Valendas Parish, Graubünden, Switzerland Genealogy

Description: Guide to Valendas / Valendau Parish, Graubünden, Switzerland, ancestry, family history, and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, parish census, civil census, family history, area history, and military records.



Geography
The former municipality of Valendas (Romansh: Valendau) is in the district of Surselva in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. It is situated above the right side of the Vorderrhein canyon. It includes the haufendorf village (an irregular, unplanned and quite closely packed village, built around a central square) of Valendas and the hamlets of Carrera, Brün, Dutjen, and Turisch.

Valendas (as of 2006) has an area of 22.8 km² (8.8 square miles). The land use is divided up as follows:
 * 21.6% - agricultural purposes
 * 48.7% - forested
 * 1.8% - settled (buildings or roads)
 * 27.9% - non-productive

History
In 765, Valendas was first mentioned by the name of in Valendano.

Valendas merged into the new Safiental municipality on 1 January 2013. Other municipalities merged include:
 * Safien
 * Tenna
 * Versam

The population history of Valendas is: 1803 - 463 inhabitants 1850 - 555 inhabitants 1900 - 499 inhabitants 1950 - 441 inhabitants 2000 - 294 inhabitants 2011 - 298 inhabitants

The Church of St. Blaise is first mentioned in 1384. The Reformation took place in 1523.

Church Records
Original church records are held in the local municipal archive or civil registration office. Microfilm copies are available at the Graubünden State Archives.

Digital images of church records are available on FamilySearch. These records have a restriction for use only at a FamilySearch center near you.

Reformed
The parish of Valendas was first mentioned in 1384; Valendas became Reformed in 1523. Church records begin in 1677. The following volumes are available on FamilySearch:
 * Baptisms, marriages, burials 1677-1787
 * Baptisms, marriages, burials 1787-1836
 * Baptisms, marriages, burials 1837-1875

Census
(See here for information regarding Graubünden census records.)

The following censuses are available from FamilySearch for Valendas:
 * 1835
 * 1838
 * 1848
 * 1850
 * 1850, form C

Civil Registration
Civil registration began in 1876.

Duplicate civil registration registers are located at the Graubünden State Archives. The following records are available:
 * Both A and B registers are available through 1916-1917 and are open without restriction.
 * Family registers are available from at latest 1860 through 1910; these records are viewable but require permission to access. For more information, contact the State Archive.

Surnames
The following surnames held citizenship in Valendas prior to 1875:

Related sources
The town's website (in Romansh and German) can be found here.

Libraries and archives
State Archives of Graubünden

Societies
Rätische Vereinigung für Familienforschung (RVFF)

Società Genealogica della Svizzera italiana (SGSI)