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  Luxemburger Gazette

The Luxemburger Gazette was published by Nicholas Gonner, and later his son, in Dubuque, Iowa from 1871-1918. In addition to news of Luxembourg, it featured news of Luxembourgers and Luxembourg communities throughout the United States. The pro-German sympathies of the paper, just prior to World War I, contributed to the paper's demise during an era of anti-German sentiment in the United States.

Because of its broad scope in reporting personal news of Luxembourger-Americans, the Gazette is an excellent source for determining marriage and death dates. The newspaper's coverage of a time when civil registration was not required in many states, makes the Gazette a possible source of information not available from the state or county records. More importantly, obituaries often identify the town in Luxembourg where an ancestor was born or emigrated from.

Volume II of the 1987 reedition of Luxembourgers in the New World contains an invaluable index to personal and place names found in the Gazette. The index contains the name exactly as it appeared in the newspaper so there can be variation. For example, Nicholas Ney might be listed as Ney, N.; Ney, Nic.; Ney, Nick; or Ney, Nicolas. There are fewer surname spelling variations than in the U.S. census, presumably because the newspaper's editors and contributers were Luxembourgers themselves, but it is still something to take into consideration.

Sample Entry: NEY, Nicholas
22.02.1910, 5

Each entry consists of the date of newspaper and the page the name appeared on. Note the European dating: Day - Month - Year, so this entry appeared in the February 22, 1910 issue.

This is the corresponding article for the above example:

Translated this article reads: "Village Grafton (WI): Married last Tuesday by Rev. W. P. Peil at St. Joseph's Church: Nicholas Ney and Maggie Uselding. In the presence of their many guests, the joyous wedding was celebrated at the home of the bride. The young couple will live in Chicago."

The Gazette was printed in a typeface known as German Gothic, Fraktur or Black Letter. If you aren't familiar with this script it can be a little challenging to read. This guide to reading black letter script may help readers find the names they are looking for more easily. It is useful to put together the letters of the surname to help recognize the name. It is also important to keep in mind that nouns are also capitalized in German.

  Luxemburger Gazette Holdings

Copies of the Luxemburger Gazette are available at the following organizations. Most of the libraries, archives and societies listed below have a microfilm copy of the Gazette. This table illustrates the microfilm reel numbers and corresponding dates.

Family History Library
The Family History Library has a microfilm copy of the Gazette available for loan to any Family History Center. The Family History Library Catalog entry for the Luxemburger Gazette lists the film numbers (1844424 thru 1844444) and corresponding dates and provides information for finding the Family History Center nearest you.

Historical Society of Pennsylvania
The Society's collection, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has a microfilm copy of the Luxemburger Gazette.

Loras College
The Loras College Wahlert Library, in Dubuque, Iowa, has the only known extant print copy of the Luxemburger Gazette. The Library has microfilm copies of the Gazette available through interlibrary loan. Due to limited staffing, individual requests for printed copies of specific citations cannot be fulfilled.

Luxembourg American Cultural Society
The Society's Research Center has a copy of the Luxemburger Gazette newspaper on microfilm. The LACS offers a translation service for a nominal fee.

Milwaukee County Federated Library System
Milwaukee Public Library located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin has a microfilm set of the Luxemburger Gazette available through interlibrary loan.

State Historical Society of Iowa
The Society has microfilm copies of the Luxemburger Gazette available through interlibrary loan and copies in Des Moines and Iowa City.

Stearns History Museum
Located in St. Cloud, Minnesota, a microfilm copy of the Luxemburger Gazette is available from the Museum's Resource Center and Archives. Photocopy services are available from the Center for a fee.

University of St. Thomas Libraries
Located in St. Paul, Minnesota, the University has a microfilm copy of the Luxemburger Gazette. Photocopy services are available from the Library for a fee.

Last Update: 10 January 2009
Lisa Oberg || lisanne@eskimo.com || www.eskimo.com/~lisanne