I received the following from a cousin, and I thought I would share it with the list. I have no relation to the author of the letter, but it makes interesting reading on what it was like leaving Germany for Wisconsin in the mid 1800s. A translation of a letter written by Michael Rodenkirch, one of the first settlers in the Village of St. Michaels, describes life as it was to the early settlers of the area, and the state. State of West Konsin December 26, 1846 Dearest Mother, All Sisters and Brothers, Brothers and Sisters-in-law, Relatives and Acquantances: Sincere Greetings to you All! Thanks to God we are all well and hope the same of you. I do hope that by now you have received my letter of Oct. 22, telling you where we have finally landed. Should you have received this letter, I hope that news from you is on the way. I will tell you again briefly about our trip. Emigrants to America generally pay half fare from Cochenn to Coblenz, 10 silver from Grosehen; from Cobleaz to Coeln, 20 silver Groschen; from Coeln to Antwerp by railway, two dollars per adult person, older than 10 or 12 years, children below that age pay half fare, and babies under one year travel free. From Antwerp to New York adults pay 80 francs while minors pay 70 francs. >From New York you should acquire passage on steamship to Albany. From Albany to Buffalo you may travel by "Ralter," perhaps ferry or railway. >From Buffalo you travel again by steamboat to "Milwaukee in West Konsin." Trip from New York to Albany costs 4 shilling, or 20 silver Groschen; from Albany to Buffalo costs 5-6 dollars, from Buffalo to Wisconsin by steamship costs 6 dollars. At each place "veradkirdiert," [possibly register or be recorded] anew and do not trust every German theiving trickster approaching you as exchange agent; these people are usually bad characters. We had made arrangement for passage to Chicago, however, we went ashore at Milwaukee on Lake Michigan, 80 miles above Chicago. We live now 40 miles northeast of Milwaukee in Town 12, Range 19, Section 13. We are all well satisfied here, have good land, and none molest us. We have a good home, 20 x 22 ft., built of logs. We also have a wagon, a yoke of oxen which cost $50.00; a cow, costing $18.00; chickens and other domestic animals. The cattle graze night and day in the open woods, and whenever they do come home we give them a handful of salt and a little meal to the cows. Salt is not expensive here, it costs 12 shilling, (two dollars in Prussian money), per tonne, a tonne weighs almost 300 pounds. Eight shilling make a dollar or 100 cts. Ten Gulden are worth $4.00 here. Prussian money is not good here; whoever emigrates should exchange his money for gold. Parisian drafts on a good New York bank are good. The drafts I had were good and I deposited them in New York and after traveling 1,600 miles to Milwaukee sold them without loss. I have bought eight times 80 acres, all in one plot, making a whole section, for $800.00. The would be 1080 Morgen in Prussia. There are no hills here. Whoever buys uncultivated land must be prepared to live a year on his purse, and that is very expensive living. The trip across the ocean took 52 days; despite storm and high waves, thanks to God, all went well. The trip through America to Milwaukee took us 18 days. Whoever makes this trip had better take good care of his money. With us there were people from Brohl on the Maihfeld who were robbed of 2,200 dollars in Albany. Their plight was great as they could only travel a short distance. Here in our woods we hear nothing of robberies; hardly any one has a lock on his door. So far I have not seen a snake, but there are foxes, groundhogs, deer, elk, prarie chickens, and other birds. There are also strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and many varieties of plants, trees, and herbs. We have two kinds of sugar maple, four kinds of oaks, large basswoods, nut trees, redwood, and ironwood which gets so hard that an iron nail can not be driven into it. For fuel wood, we use the ash. We also have many larch trees of enormous size. Many of the fallen trees of dead timber lie crisscross in the forests making it exceedingly difficult for travel. I find great joy in walking through the forests, admiring the tall trees 40 to 50 feet high, without a branch, all even thickness; they are beautiful. My children may pick the finest living places by lot they may choose where they wish to locate. Children and children's children no longer need fear Martini, (tax term day November 11). Meat we have three times daily except Fridays or other days of abstinence. White bread, like Wittlicher Weck, we eat every day. I wish I could wish you here, never yet have I regretted making the trip - often I have asked the two youngest children whether they would like to return to their old home; they always answer, "No, not for a thousand dollars." We wish we could have you her for several days, or as long as you might want to stay. I would like to give you a treat, even if it were to cost me $50.00. Tools are very expensive here, but good. Bring an ax for use on the trip, bring no chains, little tinware for of that we have enough here, and for travel across the sea iron pots and pans are best, for your cooking, as tinware does not stand the wear and tear. For your sea voyage make your own "zweiback" and take along sufficient oatmeal and wheat flour. If you can obtain potatoes, use them for your vegetable. Also carry along ham, butter, brandy, spices, coffee, sugar, and whatever else you might like to eat on your trip across the sea, for on the sea your money will not buy you anything. If you plan on traveling through the woods here, bring several pairs of boots and shoes and durable clothes; also bring waffle iron and cake pan. Unmarried and single people will have a good income here in America, in a short time they may earn more than they may ever inherit from their parents. Our Church affairs are still in a bad way. We hope to build a church next year. Now, unless we wish to travel great distances, we must have our prayers and devotions in our own home. The Gospel we find in our books and must meanwhile be content with that. All of our homes are somewhat different and 400 - 600 - 1,000 steps apart. My nearest neighbor, Tull, from Gillenfeld, lives about 500 steps away. In adjoining homes live; I, Schneider, Theisch, Keller, Junk, Herriges from Strohn, Tull and Hammes, from Gillenfeld, Tullen, from Strotzbuesch, Rodermund, from Scheidweiler, and a certain Catholic, Buckecker, from Switzerland, a few Englishmen, and also some Lutherans. Each treats the other kindly and all visit back and forth. On Christmas Day we had fine weather without snow. Many have asked me to give you all the news. Later I shall give you more detailed news. Pass this news on to my brothers-in-law, Peter Tullen, Gerhardt Schaefer and his wife Susanna, from Schalkenmehren, my "Vaetern" (possibly cousins) Hilarius, John Rodermund, from Oberscheidweiler and all other relatives from Niederscheidweiler. How gladly I would like to give you something from my abundance of wood. When I see the great woodpiles burn it pains my heart and my wife is moved to tears. All woods is burned except for rail fences to keep the cattle out. Our cattle stays out in the open, winter and summer, and grazes. Large bells are hung on their necks and one may hear them a mile away. Almost throughout the year our cattle finds its lodging places under the trees. I have erected some shelter for my cattle but it is with difficulty that I keep them there even when the weather is bad. They prefer to lie in the open. Our scythes are narrow but nearly twice as long as yours, the blades are not hammered but sharpened with a stone. Should you plan to undertake the trip to America, make sure that you are on time at the depot or dock, as neither ships nor train will wait a minute for you - they are gone like a shot. Whoever makes the trip will be impressed with the omnipotence of God. It is still impossible for me to describe our voyage adequately. We were enroute 75 days. Back home we always thought that England was far, far away, but after five days of travel we were nearing the English coast and after 10 days we were alongside Scotland and Ireland; after that we were soon out in the open sea. This shows the speed of our ship. On the ocean we were for 55 days. High waves often dashed our ship. The slant of our ship often made it impossible to stand without hanging onto something. At times gusts of wind almost threatened to overturn our ship, but like a floating egg, it would always right itself. The last ten days we sailed along the American shores and then entered the world famous, beautiful New York harbor. We remained in New York for a day. The sumptuous meals served us in America did not agree well with these exhausted pilgrims. The next night we traveled 45 miles by steamboat to Albany and then on as I have already related. We reached Milwaukee in 17 days, and our destination here, afoot, in two days. All of us who came from Gillenfeld and vicinity are happy and well, but I do not know where all of them finally settled. Joseph Streit went to Chicago. Single men, with a good job, may easily save enough money in one year for an 80 acre farm. The government permits one to claim two 80 acre farms for one year and at the end of the year another member of the family, 21 years of age, many renew the claim. Insurance costs 12 shilling, or two Prussian dollars. Having acquired a claim, one may immediately reside on the land without additional taxes. Anyone may establish a claim without much ado by merely selecting a desired plot on the plat, giving his name and without dickering about a price. Price of an acre is 20 shillings; in Prussia that would be two and one-half pfenning a rod. There are still vast uninhabited areas available but there are no established roads. I can hardly grasp the meaning of be separated from you by 7,000 miles. Climate here is very much like yours. There are five Indian huts in our vicinity. Indians live on game, are clothed in pelts and wear woolen breech cloths. They sell much deer and elk meat. Each Indian has a saddle horse. They are people like we are, somewhat colored, harm none, visit us freely, sometimes beg, saying, "give me some." At first we were afraid of these people but we have lost our fear. I have even visited them in their huts, or course well protected by my double barrelled rifle and bayonet. The were filled with fear but quite accommodating. They lounged on the bare ground; their shoes were made of pelts and tied to their feet. Honey they find in the woods. I have seen them gather more than an "Ohm" from some trees. There is little underbrush in our highland forests. I wish you also could be with us. A few miles from here I could find very fine farm land for you. Should you decide to come remember that I am your friend, do not fail to call on me. Many of our old friends back home tried to frighten us with their fairy tales of wild beasts here. That is why I brough my double barrelled gun and pistol and bayonet which could easily spring into action by a touch of the left hand should danger require it. It is quite possible that wild horses still live beyond the Mississippi, farm from here. I must tell you something about our language used here. For the numbers we use our ciphers. "Holz" is called "wood;" "fleisch" is "meat," etc. We pay postage on our letters to the border, the balance of postage you are obliged to pay; deduct that from my account. GIve my regards to the most venerable pastor, the honorable burgomaster, and all those mentioned in my previous letter. I send as many greetings as there are drops of water between us. Give greetings to all relatives and acquaintances. We shall remember you in our prayers daily and hope you are praying for us. Remain true to the faith, hope and love in God; do your duty. We wish you a Happy New Year. Give greetings also to all our neighbors, Peter Schaldweiler, Peter Sartoris, our teacher and his family, all my sponsors, and all members of the Congregation Strohn. I greet you a hundred thousand times and remain. Your sincere brother, Michael Rodenkirch -- \\\|/// \\ ~ ~ // ( @ @ ) ------- oOOo-(_)-oOOo--------------------------- Timothy J. Barron mailto:tjbarro@ibm.net http://www.geocities.com/tjbarro --------------------Oooo.----------------------- .oooO ( ) ( ) ) / \ ( (_/ \_)

I would like to make contact with the family of John SIGL Born Aug 27 1903 in Indiana and Died Nov 26 1994 in Indiana. To exchange information. Carl

For the Nienhaus family history book that I am putting together, I would like to include some history of Westphalia and Prussia. My ancestors emigrated to the U.S. in the 1850s. I have found and visitied numerous sites which contain a paragraph or two on the history of the region, but I would like something more extensive. Does anyone know of a site that contains a *comprehensive* history of Westphalia and Prussia? Next stop - the public library. -- \\\|/// \\ ~ ~ // ( @ @ ) ------- oOOo-(_)-oOOo--------------------------- Timothy J. Barron mailto:tjbarro@ibm.net http://www.geocities.com/tjbarro --------------------Oooo.----------------------- .oooO ( ) ( ) ) / \ ( (_/ \_)

Would like to hear from persons who have WAGNER relatives from the Saarbruecken area. Possibly my relatives were from Burbach, near Saarbruecken. My great grandfather was Nicholas Wagner. His father may have been Heinrich Wagner & Nicholas' mother may have been Dorothea BICKELMANN. Nicholas may have had a brother, Lewis. Thank you for any assistance. Mary Sharrard Johnson Mary Sharrard Johnson & Ronn Johnson msjohnson@idnsi.net

Hi, I have an Andreas Keller in my tree. Andreas Keller married to Margaret Tuss their son - Michael Keller - born Feb 5, 1817, Bavaria Michael came to America - married Agatha Braun, b June 16, 1828 , Bavaria dau of George Braun, Their children were.... George b. Anna b. John b. Barbara Barbara married my grandfather Nicholas Benzschawel, son of Michael Benzschawel who immigrated from Ockfen, Saarland (southeast of Trier). Anna married Nicholas' brother John. Possibly your Andreas was a brother to my Michael - and son of Andreas? Keep me posted if you find any info and I will do the same Suzann Benzschawel-Davis sbenzdavis@aol.com

I am searching for any information on ANDREAS S. KELLER born abt. 1817, in Germany. He married BARBARA HAUCK also of germany. They had the following children;BARBARA KELLER , born abt 1837. PHILLIP JACOB KELLER , born 12/ 7/ 1838 , in Meckenheim (Rheinphalz) Germany. PHILLIP PETER KELLER , born 1/ 9/ 1845 , also born in Meckenheim , Germany. I am new to searching Germany for information, so any and all suggestions would help me. If you have this family , or any info on them , Please write. Thank You Carol

-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht----- Von: Marc Lecuit <marc.lecuit@perceval.lu> An: <TRIER-ROOTS-L@rootsweb.com> Gesendet: Sonntag, 19. September 1999 18:28 Betreff: [TRIER-ROOTS-L] Altdeutsche Handschrift lesen... >Hallo, >...aber ich kann nicht alles entziffern. >Wäre jemand so nett mir dabei zu helfen ? Es sind +/- 6-7 Zeilen. Ich würde >demjenigen dann ein JPG direkt zumailen. Hallo Marc, ich kann alte Schriften lesen. Senden Sie mir den Text als Datei zu. Freundliche Grüße Richard Dr. Richard Waxweiler Berlin, Deutschland/Germany dr.richard@waxweiler.de www.waxweiler.de

Hallo, Ich habe mir aus den bischöflichen Archiven hier in Luxemburg einen Brief kopieren lassse, verfasst von einem Ur-Urgrossonkel von mir, im Jahre 1906. Ich glaube zu verstehen, dass es sich um ein Pensionierungsgesuch an den Bischof handelt, aber ich kann nicht alles entziffern. Wäre jemand so nett mir dabei zu helfen ? Es sind +/- 6-7 Zeilen. Ich würde demjenigen dann ein JPG direkt zumailen. Vielen Dank Marc Lecuit Grand Duché de Luxembourg marc.lecuit@perceval.lu

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I get lots of unsolicited email. This usually happens when you get "hooked" into a mailing list whereby someone has forwarded a joke or story to you and several others instead of cutting and pasting to a new message and eliminating the other names. If you cannot get the person to stop sending the emails, notify your ISP and they'll block the mail. Patrisia Rawlins Manusos

I'm doing research on my BODENHEIMER family line, which includes BODENHEIMER, KRAMER, BAUM, SCHLOSS, JOSEPH, STERN and STEGMEIER. I have traced the Bodenheimers and the Kramers back to Rulzheim/Ruelzheim, Germany, and the Sterns and Stegmeiers to Saarbrucken. Here are more specifics: Simon BODENHEIMER married Magdelena BAUM & had a son -- Maklers Meyer BODENHEIMER. (Someone said "Maklers" might have been his occupation, not his name -- a middleman or a broker). Maklers Meyer married Judith FEIBELMANN, 2 sons -- Samuel & Ferdinand. Samuel married Thekla (Toni) KRAMER, 4 children (Hertha, Ann, Margot & Walter). Ferdinand married Toni's sister Eugenia, one son -- Eric. I have information about Samuel & Ferdinand's children & grandchildren (and great-grandchildren, etc.) if anything sounds like a connection. Gerda Ella STERN married Walter BODENHEIMER (Samuel & Thekla's son). Gerda's parents were Ludwig STERN & Auguste STEGMEIER. They had 2 other daughters -- Hilda & Ruth. Thanks, Bonnie Bonnie Bodenheimer Yardley, PA, USA bonnie@starlinx.com

----- Original Message ----- From: <CAROLJEANF@aol.com> To: <TRIER-ROOTS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, September 13, 1999 6:31 PM Subject: [TRIER-ROOTS-L] Osweiler - Ecternacht > 13 Sep 99 - hello - I'm a newcomer to the "list". Am researching Elizabeth > Schiltz, born 1830 Ecternacht, Luxembourg and Peter S. Weyrens (Weirens) born > 1829 Osweiler. They (my great-grands) married 12 Feb. 1856 in Osweiler - > emigrated to Cold Spring, MN, 1867. Are there books telling the history of > these two towns, or ways to access the birth records of those towns? thanks > - Carol > > > ==== TRIER-ROOTS Mailing List ==== > Support RootsWeb! Help provide FREE genealogical resources on the > Internet: http://www.rootsweb.com/rootsweb/how-to-subscribe.html > Carol, 1) There are a lot of books about Echternach but I know of only one book about Osweiler, if you mean the Osweiler near Rosport. This last book is very recent and contains informations about Rosport and the depending villages. There is also information about the families of the Rosport region. Check following site: www.mpk.lu. They have no online shop but you can send a mail. 2) The civil records are accessible through LDS family history centers, near you. Marc Lecuit Grand Duché de Luxembourg marc.lecuit@perceval.lu

Hello. I understand that this list is a genealogical one, but history has its part in genealogy. I would like to react to Dr. Waxweilers message of September 16th wherein he states that " Luxembourg used to be a part of the German Empire.", statement that was made while discussing the fact of Luxembourg belonging to Belgium from 1830-31 to 1839. Luxembourg for sure has strong and ancient germanic roots and did also belong to the german empire, but at that time (1830/31 - 1839), Luxembourg was positively under belgian administration. (Reference : Histoire du Luxembourg, by Gilbert TRAUSCH, Editions Hatier 1992.) A very condensed resumé / presentation : The Duchy of Luxembourg, at the beginning of the 17th century, was part of the so-called "Pays-Bas espagnols", Spanish possession. 1635 - France starts an expansion by war, to the north and the east. 1659 - Pyrénées peace Treaty / France holds the southern part of the Duchy of Luxembourg, 1679 - Frances continues its expansion to the north, 1684 - The city of Luxembourg capitulates after a siege by Vauban, 1697 - The French return the Duchy of Luxembourg to Spain / Treaty of Ryswick. 1713 / 1714 - Treaties of Utrecht and Rastadt put an end to the spanish succession war, the spanish heritage is split and Charles VI of Habsburg gets, amongst other regions, the Duchy of Luxembourg. This starts the so-called "Pays-Bas autrichiens", Austrian possession. The Habsburg dinasty holds the Duchy of Luxembourg until the french revolution wars. N: Maria-Theresia, Austrian Empress, in 1766 originated what is today commonly called "Le cadastre the Marie-Theresia", in ordre to establish fiscal equality amongst her subjects in the Duchy of Luxembourg - the "cadastre" is a very valuable source for genealogical research. 1795 - June 7th - The austrian troops lead by Marechal Bender capitulate to the french revolutionary armies, after a six-month siege. Luxembourg falls to the French. 1795 - October 1rst - French Decree declaring the annexion of the former "Pays-Bas autrichiens" and the "Principaute ecclesiastique de Liege". The new regions are divised into 9 "departments". Luxembourg becomes the "Departement des Forets". 1797 - The austrian emperor officially renounces to the Duchy of Luxembourg by the treaty of Campoformio (197) and the "peace of Lunéville" (1801). Luxembourg stopped to be a part of the german empire. 1814 - Bonaparte's empire crumbles - the allied armies cross the Moselle on January 7th, 1814. 1814 - January 15th, the fortress of Luxembourg is invested by hessian troops. 1814 - May 3rd - the fortress capitulates. 1815 - At the Vienna Congress, Guillaume I of Orange-Nassau, "Roi/King des Pays-Bas/of the Netherlands", gets the former "Pays-Bas autrichiens" and the "Principaute ecclesiastique de Liege", in fact the territories of what is now Belgium. The Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg is created, by the allied diplomats, as some sort of barrage to all future hegemonistic french aspirations. The Grand-Duchy becomes the personal property (union personnelle) of Guillaume I. From 1815 on, there where two juridically independent states, under one sovereign, a "King Grand-Duke": the "Royaume des Pays-Bas" and "Le Grand-Duché de Luxembourg". Prussia gets some luxembourg territories at the east of the Moselle, Sauer and Our rivers (Bitburg, Saint-Vith, Schleiden, Cronenburg). The Grand-Duchy is integrated into the newly created "Confoederatio Germanica", as one state amongst some other 35 - 40 independant germanic states. The city of Luxembourg becomes a federal fortess - with a prussian garnison. In fact, Guillaume I, according to the Vienna treaty, had the right to put is own troops into the fortress, together with the prussian ones, but he renounced that right. In 1815 , the Grand-Duchy holds two linguistic halves, "splitting" it into a western part, wherein people speak french or rather "wallon", and an eastern germanic part, wherein people speak the luxembourgish dialect. The Grand-Duchy enters the germanic confederation with its frenchspeaking population. The creation of the Grand-Duchy, as an independent state, is in fact the result of diplomatic efforts and had nothing to to with some sort of national luxembourgish aspirations to statehood. 1830 - Revolutionary activities starting in Brussels. The belgian part of the kingdom revolts against the policies of Guillaume I. The Grand-Duchy rallies the movement, with the exception of the capital where the prussian garnison holds strong. 1830 - October 4th, the revolutionary authorities proclame the belgian independance. A decree of October 16th says that the Grand-Duchy is part of the new belgian state. 1831 - June 26th, London congress - "XVIII articles treaty". Belgium as an independent and neutral state is confirmed. What to do with the Grand-Duchy ? Emergence of the so-called "luxembourgish question". Diplomats at the London congress leave the problem to be directly negociated between Guillaume I, King of the Pays-Bas and the new belgian state. After a military victory by the dutch troops, French armies had to intervene to help the fragile belgian state. 1831 - October 14th, London congress - "XXIV articles treaty". Belgium agrees to leave the Grand-Duchy to Guillaume I. But, its western half (Arlon, Bastogne, Marche, Durbuy) should be cut off and annexed to Belgium. Guillaume I refuses the treaty. He wants to keep the whole of the Grand-Duchy. Statu quo. During that time, the Grand-Duchy was under belgian administration, with the exception of the capital, staying under dutch-prussian administration. 1838 - The statu quo comes to an end in march 1838. Guillaume I finally accepts the proposed solution. Meanwhile, Belgium had grown accustomed to the idea of keeping the Grand-Duchy, so Belgium now refused the treaty. Finally, after diplomatic pressure, the treaty was accepted in 1839 and the Grand-Duchy was split. The eastern half was hold by the dutch Orange-Nassau until 1890, as personal property of the King-Grand-Duke, whereas the western half went to Belgium as "Province de Luxembourg". Since 1839 those boundaries of the Grand-Duchy haven't changed (2586 km2) Marc Lecuit Grand Duché de Luxembourg marc.lecuit@perceval.lu

-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht----- Von: Kathy Lenerz <lenerzk@worldnet.att.net> An: <TRIER-ROOTS-L@rootsweb.com> Gesendet: Samstag, 18. September 1999 04:28 Betreff: [TRIER-ROOTS-L] Naming conventions Can anyone tell me if naming children after > their godparent is still the practice in the Trier region? > > Thanks for your help, > Kathy Lenerz Hello Kathy, yes this habit is still to be found in the Trier-Eifel region. In general it is a Catholic tradition. Usually the godparents name is one of at least two names. The sequence as I know it is godparents name, given name, family name. Richard

-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht----- Von: Robert White <rw85036@navix.net> An: <TRIER-ROOTS-L@rootsweb.com> Gesendet: Freitag, 17. September 1999 08:29 Betreff: [TRIER-ROOTS-L] Luxembourg-Belgium > Robert White-searching for Peter White-possibly Wies, or other alt > spellings. Hello Robert, what about the German translation of your name as an alternative spelling? It would be _Weis_, or _Weiss_ or _Weiß_. The three spellings are quite common here in Germany. Sincerely Richard

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Hi Maurice, Your situation I think is different from Robert's where his family came from Elvange. He thought they came from Belgium but apparently there is no town there with that name, so it's possible his family came from the Elvange in Luxembourg near the border of Belgium. He can easily check this out by using LDS microfilmed records for Elvange. In your case, Chassepierre, Province of Luxembourg, Belgium is indeed located in Belgium. This is a quite a distance from Bofferdange, Luxembourg but of course there can be a tie between the two places. If you are sure that Jean Henri Victor Schoos born July 1, 1833 is your ancestor, then he was born in Belgium as the microfilm indicates. I don't know who "Father Ducat and Sylvan Gardien" are so don't know what sources they use nor where they got their information. If they said Jean Henri was "born in Bofferdange," there is obviously an important discrepancy here that should be checked out. It does seem very odd that they have not replied to your queries about this and surely their response might clear up the mystery. There is a difference in the dates, of course, and this that might indicate that Jean Henri was born in Chassepierre, Belgium and perhaps "baptized" in Bofferdange, Luxembourg? I wonder if Ducat and Gardien obtained their information from church records rather than the civil records such as the film at LDS? If Jean Henri's parents were originally from Bofferdange, they could have taken him "back home" to be baptized in a church there a week after his birth. In that case you would be dealing with two different types of records -- civil (birth) and church (baptism.) This is sometimes overlooked in genealogical research. The LDS film you mention does give the births for Chassepierre, Belgium for the time in question. But, have you also checked the LDS civil registration films for Bofferdange, Luxembourg to see if a Jean H. V. Schoos was born there about the same date? This might help to answer your question about his birthplace. I believe LDS film #1791750 would include births in Bofferdange for the time in question. (Please double check film number before ordering this film however to be sure it has not been recently changed. Bofferdange records will be found with those of the Commune Lorentzweiler.) It is also very possible that someone with the same name was born in Bofferdange so it will be important to carefully check parents' names, etc. Perhaps a cousin was given the same name, for example, as this is always a frustrating possibility. If you believe Jean Henri's parents were born in Bofferdange, Luxembourg you should also be able to find their birth records and marriage record on LDS films as well. If Jean Henri had siblings, perhaps some were born in Bofferdange? It will be important to piece together the whole Schoos family and to be aware of other related families living in the same area. Sometimes a "process of elimination" is necessary to determine who belongs to which family. I don't know that I've cleared up your problem, but in lieu of a response from Father Ducat and Sylvan Gardien as to where they got their information, it seems you may have to dig a bit further to uncover the answers. If your ancestor came to the U.S., what did he give as his place of birth in the census records? A study of the various censuses might indicate that he did indeed come from Belgium but that his parents came from Luxembourg. Also, the "first papers" (Declaration of Intent) in the U.S. naturalization process may also indicate the same. As a personal note I can say you'll find many of us Luxembourgers believe we have always been Luxembourgers, no matter who may have "taken us over" for a brief period of time in history -- more of a cultural thing than political. Regards, Karen B. Whitmer

In my family we used the Godparent's name as middle names. I was a rebel and none of my 5 children born in the 1950's were named after family. Joan -- Joan Schneider Born, (Rootsweb Sponsor), researching: BENESCH, BORN, BRAND, CHRISTEN, DROMMERS, GROSJEAN, HAMMES, HENGES, HERRMANN. (HEERMANN), HUNA, HUPERTZ, KNOTT, LAMBY, LENG, LIEBL, MURGES, ROSS, (ROHS), SCHNEIDER, SCHNOBRICH, TURBES, YOUNG

I have been going through Catholic church records from Ollmuth and Britten from about 1800-1880. From the baptismal records it appears that there was a naming convention-- children were named after their baptismal sponsor. I know that my family continued the practice for one generation after emigrating to the states. Can anyone tell me if naming children after their godparent is still the practice in the Trier region? Thanks for your help, Kathy Lenerz

It was the Catholic tradition in Trier-Luxembourger heritage families in Illinois and Iowa in the 1800's to name a child for his godparent of the same sex. Since my grandfather and his much younger brother had godfathers with the same Christian name, Nicholas, they ended up as Nicholas and Nicholas J. a necessity, since they only lived about 8 blocks away from one another in the same town. At least they knew how to get the mail to the right person, since the last name is fairly uncommen--LIES--said to be of Luxembourg descent, but so far I am unable to find where... grand pa was born in 1869 and his father, also Nicholas in 1827-28....which if another reason it has been hard to trace....All generations are at least 40 years between, 1828-1869-1909-1947.......if anyone has a clue on the location in Lux....help!!!!!! Sansu