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.