Fusio Parish, Ticino, Switzerland Genealogy

Description: Guide to Fusio 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 municipality of Fusio is in the Vallemaggia district and the Ticino canton. It is located at the upper part of the Lavizzara Valley (last village up the valley) at an elevation of 1,289 m (4,229 ft). Fusio (as of 1997) had an area of 60.78 km² (23.47 square miles). The land use was divided up as follows:
 * 1.0% - agricultural purposes
 * 19.7% - forested
 * 0.7% - settled (buildings or roads)
 * 4.2% - rivers or lakes
 * 56.3% - unproductive land

History
In 1258, Fusio was first mentioned with the name of Fuxio. Fusio is in the Vallemaggia district and the Ticino canton. Fusio merged with Mogno to create the Fusio municipality on 10 June 1936. Fusio merged into the municipality of Lavizzara on 8 October 2003. Other former municipalities merged include:
 * Broglio
 * Brontallo
 * Menzonio
 * Peccia
 * Prato-Sornico

The population history of Fusio is: 1799 - 257 inhabitants 1850 - 236 inhabitants 1860 - 209 inhabitants 1870 - 227 inhabitants 1880 - 216 inhabitants 1888 - 199 inhabitants 1900 - 161 inhabitants 1910 - 133 inhabitants 1920 - 140 inhabitants 1930 - 130 inhabitants 1941 - 133 inhabitants 1950 - 136 inhabitants 1960 - 98 inhabitants 1970 - 69 inhabitants 1980 - 63 inhabitants 1990 - 37 inhabitants 2000 - 45 inhabitants 2003 - 50 inhabitants

Per the 2000 census:
 * 91.1% were Roman Catholic
 * 0.0% were Swiss Reformed Church
 * 2.0% belong to another church

In 1455, the church of Beata Vergine Assunta was consecrated. It was later rebuilt several times (primarily during the 17th century). In 1626, the church of San Giovanni Battista Decollato was built. At the end of the 17th century, Fusio became an independent parish. In 1986, the church was destroyed by an avalanche. A new building was built in 1997.

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

The 1808 Ticino census for Fusio can be accessed here.

Surnames
The following surnames held citizenship in Fusio 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)