Selma Parish, Graubünden, Switzerland Genealogy

Description: Guide to Selma 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 Selma is in the Calanca sub-district of the Moesa district and the Graubünden canton. It was one of the smallest communities in Switzerland. It is located on the left bank of the Calancasca river at an elevation of 931 meters.

Selma (prior to 2015) has an area of 2.9 km² (1.1 square miles). The land use is divided up as follows:
 * 5.6% - agricultural purposes
 * 68.8% - forested
 * 3.5% - settled (buildings or roads)
 * 22.2% - non-productive

History
In 1812, Selma was first mentioned by the name of Selma. In 1851, Braggio became an independent municipality when it separated from the old municipality of Calanca. Selma is in the Moesa district and the Graubünden canton.

Selma merged into the Calanca municipality on 1 January 2015. Other municipalities merged include:
 * Arvigo
 * Braggio
 * Cauco

The population history of Selma is: 1683 - 300 inhabitants 1733 - 200 inhabitants 1830 - 93 inhabitants 1850 - 73 inhabitants 1900 - 71 inhabitants 1950 - 60 inhabitants 1970 - 34 inhabitants 1990 - 31 inhabitants 2000 - 44 inhabitants 2008 - 36 inhabitants 2013 - 33 inhabitants

Between 1662 to 1667, the parish church of Saints-Jacques-et-Pierre was built. During the 16th century, the Saint-Roch-du-Pont chapel was mentioned. In 1716, the church of Saint Anthony of Padua was mentioned. It was resotred in 1900. In 1773, the church of Our Lady of Einsiedeln on the Mount was mentioned.

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

Catholic
The church in Selma was first mentioned in 1582. The parish of Selma includes the municipality of Cauco. Church records begin in 1623. The following volumes are available on FamilySearch:
 * Baptisms, marriages, burials 1623-1707; Status animarum 1633, 1644, 1666, 1733
 * Baptisms, marriages, burials 1695-1793
 * Baptisms, marriages, burials 1792-1836; Status animarum 1823
 * Baptisms, marriages, burials 1838-1875

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

The following censuses are available from FamilySearch for Selma:
 * 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 Selma prior to 1875:

Related sources
The town's website (in Italian) can be found here.

Libraries and archives
State Archives of Graubünden

Societies
Rätische Vereinigung für Familienforschung (RVFF)

Società Genealogica della Svizzera italiana (SGSI)