www.ancetres.ch/

It's possible to order a birth cert online from Lausanne, but it's all in French:
https://www.sec-vd.ch/etatcivil/index.php#haut

You can contact the Lausanne register office ("Etat civil") by email:  centre.etatcivil [..at..] vd.ch  (Replace [..at..] with @)

Postal address: Etat civil cantonal, Rue Caroline 2, 1003 Lausanne, Switzerland

[gpixie]

Many thanks Rambler! Have written to the FHS and register. Will let you know how we go.

[jorose]

Hope you get a reply back soon! In the meantime, on the UK side you could look at who she is working for in 1901, and any other Swiss/French families in the area, if any.  There were some well-off British families who holidayed in that region - perhaps she came over with employers.

On the Swiss/French side, the family likely to have come from the Haute-Savoie area - perhaps just on the other side of Lake Geneva, or another border area such as Jura. Normally you need to determine where the family originated to determine which archives (departmental or municipal) hold the records you need.

[Einepyk]

Hello gpixie
Did you find the information that you required?

I live quite close to Lausanne. Although I haven't had any experience of family history research in Switzerland I could possibly give you a hand. Certainly I could help you obtain certificates etc...

Steve