Luxembourg Heritage Society of Southern Minnesota

Meetings and Events

Luxembourg Society Membership Meeting

May 17, 2025, 12:30 p.m.

River Bottom Tavern, Main St., Henderson, MN

Speaker:  Luxembourg Consulate, Kristin Speltz

After meeting you can tour the new Hummingbird Center, Classical Glass, and Schuetter's Ice Cream Parlor

Public is invited.

Mark your calendar for 2025:

Aug. 16 - We hope to have the Twin City Luxembourg Society as our guests.  It will be a social event.  More info to come.

Nov. 15 - Meeting at the New Ulm Country Club with some type of music.

Feb. 2026 - Fuesend (Lux name for what we know as Mardi Gras/Fasching) costume party. 

 JOIN US

Membership Dues are Due 

Your membership dues are requested again.  They are still $20 for a single and $25 for a family.  

Make out your check to "Luxembourg Heritage Society" and get it to:  

Terry Sveine, 904 N. Minnesota St., New Ulm, MN 56073.

These funds are used for business expenses, newsletters and mailing, and other group expenses.  

This will serve as a last notice for some members who are behind on their dues.  After this newsletter and no dues received, you will be cut from future mailings.  Contact Terry for questions on this issue.  

Please include full name(s), address, phone number and your e-mail address with your check.  All your contact information will be kept confidential and not be abused.  Thank you.

Membership Application

For a printable Application click on Membership Application.

Benefits of Membership

• Receive all Newsletters
• Notices of Events & Functions
• Invitation to Banquets & Speakers
• Access to Society Records and Files
• Invitation to Society Outings
• Support the Organization

 Newsletter Contact

If you wish to contact the editor of our Newsletter, Terry Sveine, please mail him at:

Luxembourg Heritage Society of Southern Minnesota, Attn:  Terry Sveine, 904 North Minnesota Street, New Ulm, MN 56073, 507-354-1123

or email to:  tesss@newulmtel.net.

Newsletter Editor:  Terry Sveine produces the Luxembourg Heritage Society of Southern Minnesota Newsletter.  Terry welcomes ideas for future newsletters and, even better, story submissions by you.  Send your submissions to the address or email shown above. 

Terry Sveine authors a book on Francis Baasen

Terry Sveine (author of our Newsletter, and with the assistance of editor Daniel Groebner), has written a book about Francis Baasen, New Ulm's first lawyer.  Baasen worked on the Minnesota Constitution and was the first Secretary of State for Minnesota.  He served on New Ulm's city council, was a county commissioner, and a city and county attorney.   See article in New Ulm Journal.

LUXEMBOURGERS IN CHICAGO:  FROM NORTH AVENUE TO WILMETTE

During these unsettling times, are you looking for an interesting video to view regarding   Luxembourg heritage?   Here is a link to a YouTube video by Kevin Wester entitled:  "Luxembourgers in Chicago:  From North Avenue to Wilmette."   Follow the link for  the video and a more detailed description of Kevin Wester and this presentation.  

 Luxembourg Coat of Arms

Luxembourgers in Southern Minnesota

The first known Luxembourger to southern Minnesota was Francis Baasen who came in 1856. He settled in New Ulm and was an energetic man who became Brown County Recorder, a military leader and was Minnesota’s first Secretary of State!

With the resulting peace after the Dakota Conflict of 1862, the 1850-80’s saw many more Luxembourgers settle in southern Minnesota. The prairie land was fertile and cheap and a hard working person could make a decent living from this rich land.  Many towns sprang up with ample opportunities if farming was not their interest.

Southern Minnesota was populated by many Germans and it was common for Luxembourgers to assimilate themselves into the German culture. We know of no fraternal or cultural organizations formed by first or second generation Luxembourgers, and it is common for many “Luxies” to have lost their cultural identity to the more numerous Germans.

This Society hopes to rectify this situation and celebrate that lost ancestry!

Goals of Luxembourg Heritage Society of Southern Minnesota

• Offer learning opportunities by bringing in expert speakers.
• Visit like-minded societies in the Midwest.
• Collect artifacts and historical documents and artifacts.
• Compile Luxembourger family biographies and stories.
• Host social gatherings and banquets.
• Strive to erect a monument to our Luxembourger ancestors.
• Develop a tour program for people visiting from Luxembourg.
• Receive all Newsletters
• Notices of Events & Functions
• Invitation to Banquets & Speakers
• Access to Society Records and Files
• Invitation to Society Outings
• Support the Organization’s Goals

Ancestry Information

To help us catalog Luxembourgers from Southern Minnesota, please share some information about your Luxembourg ancestors, if known, such as names, home city in Luxembourg, date of emigration, places of settlement in  America, etc.

Maps of Luxembourg

Present Day Luxembourg

Partitions of Luxembourg

During the centuries, Luxembourg (dating back to 963 A.D.) was ruled by a number of foreign powers: the House of Burgundy (1443-1506), Spain (1506-1684), France (1684-1698), Spain (1698-1715), Austria (1715-1795), and France (1795-1815). Finally, in 1815, after the defeat of Napoleon, the Congress of Vienna established Luxembourg as a grand duchy that would serve as part of a vast defensive system.  In “The Making of a Nation, 1815 to the Present," Christian Calmes explains that the state of Luxembourg “was born out of the interplay of geo-political and military factors” that resulted in “the decision to create a State in the interests of security and peace in Europe”.

In 1815, the area to the east of present-day Luxembourg was ceded to Prussia.  Then, in 1839, when the Treaty of London was signed, the eastern portion of Luxembourg, under the rule of the grand duke, became an independent European state and a member of the German Confederation.  The western portion of Luxembourg, including Bastogne, Arlon, and Bouillon, became part of Belgium.  This partitioning meant that those living in the western part of Luxembourg became Belgians by law, even  though many of them continued to think of themselves as Luxembourgers. According to Calmes, the partition of 1839 resulted in ” the lose of 4,730 square kilometers and half the population of the Grand Duchy (175,000 inhabitants). After this diminution, the land area of the country was only 2,586 square kilometers”.  Yet even today, nearly175 to 200 years later, many inhabitants of the Luxembourg Province of Belgium, and western Germany still consider themselves Luxembourgers.  Many speak Letzebuergesch, the native language of Luxembourg: and they continue  to observe Luxembourg traditions.

Text taken from:

"Reflections of Luxembourg in the Rural Midwestern United States" by Suzanne L. Bunkers

Resources

Genealogy Search

These are links that are useful places to search for Luxembourg Resources.  Weydert and Deltgen are the most useful sites with lots of family names.

The most important thing in a google search is to use “” and Plus Signs.  For example “Pierre Sartor” + Iowa will immediately get you hits where Pierre Sartor Iowa doesn’t get you as good a result.

https://familysearch.org/search

http://www.weydert.com/genv2/login.php

http://gw.geneanet.org/spetzbouf?lang=en&pz=pola+marie&nz=gretsch&ocz=0&p=pierre&n=sartor&oc=1

http://www.deltgen.com/pubtng/search.php?mylastname=SARTOR&lnqualify=equals&mybool=AND&tree=Deltgen

https://www.myheritage.com/site-family-tree-50091671/schroeder?familyTreeID=1&rootIndivudalID=1000223

http://www.genealogy.com/ftm/l/o/w/Stephanie-E-Lowrance-WI/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0765.html

http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com

http://www.findagrave.com

Miscellaneous Links:

• Luxembourg American Cultural Society
• Luxembourgers in America (Pinterest)
• Maplandia, Aerial Maps of Luxembourg
• The Luxembourgers in Rollingstone
• The National Library of Luxembourg
• The National Tourist Office of Luxembourg
• Reflections of Luxembourg in the Rural Midwestern United States by Suzanne Bunkers
• Luxembourgish Language and Common Phrases
• English Branch of Luxembourg Tourism Authority
• Rob Deltgen’s Massive Genealogy Site Log-in and registration is needed by logging onto the site. Material in here is generally considered to be very accurate.

Books:

• “The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg:  Evolution of Nationhood”  by James Newcomer, 1995.  A concise, yet thorough, overview history of the country.  It is “a must” for anyone interested in Luxembourg history and culture.
• “Luxembourg:  The Clog-Shaped Duchy,” by Andrew Reid, 2005. Offers insights into how Luxembourg came into being.  Done in a chronological fashion.
• “Rollingstone:  A Luxembourgish Village in Minnesota” by Mary E. Niles, 1983.  This 223 page book is a collection of early life in this village of a few hundred people located about ten miles north of Winona, Minnesota, in a wide valley stretching between the Mississippi River bluffs. Ms. Niles covers a wide array of topics that will be of value to the reader beyond specific Rollingstone stories.  These include life in Luxembourg, emigration and travel, establishing a settlement, and other aspects of early life in the New World.
• “Luxembourgers  in the New Word,” Vol. I and II, by Nicholas Gonner in 1889.  Look for the reprinted and modern translated version by Jean Ensch, Jean-Claude Muller and Robert E. Owen from 1987.  Gonner was a newspaper editor in Dubuque in the later 1800s.  Volume I is a valuable collection of Luxembourg history, emigration, culture and a state-by-state assessment of Luxembourg settlement in America.  Volume II is a list of known Luxembourger immigrants and a reference to where their names came from.  This book is a must for anyone looking to build their knowledge of Luxembourg and its influence in America.

These and other books may be available from the Luxembourg American Cultural Society located in Belgium, Wisconsin.

Trivia

• General Patton American General George Patton is buried in the Luxembourg American Cemetery outside of Luxembourg City, in the town of Hamm, along with over 5,000 other American soldiers.
• Size of Luxembourg  Luxembourg measures 32 miles east-to-west and 51 miles north-to-south, making it smaller than Rhode Island and about the same size as two counties in southern Minnesota
• Population  There are about half a million people living in Luxembourg.  Apply that number to the size and you  have a nation with a large population density, although it has much green space to enjoy.
• “-Dingen” versus “-dange” After World War II, in defiance of Germany, may of the Luxembourg villages that ended in the suffix “-dingen” were changed to the French version “-dange:” (“-donj”).  For example, Dommeldingen is now known as Dommeldange.
• Climate Luxembourg’s climate is not terribly different from that of southern Minnesota, although not as severe as our summer or winter.  The average afternoon temperature in January is 36 degrees and in July it is 74 degrees.
• Wenceslaus In 1383 “Good King Wenceslaus” died as ruler of Luxembourg (and Bohemia, of course) and his nephew, Wenceslaus II, took control.  He was a poor ruler and at one point he even used Luxembourg as security to pay off a loan for his gambling debts!
• The Battle of the Bulge The World War II fight, “The Battle of the Bulge,” happened when Germany pushed west from her border into southeastern Belgium and northern Luxembourg creating a “bulge” on the map.
• Official Name  Luxembourg’s official name is “The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.”  A duchy (“dutch’ ee”) is the name of a land ruled by a Duke or Duchess, just as a King rules a Kingdom.
• Religion Luxembourg claims to be 98 percent Roman Catholic, making it far more Catholic than virtually anyplace on Earth.  However, as in much of the world, the active practice of one’s religion is not as strong as the official counting of that religion.  Nonetheless, it is still very Catholic!
• The Language of Luxembourg  The country of Luxembourg has its own language.  Vist The Language of Luxembourg to read more.
• Hammelsmarsch On the Sunday nearest August 24, which is St. Bartholemy’s Day, a festival is held which includes the unique “March of Sheep” or, the “Hammelsmarsch.”  The festival has been held since the Middle Ages and is called a “kiermas” because this word is also the word for the Cathedral’s consecration celebration which is also held at that time. Troupes of musicians dressed in blue smocks to resemble 19th century farmers follow a shepherd and a flock of sheep that are adorned with ribbons and other decorations through the streets of Luxembourg City. They will play the traditional Hammelsmarasch song and are accompanied by many followers who often sing lyrics to the tune composed by the revered national poet, Michel Lentz.  The Mayor will meet the group of people and sheep at the entrance to the fouer (fair) at the fairgrounds and accompany him through the grounds, taking time to meet and visit with the people.  This ceremony ends with traditional food like Kiermasham (ham) and Kiermaskuch (cake) at restaurants in the fairgrounds.
• Visit Luxembourg Fun Facts to learn more fun facts about Luxembourg:

Visit Luxembourg Travel Guide for tourist Information.