Insone, Ticino, Switzerland Genealogy

Description: Guide to Insone, 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, Insone has an area of 12.82 square kilometers (4.95 sq mi). The municipality is located in the Bellinzona district, in the upper Vedeggio Valley.

The land use is divided up as follows:
 * 4.3% - agricultural purposes
 * 64.7% - forested
 * 2.1% - settled (buildings or roads)
 * 0.5% - rivers or lakes
 * 10.6% - unproductive land

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

The population history of Insone 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.

According to records from 1571, Insone 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 Insone can be accessed here.

Surnames
The following surnames held citizenship in Insone 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)