Flims Parish, Graubünden, Switzerland Genealogy

Description: Guide to Flims / Flem 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
Flims is a municipality in the Imboden Region in the canton of Graubünden. Before 2017, the municipality was situated in the Trin sub-district, of the Imboden district, after 2017 it was part of the Imboden Region. Flims occupies a terrace north of the Rhine valley, forming the Ruinaulta gorge here. The area has numerous streams and lakes north of the village, from which the name derives; "fluminae" in Latin means "many streams". It includes the hamlets of Fidaz and Scheia and the tourist settlement of Flims-Waldhaus. Flims (as of 2006) had an area of 50.5 km2 (19.5 sq mi). The land use was divided up as follows:
 * 33.7% - agricultural purposes
 * 28.9% - forested
 * 3.6% - settled (buildings or roads)
 * 33.9% - unproductive land

History
In 765, Flims was first mentioned by the name of Fleme. The Flims municipality is in the Graubünden canton.

The population history of Flims is: 1850 - 906 inhabitants 1900 - 789 inhabitants 1950 - 1,148 inhabitants 1960 - 1,444 inhabitants 1970 - 1,936 inhabitants 1980 - 2,136 inhabitants 1990 - 2,258 inhabitants 2000 - 2,549 inhabitants 2010 - 2,587 inhabitants 2016 - 2,702 inhabitants 2020 - 2,915 inhabitants

Per the 2000 census:
 * 36.6% were Roman Catholic
 * 48.6% were Swiss Reformed Church
 * 2.47% were Orthodox Church
 * 0.27% were another Christian church
 * 1.37% were Islamic

The parish church of St. Martin and Antonius in Flims and the branch church of St. Simplicius in Fidaz are recorded in 1440; the purchase of parish rights took place in 1526 and 1528 when the church converted to the Reformation. The lost chapels of St. Elisabeth near Vallorca, near St. Luzius, St. Placidus left of the Val Stenna, all documented in 1488, as well as St. Nicholas in the direction of Staderas are probably connected to the more intensive development of the country and the Lukmanier traffic in the late Middle Ages.

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 Flims became Reformed in 1528. Church records begin in 1672. The following volumes are available on FamilySearch:


 * Baptisms, marriages, burials 1672-1720
 * Baptisms, marriages, burials 1720-1820
 * Baptisms, marriages, burials 1823-1836
 * Baptisms 1837-1876
 * Marriages, burials 1837-1875

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

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