Gudo Parish, Ticino, Switzerland Genealogy

Description: Guide to Gudo 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
As of 1997, Gudo has an area of 9.94 square kilometers (3.84 sq mi). The municipality is situated in the Bellinzona district, at the foot of the mountains on the right side of Lake Maggiore. It includes the village of Gudo and several hamlets including Progero.

The land use is divided up as follows:
 * 27.2% - agricultural purposes
 * 61.0% - forested
 * 5.4% - settled (buildings or roads)
 * 3.1% - rivers or lakes
 * 1.9% - unproductive land

History
The first mention of Gudo was in 1277 as Gudio.

On 2 April 2017, these former neighboring municipalities merged into Bellinzona:
 * Camorino
 * Claro
 * Giubiasco
 * Gnosca
 * Gorduno
 * Gudo
 * Moleno
 * Monte Carasso
 * Pianezzo
 * Preonzo
 * Sant'Antonio
 * Sementina

The population history of Gudo is: 1671 - 100 inhabitants 1769 - 150 inhabitants 1850 - 296 inhabitants 1880 - 390 inhabitants 1888 - 583 inhabitants 1900 - 373 inhabitants 1950 - 435 inhabitants 1990 - 501 inhabitants 2000 - 679 inhabitants

In 1264, the Knights Hospitaller of Contone, the council of Como, the cathedrals of Bellinzona and Locarno, and the Locarno noble families of Muralto and Magoria all possessed land in Gudo. Gudo documented its citizens' rights in 1363, and Progero is mentioned as a individual community. In Progero the Church of Santa Maria, was remodeled in the 17th century. According to tradition, there was also a Benedictine monastery here. Gudo and Sementina divided from the mother church in Bellinzona in 1440. Excavations around the parish church of San Lorenzo in 1992, found a previous church from the 6th–7th centuries. This church is the oldest church building that has been archaeologically investigated in the Bellinzona area. The present church dates back to 1615 and was refurbished between 1990 and 2000.

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

The 1808 Ticino census for Gudo can be accessed here.

Surnames
The following surnames held citizenship in Gudo 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)