Sarn Parish, Graubünden, Switzerland Genealogy

Description: Guide to Sarn 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 Sarn is in the district of Hinterrhein in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. It includes the haufendorf (an irregular, unplanned and quite closely packed village, built around a central square) village of Sarn on the Heinzenberg mountains.

Sarn (as of 2006) has an area of 7.6 km² (2.9 square miles). The land use is divided up as follows:
 * 78.9% - agricultural purposes
 * 15.1% - forested
 * 3.2% - settled (buildings or roads)
 * 2.8% - non-productive

History
In 1156, Sarn was first mentioned by the name of Sarn.

Sarn merged into the Cazis municipality on 1 January 2010. Other municipalities merged include:
 * Cazis
 * Portein
 * Präz
 * Tartar

The population history of Sarn is: 1850 - 259 inhabitants 1900 - 150 inhabitants 1950 - 168 inhabitants 2000 - 159 inhabitants 2007 - 142 inhabitants

Spiritually, Sarn was part of the large parish of Hochrialt (Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Hohenrätien) and of that of Portein after 1505. After the Reformation (1530-1540), an independent parish community began with Tartar and Portein. A new church is listed for the first time in 1686.

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.

Reformed
After the Reformation came to Sarn in 1530-1540, it established an independent parish with Portein and Tartar. Flerden became an independent parish in 1670. Church records begin in 1634. The following volumes are available on FamilySearch:
 * Baptisms, marriages, burials 1634-1810
 * Baptisms, marriages, burials 1776-1836
 * Baptisms, marriages, burials 1837-1875

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

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