Vals Parish, Graubünden, Switzerland Genealogy

Description: Guide to Vals / Val 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 and village of Vals (Romansh: Val) is in the Surselva Region in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. It includes the village of Vals and the hamlet of Leis and since 2015 with Sankt Martin. The municipality's highest point is reached on Rheinwaldhorn at 3,402 m (11,161 ft).

Vals (as of 2006) has an area of 152.6 km² (58.9 square miles). The land use is divided up as follows:
 * 34.1% - agricultural purposes
 * 7.9% - forested
 * 0.5% - settled (buildings or roads)
 * 57.4% - non-productive

History
In the mid 12th Century, Vals was first mentioned by the name of in Valle. Before 2017, Vals (Romansh: Val) is in the Lugnez sub-district of the Surselva district and the Graubünden canton. After 2017, Vals was part of the Surselva Region.

Vals merged into the Vals municipality on 1 January 2015. Other municipalities merged include:
 * Sankt Martin

The population history of Vals is: 1850 - 761 inhabitants 1860 - 755 inhabitants 1870 - 720 inhabitants 1880 - 746 inhabitants 1890 - 708 inhabitants 1900 - 736 inhabitants 1910 - 739 inhabitants 1920 - 786 inhabitants 1930 - 864 inhabitants 1940 - 910 inhabitants 1950 - 943 inhabitants 1960 - 968 inhabitants 1970 - 1,037 inhabitants 1980 - 880 inhabitants 1990 - 863 inhabitants 2000 - 885 inhabitants 2020 - 946 inhabitants

Vals was part of the Lugnezer valley church of Pleif (municipality of Lumnezia); before 1345 a separate parish benefice was donated, a people's priest is mentioned in 1520. The patron saint of St. Peter of the church on the square is mentioned in 1451. The new building for St. Peter and Paul was constructed in 1643, the pilgrimage chapel of St. Maria in Camp in 1692, and other chapels were built in the outer settlements.

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
Vals became an independent parish in 1345. Church records begin in 1629. The following volumes are only available on microfilm at the Graubünden State Archives:
 * Baptisms 1631-1778; marriages 1631-1816; confirmations 1716-1804
 * Burials 1631-1787
 * Baptisms 1778-1818
 * Baptisms 1778-1816; marriages 1818-1838; burials 1816-1875; confirmations 1819-1830
 * Baptisms, marriages, burials 1842-1875; confirmations 1844-1875

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

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