Bedigliora Parish, Ticino, Switzerland Genealogy

Description: Guide to Bedigliora 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, Aranno has an area of 2.72 square kilometers (1.05 sq mi). The municipality is located in the Magliasina Valley, Lugano district, at an elevation of 727 m (2,385 ft). It is bordered by Cademario, Iseo, Alto Malcantone, Miglieglia and Novaggio municipalities.

The land use is divided up as follows:
 * 5.5% - agricultural purposes
 * 84.6% - forested
 * 5.9% - settled (buildings or roads)
 * 2.2% - rivers or lake
 * 0.4% - unproductive land

History
The first mention of Aranno is in 1335 as Arano.

The population history of Aranno is: 1599 - 269 inhabitants 1801 - 356 inhabitants 1850 - 286 inhabitants 1900 - 261 inhabitants 1950 - 183 inhabitants 1960 - 142 inhabitants 2000 - 267 inhabitants

Built in the 17th century, the parish church of Saint-Victor was built on the ruins of an old fortified castle, according to an unconfirmed tradition. Its current appearance dates from 1815. The interior contains numerous testimonies of the Malcantonese artistic workers.

According to records from 1571, Aranno 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 Bedigliora can be accessed here.

Surnames
The following surnames held citizenship in Bedigliora prior to 1875, 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)