What do you do when you make one of those monumental discoveries about a genealogy collection you have been waiting and waiting and waiting to get access to?
Do you keep it a secret? Or do you shout it out for all to know?
Luxembourg Research
This year I’ve been concentrating on the Luxembourg families in my family tree, specifically the fifth-great-grandparents of my children. Three more posts and I will finish their paternal side. Only half of their maternal side is Luxembourgish, or coming from villages on the other side of the border in Germany and France, and will hopefully be completed by the end of the year.
Most of these ancestors from this generation were living, or their parents were living, when Maria Theresa of Austria implemented the first modern cadastre and census in 1766 in a large part of the territories under the rule of the House of Habsburg. This included Luxembourg, along with Belgium, a part of the Netherlands.
The census of 1766 for Luxembourg has only been available through FamilySearch’s microfilm circulation service which as we all know is being discontinued.
Thursday, September 7, 2017, marks the closing of an 80-year era of historic records access to usher in a new, digital model. FamilySearch is discontinuing its microfilm circulation services in concert with its commitment to make billions of the world’s historic records readily accessible digitally online. ~ FamilySearch blog
Amberly Beck who blogs at The Genealogy Girl has made several comments on my posts about the collections available online at FamilySearch.
FamilySearch is working at the fastest pace I have ever seen. I can’t keep up with the new records coming available that I am interested in. It’s a great time to be a genealogist! ~ thegenealogygirl
It’s a great time to be a genealogist!
On the FamilySearch blog, I learned that all microfilm which has been rented by patrons in the past 5 years have now been digitized by FamilySearch.
While researching my upcoming post, I checked on the 1766 census availability and found a little camera icon next to the films for the Decanat of Mersch, Remich, Bitburg, and Stavelot.
When Bryna O’Sullivan wrote The Luxembourg Census you haven’t heard of… only two weeks ago, there was no camera icon showing any of the census films were available.
In 2003, with a very slow internet modem, my husband’s 7th cousin Cyndi sent me the 1766 census listing I used for the featured image of this post. Now, fourteen years later, I was able to access the digital image online and download a much clearer copy of the over 250 years old document.
Click this link to see the list of films available online for the 1766 census of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
Luxembourg researchers, we have a new key to open the doors in our brick walls!
Amberly, thank you for telling me to check the FamilySearch catalog more often. It really paid off this time!
What? You aren’t checking the catalog at FamilySearch? Take a moment to read these articles:
Using the Back Door at FamilySearch for Missing Records
Step by Step Guide to Accessing Browse-only Records on FamilySearch
© 2017, copyright Cathy Meder-Dempsey. All rights reserved.
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Opening Doors in Brick Walls 
Yay!
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Thanks, Becca.
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Dratt! “les Decanats d’Arlon et de Longuyon” still only have the little reel icon and not the camera yet! But thank you none the less for the info. Have fun researching.
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Annick, only two weeks ago the camera wasn’t there for the 4 I mentioned. I’m sure they’ll be added soon if they were loaned out at some time in the past 5 years.
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So happy for you! I am hoping there will be some new databases for my research soon. (I did see that Ancestry has now posted the NYS death index, so that is a biggie!)
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Thank you, Amy. As Amberly sais, “It’s a great time to be a genealogist!”
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So true!
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City of Diekirch is listed as Dickerich but it’s there! Are these newly digitized records indexed or do I have to browse through pages and pages? Thanks for the update on the records, Cathy.
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Sorry to say that I think you will have to go through every page for Diekirch. Small villages will be easier as the population was not as high as larger towns. I have only looked at a few villages. Be sure to check the last page of a town just in case someone added a list of names. Good luck, Kathy. You’re welcome.
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Hooray!! I love this!! I know that I already said I am having a hard time keeping up with everything that is being added in areas I am interested in, but seriously, that statement becomes more true every day. I’m starting to feel like anything is solvable now. Of course that’s not really true, but the number of brickwalls we have worked so hard, over long periods of time to solve, that could be solved in short order today is remarkable. So much is online. I remember when the FamilySearch website was brand spankin’ new and there were like 1,500 or so records on there. I think I found 2 records the first time I searched. And the craziest part is, I opened every available collection and searched them individually. You could NEVER do that today. FamilySearch has come a long way!
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I knew you would!! I’ve been waiting for you to read this one. I was so excited to find the census and only because you told me several times to keep checking the catalog. I’ve already used this as a title nearly two years ago but…
The New FamilySearch – I’m loving it!
Thank you, Amberly.
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You are welcome! “The New FamilySearch – I’m loving it!” Awesome. That title would have been appropriate so many different times in the past. And likely it will still be appropriate many times in the future. I’m glad you were excitedly waiting for me to catch up… I felt a bit sheepish when I read it and was so far behind. Oh well, I’ve still got young ones at home so I think I’ll continue to be behind for a while. 😉
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I haven’t opened my reader in the past few weeks. Just reading what comes in through Facebook. And I don’t have little ones who need me at home.
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I’m like that sometimes. It really just depends on how much is going on at my house. I’m so happy that you found this great quality image. ❤
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