By Kevin Wester 

One of the best ways to reverence your Luxembourg ancestor is to give their gravestone some tender loving care. The gravestone might just need thorough cleaning. In that case, view Kevin’s video on cleaning your ancestral gravestones to learn the proper technique.  

However, sometimes a gravestone is so deteriorated, broken or lost that it needs to be renovated or replaced. Below are a few examples. 

Hirn Gravestone 
Johann Hirn was one of the few Germans who settled with Luxembourgers in Belgium, Wisconsin, where he operated a well-known store, butcher shop and hotel and served as the first postmaster of Belgium. John died in 1891 and was buried in St. Mary’s Cemetery in Lake Church.   

Over the years, Johann’s gravestone deteriorated and broke into several pieces. The cemetery sexton laid the pieces on the ground so that they would not be lost. Over time, grass grew around the gravestone pieces, and they became less and less legible. 

In 2019, Johann’s great-great-great-grandson and family historian, also named John Hirn, had Miller Monument remove the original stone and replicate it with a new granite stone. The etching and artwork on the front of the new stone closely replicated the original gravestone. The back of the original gravestone was blank, but John decided to have his ancestor’s story etched on the back of the new stone.   

The result is a spectacular gravestone that not only replicates the original but also tells the Hirn family story for generations to come. Hats off to John Hirn for preserving the character, style and story of his immigrant ancestor.   

View Kevin’s video of Johann Hirn’s gravestone 

Antoine Gravestone 
The gravestone for my great-great-great-grandparents Francois and Catherine (Genin) Antoine, who immigrated from Halanzy, Province of Luxembourg, Belgium, is located in St. Mary’s Cemetery in Lake Church, Wisconsin. In 2015, we had anAntoine family reunion, and many family members visited the very deteriorated grave. My out-of-state cousin said that he would pay for the gravestone to be refurbished. I contacted Miller Monument in nearby Jackson, Wisconsin. Mr. Miller was theexpert whose company often renovates deteriorated gravestones.  

Within a month, Miller Monument removed the large gravestone from the cemetery and the two small head stones reading Mutter and Vater (mother and father in German) and took them to their shop. I had contacted the cemetery association so they wouldn’t think the gravestones had been stolen. I asked Miller Monument to restore all the etching and artwork to be restored as closely to the original. 

After a few months, Mr. Miller invited me to his shop to see the finished product. I could not believe my eyes. They had completely transformed the gravestones, and they looked brand new. Not only were the names of Francois and Catherine and their birth and death dates legible, but the artwork on the stones was returned to its original beauty. With my approval, the gravestones were returned to the cemetery and set on new foundations. My cousin was pleasantly surprised that the project only cost about $4,800. Now the gravestones of our great-great-great-grandparents stand as a true and deserving testimony to them. 

View Kevin’s video of the renovated Antoine gravestone. 

Hubing Gravestone 
Michael Hubing was born in Wormeldange, Luxembourg, in 1777, emigrated from Dalheim, Luxembourg, to Belgium, Wisconsin, with his family in 1847. He is buried in St. Mary’s Cemetery in Lake Church, Wisconsin, with many fellow Luxembourgers. What is interesting about Michael’s gravestone is that it indicates in German that he was Napoleon’s Diener or Napoleon’s servant. In other words, he was a Luxembourger who served under Napoleon.  He is believed to be the only servant of Napoleon buried in St. Mary’s Cemetery. 

Michael died in 1856, and over the years, his gravestone became nearly illegible. Michael’s great-great-great-grandsons, Mike Ansay and Bob Hubing, did not want his legacy or story lost, so in 2025, they worked together to have Michael’s grave renovated by Miller Monument. They did not want to destroy the original etching and came up with a brilliant idea. They had Miller Monument place new etching on what was the back of the stone, making the original etched side the back of the renovated stone. 

Miller Monument did an excellent job with the renovation. Originally, the gravestone had no foundation, so it was necessary to dig the stone out of the ground and create a new cement base for the new gravestone. 

Michael Hubing’s gravestone now stands as a true testimony to him both as a Luxembourg immigrant but also as one of the rare Luxembourgers who was a servant of Napoleon. 

View Kevin’s video of Michael Hubing’s gravestone.