In this Genealogy Corner, we explore the Luxemburger Gazette newspaper, an excellent resource for U.S. Luxembourg ancestry research.

Nicholas Gonner’s Luxemburger Gazette newspaper, published in Dubuque, Iowa, by the Gonner family from 1871-1918, is an absolute treasure trove of genealogical and historic information about Luxembourg immigrants to America. This American national weekly Luxembourg newspaper had correspondents from various Luxembourg-American communities throughout the U.S. who sent Gonner news tidbits.

For many years, researchers found the Gazette challenging to research because it was written in German and was only available on microfilm in a few research venues in the U.S. One source that helped make it more accessible was the “Index to the Luxembourg Gazette,” published in 1987 by researcher Jean Ensch in partnership with Jean-Claude Fuller and Robert E. Owen. Ensch spent years indexing the Gazette, providing an index of names and towns mentioned in the newspaper. In addition, he cites the date and page number of each surname and town that appeared in the Gazette.

The index is not fully digitized and available online but it is available at select research centers. See our Luxembourg Legacy website for a list of the best research centers in the U.S. The Luxemburger Gazette is accessible for free on the Library of Congress website for you to peruse in the comfort of your own home. It is also available for a fee on digital newspaper platforms such as newspapers.com.

To translate from German to English, simply hold your phone using Google Translate or another translation app up to your computer monitor. Otherwise, you can opt to print a news article and use an app to translate the printed copy.

Thanks to Ensch and technology for making this incredible resource available for Luxembourg genealogy research. There’s a very good chance that your immigrant ancestor and/or ancestral family is mentioned in the Gazette.