Soazza Parish, Graubünden, Switzerland Genealogy

Description: Guide to Soazza / Sowaz 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 municipality of Soazza is in the Moesa Region and the Graubünden canton. It is located on the right bank of the Moesa river.

Soazza (as of 2006) has an area of 46.4 km² (17.9 square miles). The land use is divided up as follows:
 * 7.2% - agricultural purposes
 * 53.7% - forested
 * 1.5% - settled (buildings or roads)
 * 37.7% - non-productive

History
In 1203, Soazza was first mentioned by the name of Soaza.

The population history of Soazza is: 1650 - 427 inhabitants 1802 - 311 inhabitants 1850 - 315 inhabitants 1900 - 339 inhabitants 1950 - 348 inhabitants 2000 - 359 inhabitants 2020 - 324 inhabitants

The parish church of Saint-Martin (attested from 1219, enlarged from 1626 to 1639 and restored in 1957) is accessible via a staircase that starts from the Notre-Dame-des-Douleurs chapel (constructed in 1751). The village church of S. Rocco, which was mentioned in 1530, was rebuilt in 1633 and restored in 1937.

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.

Catholic
The parish of Soazza was first established in 1219. Church records begin in 1631. The following volumes are available on FamilySearch:
 * Baptisms, marriages, burials 1631-1735
 * Baptisms, marriages, burials 1736-1837
 * Baptisms, marriages, burials 1838-1875

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

The following censuses are available from FamilySearch for Soazza:
 * 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 Soazza prior to 1875:

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

Libraries and archives
State Archives of Graubünden

Societies
Rätische Vereinigung für Familienforschung (RVFF)

Società Genealogica della Svizzera italiana (SGSI)