Title: Map Guide to Luxembourg Parish Registers
Author: Kevan M. Hansen
Format: Paperback
Published: 2016
My Rating: 
The following review first appeared in the Federation of Genealogical Societies FORUM magazine (Winter 2016); reprinted with permission.
Kevan Hansen has a spectacular series of books, Map Guide to German Parish Registers, that to date has over 50 volumes covering various places in Germany (both present-day and historical). Earlier this year, Hansen released a similar book specific to Luxembourg, a small country surrounded by Germany, France, and Belgium.
Map Guide to Luxembourg Parish Registers, like those in the German series, provides a visual reference to understand what parish records are applicable to the village in which your ancestor lived. This book contains only Catholic parishes and is arranged by administrative boundaries, starting with the district, then the canton, and finally the commune. For each level there is a map so you can see the boundaries and put everything in a visual context. This is helpful if you have tried certain parish records but cannot find your ancestors among the records. If they were closer to another parish, you’d be able to see this on the map and try those records instead.
At the commune level, each populated area (villages, hamlets, etc.) is listed in French, German, and Luxembourgish. The number after the French spelling corresponds to the village center depicted on the map, again, adding visual context. Additionally, a list of Catholic church records associated with the commune is listed.
There is also a place name index, which includes all variants (French, German, and Luxemburgish, if any) of the place name. The index is handy if all you know is a village name; you can come to the index and it will refer you to the page for its commune. Also, having an alphabetical list of towns can help when you have a spelling that isn’t quite right—you may be able to discern the correct place and spelling.
In addition to the guide and index, there is also a brief history of Luxembourg and a section on genealogical resources, including a discussion on various record sets and a listing of repositories and societies. Map Guide to Luxembourg Parish Registers is a handy tool for anyone with roots in Luxembourg, especially if you’re a visual learner.
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