Cimadera Parish, Ticino, Switzerland Genealogy

Description: Guide to Cimadera 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
The municipality of Cimadera is in the Lugano district and the Ticino canton. It is located in the upper Colla valley on the left slope at an elevation of 1,100 m (3,600 ft). Cimadera has an area of 5.2 km² (2.0 square miles). The land use is divided up as follows:
 * 5.9% - agricultural purposes
 * 83.3% - forested
 * 1.7% - settled (buildings or roads)
 * 4.0% - non-productive

History
In 1422, Cimadera was first mentioned with the name of cima d'Era. Cimadera is in the Lugano district and the Ticino canton. In 1878, the municipality and parish of Cimadera was created when it split off of Sonvico. Cimadera merged into the Lugano municipality on 14 April 2013. Other municipalities merged include:
 * Bogno
 * Cadro
 * Carona
 * Certara
 * Sonvico
 * Vacallo

The population history of Cimadera is: 1591 - 13 Hearths 1880 - 201 inhabitants 1900 - 271 inhabitants 1950 - 161 inhabitants 1980 - 77 inhabitants 2000 - 100 inhabitants

Per the 2000 census:
 * 79.0% were Roman Catholic
 * 9.0% were Swiss Reformed Church
 * 10.0% belong to another church

During the 17th century, the chapel of Saint Anthony of Padua was established. In 1670, Saints Marie and Elisabeth or the Visitation was built.

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

The 1808 Ticino census for Cimadera can be accessed here (beginning at line 250).

Surnames
The following surnames held citizenship in Cimadera prior to 1900, 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)