Family Origins

The de Büren family (originally von Büren) is an aristocratic family from Bern, Switzerland. My family originally gets it's name from the town of Büren on the Aare river in the canton of Bern near Biel. The oldest traceable von Büren is of some dispute. Some scholars say it is Henri who is mentioned for the first time in 1255 in a manuscript as the chief magistrate of Büren, others go back farther to Arnold in 1166. From 1326 on when Rudolf (Ruf) became bourgeois of Bern, the family history is very well documented.

While being able to go back a long way is interesting, it doesn't make for a great story in and of itself. What makes a family story unique is a rich individual narrative. In the following months I will highlight individual family members and personal histories to demonstrate why I think my family history so fascinating.

I would be remiss if I did not thank those who made this site possible. I am speaking of those who collected this information and safeguarded it, so it could be passed down to future generations. I want to thank in particular my father, my grandfather Henri de Büren, François Fontenallaz for his amazing work in the 1920s and 30s, Rudolf de Büren (1784-1856) of the Schosshalde, Jean-Charles de Büren (1636-1719), Baron of Vaumarcus, and countless others who are unknown to me.