Canton Ticino, Switzerland Genealogy

Guide to Canton Ticino ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, parish registers, and military records.

Getting Started
If you are new to Swiss research, you should watch this introductory course. Then study the articles on church records and civil registration, as almost all of your research will be in those two record groups.
 * Introduction to Swiss Research
 * Switzerland Civil Registration
 * Switzerland Church Records

History
Ticino is an Italian-speaking canton. The lands of the canton of Ticino were the last lands to be conquered by the Swiss Confederation. Canton Ticino (Wikipedia)
 * In ancient times, the area of what is now Ticino was settled by the Lepontii, a Celtic tribe. It later became part of the Roman Empire.
 * Around 1100 it was the center of struggle between the entities of Milan and Como.
 * In the 1300s it was acquired by the Visconti family, the Dukes of Milan.
 * Between 1403 and 1515, the Swiss Confederation fought southward in three separate conquests, annexing territory valley by valley; Canton Uri held part of the territory, while the Twelve Cantons administered the other part. Territorial expansion stopped after the defeat of the Swiss Confederation at the Battle of Marignano by France in 1515.
 * Between 1798 and 1803, during the Helvetic Republic, Uri lost its portion of the territory and two cantons were created by the French: Bellinzona and Lugano.
 * In 1803 the two were unified to form the canton of Ticino, which joined the Swiss Confederation as a full member in the same year. The canton was named after the Ticino River, which was known as the Ticinus in Roman times.
 * During the Napoleonic Wars, many Ticinesi men served in Swiss military units allied with the French.
 * Until 1878 the three largest cities, Bellinzona, Lugano and Locarno, alternated as capital of the canton but in 1878, Bellinzona became the only and permanent capital.
 * The 1870–1891 period saw a surge of political turbulence in Ticino, and the authorities needed the assistance of the federal government to restore order several times.
 * Ticino has seen multiple municipalities be merged to form new ones, especially since 2000. Between 2000 and 2010, for example, the number of municipalities shrunk by approximately 99.
 * The current cantonal constitution dates from 1997. The previous constitution, heavily modified, was codified in 1830, nearly 20 years before the constitution of the Swiss Confederation.

Compiled Genealogies

 * Ticino, Personal Pages on Swiss Families

Census Records Online
These records have a restriction for use only at a family history center near you.

Only the 1808 census and the 1837 census for Lugano can be accessed online. Links to the records for each census are listed under the parish and municipality FamilySearch Wiki pages. These pages can be accessed by using the parish/municipality list above.

1808 Census
The 1808 Ticino census was a 3-volume record set. The census only recorded the male population, indicating their age, marital status, condition, their presence or absence in March 1808, and any physical or mental impairments. The census is typically organized by household. Only the total number of women in the municipality is recorded.

Volumes 1 (Districts Mendrisio and Lugano) and 2 (Districts Locarno, Vallemaggia, Bellinzona, Riviera, Blenio, and part of Leventina) survive. Eight parishes of volume 2's Leventina district has been lost.

The 1808 census is available from FamilySearch and can be accessed through the FamilySearch Catalog here. - images (*)

1824 Census
The 1824 Ticino census was the first to record the names of women and resident foreigners. The date of birth and names of both parents are indicated. Most of the data comes from 1824-1825; in some cases, the data was updated through 1837-1838.

This census is only available at the Ticino State Archives.

1837 Census
The 1837 census, conducted on 8 May, is assumed to be closely related to the federal census of September 1836. It records the names and nationality of all residents. It is only available for the district of Bellinzona.


 * 1837 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images. This census only contains residents of the municipality of Lugano.

1846-1966 Censuses
Census registers were compiled on a municipal basis beginning in 1846. The census includes the person's name and surname, parents' names, and dates of birth, marriage, and death. The census also indicates whether the family held citizenship or if foreign (after 5 years of residence). The records are organized by municipality, then chronologically. They are held onsite at the Ticino Canton Archives.

Civil Registration
Civil registration began in Canton Ticino in 1855. To understand the records available, read the Wiki article, Switzerland Civil Registration.
 * You will be able to write your request in Italian with the help of the Italy Letter Writing Guide.

Church Records
FamilySearch has microfilmed records for the entire canton, but these records are only available onsite at the FamilySearch Library. These records can be accessed from the FamilySearch Catalog (click on Places within Switzerland, Thurgau to select the parish). There are restrictions preventing viewing any Ticino church records online.
 * 1418-1996 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

There are no indexes of church records online.

You will be able to write your request in Italian with the help of the Italy Letter Writing Guide.

For information on the coverage and content of church records, read Switzerland Church Records.

Reading the Records

 * Italian Genealogical Word List
 * [[Media:Swiss Genealogical Word List approved.pdf|Swiss Dialect Genealogical Word List]]

Search Strategy
This search strategy will help you determine what to write for. Limit tour requests to just one of these steps at a time. Once you have established that the parish is cooperative and perhaps more willing to do more extensive research (for a fee), you might be able to ask them for more at a time.
 * Search for the relative or ancestor you selected.
 * When you find his birth record, search for the births of his brothers and sisters.
 * Next, search for the marriage of his parents. The marriage record will have information that will often help you find the birth records of the parents.
 * You can estimate the ages of the parents and determine a birth year to search for their birth records.
 * Search the death registers for all known family members.
 * Repeat this process for both the father and the mother, starting with their birth records, then their siblings' births, then their parents' marriages, and so on.
 * If earlier generations (parents, grandparents, etc.) do not appear in the records, search neighboring parishes.