Sent Parish, Graubünden, Switzerland Genealogy

Description: Guide to Sent / Sins 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 Sent is in the Suot Tasna sub-district of the Inn district and the Graubünden canton. It is located on the left side of the river Inn. The Sent municipality included the village of Sent and the Crusch and Sur En hamlets.

Sent (as of 2006) has an area of 111.7 km² (43.1 square miles). The land use is divided up as follows:
 * 31.3% - agricultural purposes
 * 24.1% - forested
 * 0.7% - settled (buildings or roads)
 * 43.8% - non-productive

History
In 930, Sent was first mentioned by the name of vicus Sindes. Until the 19th century, it was also known by the German name of Sins and was the most populated village of the Engadine. Sent is in the Inn district and the Graubünden canton.

Sent merged into the Scuol municipality on 1 January 2015. Other municipalities merged include:
 * Ardez
 * Ftan
 * Guarda
 * Scuol
 * Tarasp

The population history of Sent is: 1835 - 1,122 inhabitants 1850 - 941 inhabitants 1900 - 966 inhabitants 1930 - 782 inhabitants 1950 - 810 inhabitants 1970 - 704 inhabitants 1980 - 696 inhabitants 1990 - 770 inhabitants 2000 - 865 inhabitants 2010 - 908 inhabitants 2014 - 881 inhabitants

In 930, the Church of Saint-Pierre or Saint-Laurent was mentioned (not sure which). In the 12th century, the Saint-Pierre church lay in ruins. In 1496, the Saint-Laurent church was enlarged. In 1576, Sent was the last municipality to adopt Protestantism.

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 Sent was the last parish to become Reformed in the Lower Engadin valley, in 1576. Church records begin in 1774. The following volumes are available on FamilySearch:
 * Baptisms, marriages, burials 1774-1836
 * Baptisms 1837-1875
 * Marriages, burials 1837-1875

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

The following censuses are available from FamilySearch for Sent:
 * 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 Sent 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)