Vella Parish, Graubünden, Switzerland Genealogy

Description: Guide to Vella / Villa 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 Vella was in the district of Surselva in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. It is situated in the Lugnez sub-district of the Surselva district. Vella is located at 1,244 m (4,081 ft) ft altitude on a plateau in the centre of the Lumnezia, a high alpine valley. The municipality included the village Villa and the church St. Vincent in Pleif built on a ridge overlooking the Glenner/Glogn gorge, a tributary to the Vorderrhein.

Vella (as of 2006) has an area of 7.4 km² (2.9 square miles). The land use is divided up as follows:
 * 69.5% - agricultural purposes
 * 18.6% - forested
 * 4.6% - settled (buildings or roads)
 * 7.3% - non-productive

History
In 840, Vella was first mentioned by the name of ad sanctum Vincentium [...] in valle Leguntia. In 1290-98, it was also mentioned as ad Ville, aput Villam. Until 1987, Vella was known as Villa.

Vella merged into the Lumnezia municipality on 1 January 2013. Other municipalities merged include:
 * Cumbel
 * Degen
 * Lumbrein
 * Morissen
 * Suraua
 * Vignogn
 * Vrin

The population history of Vella is: 1808 - 199 inhabitants 1835 - 301 inhabitants 1850 - 229 inhabitants 1900 - 272 inhabitants 1950 - 418 inhabitants 1990 - 398 inhabitants 2000 - 441 inhabitants 2011 - 438 inhabitants

The village church was the focal point of a parish that covered the entire valley. About 1300, Vals divided from the parish due to the desire of Walser German speaking Walser immigrants to have their own religious leadership. Most of the other villages in the valley over the following centuries also separated from the Vella parish (the most recent being Peiden in 1910). Due to the village's focus as a religious center and the power of a local patrician family, de Mont, Vella became the most powerful village in the valley.

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 parish church of Vella was first mentioned in 843, the original church in the entire Lugnez/Lumnezia Valley. Several parishes became independent between 1345 and present, including Lumbrein (1345-1442), Duvin (1526), Surcasti (1528); Vrin (1597), Surcuolm (1643), Cumbel (1653), Vignogn (1697), Degen (1891), Morissen (1907), and Peiden (1910). Church records begin in 1633. The following volumes are available on FamilySearch:
 * Baptisms, marriages, burials 1633-1699
 * Baptisms, marriages, burials 1700-1768
 * Baptisms, marriages, burials 1768-1837
 * Baptisms, marriages, burials 1838-1875
 * Confirmations 1820-1875

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

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