Honoring the Home Place

With my aunt, Barbara Leimback, on our
first trip to Holy Cross Cemetery in August, 1992.

Well... one of them anyway. I had a nomadic childhood and stumble for a good answer when people ask me my hometown. It depends on the audience and my answer varies.

My story parallels that of generations before me. If there was one child who ventured away from their family and hometown over and over again that was my direct ancestor. It is a recurring theme for many, I imagine, whose families made their way west. One such example from my cast of wandering antecedents is Joseph Troll who -- at the time his brother Engelbert's estate was probated in 1866 -- was "supposed dead, last heard from in California 12 years since." ¹ Fortunately not all of my ancestors were as negligent as Joseph in keeping their families informed of their whereabouts.

Now, in a curious turn of events, here I am drawn to retracing their steps backwards and returning to the communities that originally nurtured my ancestors. One such place is the unincorporated village of Holy Cross located about 7 miles north of Port Washington in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin. Ozaukee County holds the distinction of being the smallest county in Wisconsin. Yet, it is the site of the largest settlement of immigrants to the United States from one of the smallest countries in Europe: Luxembourg. And, incredibly, at 1,118 mi² tiny Ozaukee County is larger than Luxembourg's 998 mi²!

I ended my trip to Wisconsin earlier this month with my traditional pilgrimage to Holy Cross Cemetery. On a overcast morning -- unusual for Wisconsin in August! -- I checked in with the greatest concentration of my ancestors buried in one place. A cool, gentle breeze rustled through the cornfields which surround the cemetery where it is so quiet the sounds of birds singing was the only other thing I heard. The cemetery is a serene, well-maintained place and after many visits I know just where to go and who to see! My great-great grandparents John Peter Ney, his wife Margaret Mans, John Evangelist Uselding and his wife Catherine Lauters are buried there; as well as great-great-great grandparents Josephine Hemmer, John Nicholas Uselding, Anna Maria Bastendorff, Nicholas Lauters and Margaret Bourton. Several miles away Anton Mans and Catherine Plier are buried at St. Mary's Cemetery.

Whether is it Twin Falls, Idaho, Gold Hill, Oregon, or Holy Cross, Wisconsin, I can rarely pass through ancestral home places without a detour through the local cemetery. On one hand it grounds me and the tangible evidence of my ancestors in the form of their headstones remind me of who and where I came from. It also inspires me to continue searching for the details that help tell the story of their life beyond the spare facts captured on those stones. The Luxembourg national motto is "Mir wölle bleiwe wat mir sin!" -- We want to remain what we are! -- and my cemetery visits are just one way I honor and live out what I am by remembering all those who came before me.

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1. St. Louis County, Missouri, probate case files, estate no. 7404, Engelbert Troll (1866), Probate file, 19 May 1866; Probate Court Clerk’s Office, Clayton.

100% Luxembourger

Eugene "Nick" Ney, 1912-2002

Later this week I will have the privilege of speaking at the Ninth Annual Luxembourg Cultural Conference as part of the Luxembourg Fest and Heritage Weekend held the second weekend in August each year in Belgium, Wisconsin. The theme of this year's conference is Finding the Stories: Genealogical and Family History Research for Luxembourg Americans. My fellow presenters and I will be discussing strategies for successful research.

I didn't always know about my Luxembourg heritage. Shortly after I graduated from college, my dear friend Monika and I decided to take a genealogy class together. This led to a longstanding Tuesday night tradition which began after the course ended. First up was dinner at Arby's. Then it was onto the local Family History Center and a weekly date with two courtly gentleman who volunteered there and graciously shepherded us through ordering our first microfilm and witnessed our first genealogical successes.

One of the first things that I learned in those evenings spent peering at microfilm was that my Grandpa was of Luxembourg descent. I had NO idea! And, admittedly, at first I wasn't even entirely sure where Luxembourg was. I was so excited to share the news of his ancestry with my Grandpa but when I did he proudly exclaimed "I know! I'm 100% Luxembourger!" "You're 100% nitwit" I remember thinking to myself for NOT having mentioned this sooner since we'd had several conversations previously about his parents and grandparents. I quickly realized I was the real nitwit for not having asked the right questions. Truth be told, my grandfather knew a great deal about his extended family which was remarkable given his parents had moved away from the family fold when he was four years old.

This week I'll be celebrating my Luxembourg roots with pride and thinking of my 100% Luxembourger Grandpa. He's been gone 13 years this month and I miss him dearly.