Magadino Parish, Ticino, Switzerland Genealogy

Description: Guide to Magadino Parish, Ticino, 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 Magadino is in the Locarno district and the Ticino canton. It is located on the banks of the Riviera del Gambarogno and includes a nature preserve. Magadino included the Quartino and Orgnana hamlets. Magadino has an area of 7.23 km² (2.79 square miles). The land use is divided up as follows:
 * 31.5% - agricultural purposes
 * 58.0% - forested
 * 16.5% - settled (buildings or roads)
 * 1.9% - rivers & lakes
 * 1.8% - non-productive

History
In 1254, Magadino was first mentioned with the name of de Magadino. Magadino is in the Locarno district and the Ticino canton. Magadino merged into a new municipality of Gambarogno on 25 April 2010. Other former municipalities merged include:
 * Caviano
 * Contone
 * Gerra (Gambarogno)
 * Indemini
 * Piazzogna
 * San Nazzaro
 * Sant'Abbondio
 * Vira (Gambarogno)

The population history of Magadino is: 1850 - 586 inhabitants 1880 - 901 inhabitants 1900 - 725 inhabitants 1950 - 821 inhabitants 1990 - 1,228 inhabitants 2000 - 1,449 inhabitants 2007 - 1,604 inhabitants

Per the 2000 census:
 * 79.0% were Roman Catholic
 * 8.9% were Swiss Reformed Church
 * 9.1% belong to another church

In 1846, Magadino became an independent parish after separating from the parish of St. Pietro in Vira. In 1844, the St. Charles Church was built.

Church Records
The parish of Magadino was established in 1847 from the parish of Vira.

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

The 1808 Ticino census for Magadino was listed with Vira (Gambarogno); Vira's census can be accessed here.

Surnames
The following surnames held citizenship in Vira prior to 1875, along with any known soprannomi. For more information about soprannomi, click here.

Related sources
The town's website (in Italian) can be found here.

Libraries and archives
State Archives of Ticino

Societies
Società Genealogica della Svizzera Italiana (SGSI)