Luxembourg Church Records

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Church Records

For information about records for non-Christian religions in Luxembourg, go to the Religious Records page.

Online Resources

• Luxembourg Diocesan Archives (Matricula) Online parish records
• Birth and baptism records at LuxRoots - index ($)
• 1600-1890 Luxembourg Parish/Civil Records, University of St. Thomas, 1600-1890 at University of St. Thomas; one ten-year index
• 1601-1948 Luxembourg, Church Records, 1601-1948 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images
• 1662-1840 Luxembourg, Births and Baptisms, 1662-1840 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index; Also at Ancestry ($), MyHeritage ($)
• 1700-1810 Luxembourg, Marriages, 1700-1810 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index; Also at Ancestry ($), MyHeritage ($)
• 1702-1798 Luxembourg Deaths and Burials, 1702-1798 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index; Also at Ancestry ($)

Church Records or Parish Registers

• Parish registers are vital records kept by the clergy. They include records of christenings (baptisms), marriages, and deaths (burials).
• Church records are crucial for research before the civil government started keeping vital records, which began in 1797.
• In 1797 when the official état civil (civil registration) was introduced, a French order required that the priests turn their parish registers over to the communities (civil jurisdiction). But the clergy, mistreated by the French regime, obeyed this order only partially. Thus, beginning with that date, part of the registers were deposited with the local civil government (communes) and part of them remained in the hands of the clergy.

Requesting Records From the National Archives

Archives of Luxembourg (Archives de Nationales Luxembourg) has collections of parish registers and can advise you on records that are still retained by the local parish. This is where you will write for more recent records--those for events since the end of the digitized records coverage (about 1923) up to the present day. Their Genealogical Research FAQ explains in detail how to request and pay for searches and copies of records.

Accessing Records

Church Archives

The Catholic Archdioceses of Luxembourg Archives (Matricula)
Luxembourg Diocesan Archives Online parish records

Finding the Parish

• Luxembourgers are traditionally Catholic.
• To find parishes in your ancestor's home community, use the archdiocesan parish finder: Ou est ma paroisse?

Use drop-down menu "Kongregatiounen-Congregatíons" or the Parish List.

Content of Church Records (registres paroissiaux) and Transcripts

Baptismal Records

• Date and place of baptism
• Birth date of child
• Name and gender of child
• Legitimacy of child
• Names of parents
• Names of grandparents
• Names of godparents

Marriage Records

• Date and place of marriage
• Names of the bride and groom
• Previous marital status (this could be “previously unmarried” or be “widow” or “widower.”
• Their residences and ages
• Names of groom's parents
• Names of bride's parents
• Names of the witnesses and their relationship to the bride and groom

Burial Records

• Date and place of burial
• Date and place of death
• Name of deceased
• Age of deceased
• Names of their parents (if unmarried) or name of the spouse
• Names of witnesses and with their relationship to the deceased

Search Strategy

• Search for the relative or ancestor you selected. When you find his birth record, search for the births of his brothers and sisters.
• Next, search for the marriage of his parents. The marriage record will have information that will often help you find the birth records of the parents.
• You can estimate the ages of the parents and determine a birth year to search for their birth records.
• Search the death registers for all known family members.
• Repeat this process for both the father and the mother, starting with their birth records, then their siblings' births, then their parents' marriages, and so on.
• If earlier generations (parents, grandparents, etc.) do not appear in the records, search neighboring parishes.

Learning to Read Enough Latin to read church records

Latin Records

Records of the Catholic church will usually be written in Latin:

• Latin Genealogical Word List

Quirks

Some parish registers in Luxembourg go back to the early 1600s, but most do not start until 1779. A number of registers have been destroyed or lost; other registers are in the hands of individuals and church officials who guard them jealously.

In 1797 when the official état civil (civil registration) was introduced, a French order required that the priests turn their parish registers over to the communities (civil jurisdiction). But the clergy, mistreated by the French regime, obeyed this order only partially. Thus beginning with that date part of the registers were deposited with the local civil government (communes) and part of them remained in the hands of the clergy.