Week 6 Prompt: Surprise

This week’s 52 Ancestors theme is “surprise.” While there have been many surprises in my research (I actually just wrote about one for this series), the biggest and most fascinating surprise was learning that I have Luxembourg roots.

I always thought my dad was Irish and English, but as I dug just a few generations back, I learned that my great-grandmother was born to Luxembourg immigrants. Despite the language barrier (German, French, and Latin), and difficult-to-read German script and handwriting, I was also surprised to learn that these ancestors are not that difficult to research since there are many great records available (and many now online!).

I’ve become obsessed with this family because of the plentiful records, and also because I never knew about this heritage. When my great-grandmother died, my grandfather (2-1/2 years old) was sent to live with his Irish granduncle (about 40 miles away from his mother’s family). I feel like that’s a big reason why I always thought my dad’s dad’s side was strictly Irish—those were the traditions that my grandfather, and subsequently my father, grew up with.

Over the years I’ve discovered all sorts of interesting things about my Luxembourg family. I continue to learn about the country, its history, and its culture. It really is fascinating.

I thought I’d share two things in this post. First, here is a link to my Ancestry tree focusing on my great-grandmother, Catherine Schwartz, and our Luxembourg ancestors. This is my stripped-down, bare-bones DNA tree, but you get the idea (if you think you share an ancestor, contact me!). Second, I’ve compiled a list of records, resources, and books below for those who also have Luxembourg roots.

Records
Books
Misc. Resources
  • Cartes du Luxembourg – Various maps, including a map that depicts the three partitions.
  • The Luxembourgers in America – “This presentation [from the Library of Congress] provides information about immigration from Luxembourg to the United States, and about the activities of Luxembourger immigrants in the United States from the 17th to the 20th centuries.”
  • Norway-Heritage – Various emigration/immigration resources, including information on ships, shipping lines, ship images, etc. Has info on Red Star Line, which was a popular line for Luxembourg emigrants.

More resources can be found through my Diigo bookmark list.

Do you have Luxembourg roots? I’d love to hear from you!