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
- Luxembourg, Civil Registration, 1796-1941 – Civil birth, marriage, and death records.
- Luxembourg Church Records, 1601-1948 – Baptisms, marriages, burials, and confirmations (record types and dates vary by parish).
- Diocese Archives of Luxembourg – Digitized church records for Luxembourg through the early 1900s.
- Luxembourg Census Records, 1843-1900 – Several censuses were taken across these 50+ years. They include various bits of information that are useful for genealogists.
- Luxemburger Gazette, 1871-1918 – A newspaper published in the United States for immigrants across the country.
- National Library of Luxembourg – Has digitized newspapers, including the Luxemburger Wort (from 1848 to 1950).
- Luxembourg Notarial Records, 1621-1821 – A type of legal document; could involve consent for marriage, land transactions, and more.
Books
- Luxembourgers in the New World (Gonner)
- Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (Newcomer)
- Émigrants et rémigrants luxembourgeois de 1876 à 1900 (available for download through the Luxembourg National Archives)
- Map Guide to Luxembourg Parish Registers (Hansen)
- Dictionnaire Géographique du Luxembourg (available through Google Books; in French)
- Luxembourg on My Mind (Gardini)
- Luxemburg and Her Neighbours: A Record of the Political Fortunes of the Present Grand Duchy from the Eve of the French Revolution to the Great War, with a Preliminary Sketch of Events from 963 to 1780 (Putnam; available through Internet Archive)
- Luxembourg; The Grand Duchy and Its People (Renwick; available through Internet Archive)
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!
I recently discovered that my maternal line is Luxembourgian, which was a surprise to me as well! This line lived very near the German border, so I’d always thought they were actually German. I look forward to delving into some of the resources you shared!
Mine were also on the German border (some ended up in Germany in the third partition). It’s a big border, but who knows, maybe we’re connected!
Excellent list of resources, Julie. As you know three-quarters of my children’s family tree is Luxembourgish and I have used all of the records mentioned. The Notarial Records is one I have only used to look up a document someone else cited. I need to take a closer look at those when I have time. There are a few books on the list I need to check into.