Mengelt –
a Walser family name
descended from the Swiss
region of Rheinwald,
Graubünden (Grisons)

Origin of the Mengelt Family

In the Historical Lexicon of Switzerland
are mentioned:

Mengelt, Mengold
Families of Splügen and Thusis

Peter Mengelt
first time in Splügen 1482

Alexander Mengelt
Podestat of Tirano 1553

Alexander Mengelt
Govenor of Rheinwald, 1682-1709

Jakob Mengelt
Customs Official of Splügen, about 1800


In the State Archive of Graubünden are
also mentioned:
Menngolt, Mangol, Mengel, Manngel,
Mengölth, Mangoltt, Mangelt etc.

In his "Story of the Walser Colony Rheinwald", published in 1935, Peter Issler, Ph.D. writes:
"The proof that the Rheinwald colonists originate directly or indirectly from the upper Wallis, can be increased by comparative family research, the same way that I have had success in a few cases. In the period between 1552 and 1719 the same families can be detected as officials in upper Wallis and as go-
vernors in St. Maurice, as we also find them at the same time in Rheinwald, such as, e.g., Bircher, Furger, Mangold (Mengelt), Rüedi, Schänni (Schonnig)
and Schnider (Schnidrig)."

Based on several references, one may assume with certainty that the Mengelt family – like so many others – has immigrated from the Wallis area to the Rheinwald area. They were certainly not among the first Walser colonists, but they could have immigrated in the 13th century.