Balerna Parish, Ticino, Switzerland Genealogy

Description: Guide to Balerna 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, Balerna has an area of 2.57 square kilometers (0.99 sq mi). The municipality is situated in the Mendrisio district. The municipal area, which is crossed by the transit axes of the Gotthard line, also consists of the settlements of Caslaccio, Mercole, S. Antonio, Bisio, Pontegana, Passeggiata.

The land use is divided up as follows:
 * 39.3% - agricultural purposes
 * 6.2% - forested
 * 77.8% - settled (buildings or roads)
 * 1.6% - unproductive land

History
The first mention of Balerna was in 1115 as Barerna.

The population history of Balerna is: 1652 - 341 inhabitants 1696 - 367 inhabitants 1723 - 422 inhabitants 1801 - 518 inhabitants 1850 - 889 inhabitants 1900 - 1612 inhabitants 1950 - 2625 inhabitants 1970 - 3885 inhabitants 2000 - 3415 inhabitants

In 844 and 865, the monastery of Saint Ambrogio in Milan purchased land in the neighborhood of Castel San Pietro which would have included Balerna. In the 12th century, Balerna paid tithes to the monastery of Saint Abbondio in Como who owned land and associated rights in Balerna. From the 12th century at the latest, Balerna was as the center of a pieve, which encompassed the area that is now the district of Mendrisio without for Chiasso (which was part of the pieve of Zezio) and some areas of the Pieve of Riva San Vitale. Balerna, together with Riva and Uggiate, formed a common property group in the 12th century. From the 9th Century, Balerna belonged to the count of Seprio. In the 13th century, it was under the city of Como, and later under the Bishop of Como. In 1335, it came under the rule of the Visconti of Milan, then under Franchino Rusca. In 1412, it came under the rule of the Duke of Milan, who completely separated it from Como in 1416. Balerna was now ruled by a Podestà, who resided in Mendrisio, but had his court in Balerna.

Politically the following municipalities were part of the Pieve of Balerna:
 * Balerna
 * Boffalora
 * Castel San Pietro
 * Chiasso
 * Coldrerio
 * Novazzano
 * Pedrinate
 * Seseglio
 * Vacallo
 * Valle di Muggio
 * Villa

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

The 1808 Ticino census for Balerna can be accessed here.

Surnames
The following surnames held citizenship in Balerna 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)