Cumbel Parish, Graubünden, Switzerland Genealogy

Description: Guide to Cumbel / Cumbels 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 former municipality of Cumbel was in the district of Surselva in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. It is located in the Lugnez sub-district of the Surselva district at the entrance to the Lugnez valley. It includes the linear village of Cumbel.

Cumbel (as of 2006) has an area of 4.5 km² (1.7 square miles). The land use is divided up as follows:
 * 46.5% - agricultural purposes
 * 45.6% - forested
 * 5.4% - settled (buildings or roads)
 * 2.5% - non-productive

History
In 825, Cumbel was first mentioned by the name of Cumble. The municipality was officially known as Cumbels until 1983.

Cumbel merged into the Lumnezia municipality on 1 January 2013. Other municipalities merged include:
 * Degen
 * Lumbrein
 * Morissen
 * Suraua
 * Vignogn
 * Vella
 * Vrin

The population history of Cumbel is: 1850 - 278 inhabitants 1900 - 342 inhabitants 1910 - 275 inhabitants 1941 - 331 inhabitants 1950 - 298 inhabitants 1990 - 257 inhabitants 2000 - 288 inhabitants 2011 - 238 inhabitants

The Mauritius chapel near Valgronda is attested around 825. In 1538, Cumbel formed a neighborhood with Peiden and Camuns until 1851. The Saint-Etienne church, probably constructed at the beginning of the 16th century, depended until 1653 on Saint-Vincent in Pleif (Vella); Capuchins served it from 1649 to 1923, then seculars.

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 some church records are available on FamilySearch. These records have a restriction for use only at a FamilySearch center near you.

Catholic
Conters belonged to the parish of Vella until it became independent in 1653. Church records begin in 1650. See Vella for earlier records. The following volumes are available on FamilySearch:
 * Baptisms, marriages, burials 1650-1838
 * Baptisms, marriages, burials 1838-1876

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

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