Research Collection

The collecting scope of the Dooley-Wagner Research Center is to collect and maintain research items pertaining to Luxembourg, past and present, as well as Luxembourg American people, places, topics and genealogy throughout America.

Please note, appointments are required for the Research Center.

The following list is meant to serve as a basic overview to the materials housed at the Dooley-Wagner Research Center. Any specific questions regarding resources and their availability should be directed toward LACS staff by emailing info@lacs.lu or calling 262-476-5086.

• Surname Files – The Research Center collection has over 6,000 surname files on families of Luxembourg ancestry throughout America as well as families of all ethnic backgrounds from northern Ozaukee County, Wisconsin. Surname files contain a variety of data such as obituaries, news clippings, memorial cards from funerals, and family group sheets. Be aware of variations in the spelling of surnames and consult other files of variant spellings.

• Luxemburger Gazette Newspaper – The Research Center collection possesses microfilm copies of the Luxemburger Gazette, a German language newspaper published in Dubuque, Iowa from 1871-1918 that was at the time the most thoroughly Luxembourgish newspaper in the United States. It features extensive news and coverage of Luxembourg immigrants and their families. Translation services are available for a nominal fee.

• Luxembourgers in the New World – The LACS is the only distributor of the renowned two-volume set on Luxembourg immigration, Luxembourgers in the New World. Written by Nicholas Gonner, the editor and publisher of the Luxembourg Gazette, and originally published in German in 1889, Luxembourgers in the New World is one of the most definitive resources for Luxembourgish genealogists. The book offers extensive information about Luxembourg immigration to the US and chapter long histories describing Luxembourg settlement by state. Volume II contains a comprehensive index of all the personal and place-names cited in Gonner’s Luxemburger Gazette newspaper. The two-volume set of Luxembourgers in America is available for sale in the gift shop as well as for public use in the Research Center.

• Church Files – Most Luxembourg immigrants and their descendants were closely affiliated with parishes that had a strong Luxembourg or German identity. The Research Center has an extensive collection of Luxembourg American church files and historic materials from these churches, such as anniversary booklets, which often contain information about founding families as well as biographical sketches of parishioners.

• Sacramental, Burial, and Cemetery Records – In addition to historical church materials, the LACS is home to a variety of sacramental records (baptisms, marriages, etc.) as well as cemetery records and plats from numerous Luxembourgian churches throughout the United States. Note that sacramental records are often in Latin but can be easily translated. Translation services are available for a nominal fee.

• Immigration and Ship Passenger Lists – The Research Center contains the Germans to America series, one of the finest reference resources pertaining to ship passenger lists of Luxembourg immigrants to the US, as well as other passenger lists on both paper and CD.

• Luxembourg Topic Files – There are numerous historic and present-day files on a wide variety of topics pertaining to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Topic files include everything from traditions to economics to the Grand Ducal Family to recipes.

• Luxembourg Heritage Topics in the US Files –There are also numerous files pertaining to topics about Luxembourg heritage in the US. These files are a great supplement to genealogical research. Topic files include everything from Luxembourg societies in the US to ambassadors to stone houses to treipen.

• Luxembourg Place Files – The Center houses many files pertaining to various communities in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Files contain historic information as well as tourism materials.

• U.S. Place Files – The Research Center’s collection includes numerous files pertaining to communities from throughout the U.S. that have or have had a large concentration of people of Luxembourg descent. These files contain written histories, newspaper articles, tourism information, and a variety of other historic information.

• Business Files –The Center has numerous business files related to Luxembourg American businesses and businesses in Northern Ozaukee County, Wisconsin.  Business files include advertisements, news clippings, financial reports, etc.

• Ozaukee County, Wisconsin Files – Over the years, the Research Center has obtained numerous files pertaining to a wide variety of topics that reflect past and present day Ozaukee County. Topics include everything from the 1862 Draft Riot to the courthouse to tourism to commerce.

• Maps and Plats – The Center has a growing collection of maps and plats from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, various regions of Luxembourg settlement in the United States, and Ozaukee County, Wisconsin. Plats from the US can be especially useful in locating family homes/farms, etc.

• Census Records – Census records can be accessed through Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org which is available at the Center. There are also a few census records from select communities in Luxembourg including Weiler-la-Tour, Hassel, and Bertrange (Bartringen).

• Bound Family Histories – One of the highlights of the Research Center collection is an extensive and ever-growing collection of bound family histories that reflect Luxembourg families from throughout the US as well as families from northern Ozaukee County no matter their ethnic background. Bound family histories are non-circulating and provide a plethora of examples for anyone who is currently in the process of publishing their own family history.

• Luxembourg Collection of Books – The Center’s Luxembourg collection includes over 6,000 volumes of Luxembourgish books, many written in German and French.  This collection reflects a board subject matter from literature to history to religion.  Included in this collection are a large number of histories of Luxembourg communities.  These histories often contain information about immigrants from specific villages, old censuses of those villages and listings of old houses in those villages. Note that books in the LACS’ collection are non-circulating.

• Schobermesse Booklets – Since 1904, the Chicago Luxembourg community has celebrated Schobermesse (Fall Harvest Fest). Each year, the Luxembourg Brotherhood of America, which sponsors the event, publishes a commemorative Schobermesse Booklet. These Schobermesse booklets are filled with historic and biographical information along with photographs and advertisements for Luxembourg American businesses. While the Schobermesse booklets focus primarily on the metro-Chicago area, they also contain some information about other Luxembourg communities and people from throughout the US.

• Directories – The Research Center has a growing collection of directories for Ozaukee County, Wisconsin and other communities. These directories can assist researchers in finding their ancestor’s addresses, occupations, etc. The advertisements in these directories can also be highly beneficial to research.

• Photograph Collection – There is an extensive photograph collection representing the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg as well as Luxembourg American people, communities, and events. This collection also includes photos of people, places, and events from northern Ozaukee County, Wisconsin regardless of their ethnicity. Furthermore, the LACS is proud to be the home of the Vern Arendt Collection of negatives and prints, which represents Ozaukee County, Wisconsin from 1950-2000. Photos are great supplements to research and family history publications. Prints of photos from the collection are available for a nominal fee. Note that the LACS does NOT provide digital images of any of its photos.

• Audio/Visual Materials – The Center has a growing collection of A/V materials pertaining to Luxembourg and Luxembourg heritage in the US. Included in these materials are Luxembourg music, virtual tours, maps, and other items of historic value.

• Rare Books and Other Items – The collection contains rare books, booklets, ephemera, and other items from both Luxembourg and the US. Rare books and other items are normally used for either display or higher level research purposes and can only be viewed by visitors who have obtained the special permission of the LACS curator.