Rivera Parish, Ticino, Switzerland Genealogy

Description: Guide to Rivera 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, Bironico has an area of 4.18 square kilometers (1.61 sq mi). The village is located south of the Monte Ceneri Pass and north of the district seat Lugano. It is bordered by the villages of Camignolo to the south, Medeglia to the north and Rivera to the west.

The land use is divided up as follows:
 * 11.2% - agricultural purposes
 * 77.5% - forested
 * 6.5% - settled (buildings or roads)
 * 0.5% - rivers or lakes
 * 4.3% - unproductive land

The following municipalities merged on 21 November 2010 into the new municipality of Monteceneri:
 * Bironico
 * Camignolo
 * Medeglia
 * Rivera
 * Sigirino

History
The first mention of Bironico is in 1296 as Bironico.

The population history of Bironico is: 1769 - 128 inhabitants 1801 - 201 inhabitants 1850 - 177 inhabitants 1900 - 431 inhabitants 1950 - 272 inhabitants 2000 - 512 inhabitants

It is assumed that around the year one thousand, Bironico was the civil and religious center of Carvina, a community that included the localities of the middle and upper valley of the Vedeggio, which were part of the former parish of Bironico:
 * Camignolo
 * Isone
 * Medeglia
 * Mezzovico-Vira
 * Rivera
 * Robasacco
 * Sigirino

During the High Middle Ages, Bironico was first dependent on the diocese and then on the city of Como for spiritual needs. At the end of the 13th Century, the Rusca, an aristocratic family from Como, settled in the municipality. They lived in the castle from 1328 to 1416. The parish church, erected from 1267, is dedicated to Saint Martin.

According to records from 1571, Bironico Parish was part of the Agno 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 Rivera can be accessed here.

Surnames
The following surnames held citizenship in Rivera 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)