Agno Parish, Ticino, Switzerland Genealogy

Description: Guide to Agno 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, Agno has an area of 2.49 square kilometers (0.96 sq mi). Located in the Lugano district, it is the most important municipality in the Malcantone valley. It includes the village of Agno and the settlements of Cassina, Mondonico and Serocca.

The land use is divided up as follows:
 * 1.26 km2 (0.49 sq mi) or 50.6% is used for agricultural purposes
 * 21.7% is used for growing crops
 * 3.2% is used for orchards or vine crops
 * 25.7% is used for alpine pastures
 * 0.58 km2 (0.22 sq mi) or 23.3% is forested
 * 17.3% is heavily forested
 * 6.0% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees
 * 1.2 km2 (0.46 sq mi) or 48.2% is settled (buildings or roads)
 * 4.4% is industrial buildings
 * 25.7% is housing and buildings
 * 11.2% is transportation infrastructure
 * 6.0% is parks, green belts and sports fields
 * 0.06 km2 (15 acres) or 2.4% is either rivers or lakes
 * 0.4% is in lakes
 * 2.0% is in rivers and streams
 * 0.03 km2 (7.4 acres) or 1.2% is unproductive land.

History
The first mention of Agno is in 818 as Anium but it was known by its German name Eng, though this is no longer used. Agno was a former church town and the secular capital of the former Pieve (large parish).

The population history of Agno is: 1591 - 158 households 1801 - 575 inhabitants 1850 - 911 inhabitants 1900 - 723 inhabitants 1950 - 909 inhabitants 2000 - 3655 inhabitants 2010 - 3981 inhabitants

The formation of the pieve or large parish is related to the spread of Christianity during the Lower Empire on the Milan - Como - Riva San Vitale axis. Two documents, one from 735 and the other from 818 (diploma of Emperor Louis the Pious), confirm the existence of a parish center. The parish of Agno probably passed in 1002-1004 into the hands of the bishop of Como. A document from 1192 mentions the parish chapter and the first known provost is Guglielmo da Marchirolo dated 1288. The "parchment of Sessa" from 1352 is the oldest source concerning the extension of the parish in Marchirolo. From the 1571 visit of the bishop of Como, Giovanni Antonio Volpe, there is a detailed description of the lands, parishes and vice-parishes which formed the pieve.

The Pieve was formed from the following parishes: In Swiss territory -

In what is now Italian territory. With the exception of Cremenaga, all these parishes were separated from Agno by 1633.

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

The 1808 Ticino census for Agno can be accessed here.

Surnames
The following surnames held citizenship in Agno 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)