Heffingen Commune, Mersch, Luxembourg Genealogy

Guide to Heffingen Commune ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, parish registers, and military records.

'''Most of your genealogical research for Heffingen, Luxembourg will be in three main record types: civil registration, church records, and census records. This article will teach you methods for locating and searching these three record groups.'''

Civil Registration

 * Civil registration records are government records of births, marriages, and deaths, as opposed to church records, which were the most common records of those events for some centuries previous.
 * Dates: In Luxembourg, registering births, marriages, and deaths began in 1797.
 * Contents: For detailed descriptions of the information you might find in each record, see Luxembourg Civil Registration
 * Language: French, German.


 * Accessing the records: Civil registration records were and are kept at the local registrar’s office in each town or city. A copy of each record is sent to the Administration Communale in Luxembourg City..

1. Online Digital Records for Civil Registration
For many communes in Luxembourg, digital copies of civil registration can be searched online:
 * 1796-1941 - Luxembourg Civil Registration, Heffingen, 1796-1941, , free, browseable images. Records will eventually be indexed online.

2. Microfilm Copies of Civil Registration Records Searched at a Family History Center
Civil registration records for Heffingen are microfilmed and held in the collection of the Family History Library. These microfilms may be viewed at Family History Centers around the world. To find a microfilm:


 * a. Click on this link to see a list of records for Heffingen, Luxembourg.
 * b. Click on "Civil Registration" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * c. Choose the correct event and time period for your ancestor. Naissances=Births.  Mariages=Marriages. Décès=Deaths. Sépultures=Burials. Tables décennales=indexes by decade.
 * d. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the record title. FHL icons.png. The magnifying glass indicates that the microfilm is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the microfilm. Clicking on the microfilm reel will lead to information on how to rent or view the film. Family history center staff will assist you in ordering the film.

3. Writing for Civil Registration Certificates

 * If the records are not online or microfilmed, civil registration records can be obtained by writing to the local civil registry. This is particularly necessary for more recent records.  Recent records are covered by privacy laws, so they are not released for microfilm or online.  But relatives are allowed to request them for genealogy.
 * One copy was kept by the local registry office. A duplicate record was sent to the Administration Communale in Luxembourg City.
 * To request records,use these addresses:

Help Writing Requests in French
Requests should be written in French. You can successfully write in French using this French Letter Writing Guide.

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.

1. Online Digital Church Records

 * 1746-1820 - Luxembourg Church Records, Heffingen, 1746-1820, free, browseable images.

2. Microfilm Copies of Church Records Searched at a Family History Center
Records for Heffingen are microfilmed and held in the collection of the Family History Library. These microfilms may be viewed at Family History Centers around the world. To find a microfilm:


 * a. Click on this link to see a list of records for Heffingen, Luxembourg.
 * b. Click on "Church Records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * c. Choose the correct event and time period for your ancestor. Baptêmes=Baptisms.  Mariages=Marriages.  Sépultures=burials.
 * d. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the microfilm listed for the record. FHL icons.png. The magnifying glass indicates that the microfilm is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the microfilm. The microfilm icon indicates it is only available on microfilm and can be viewed at the Family History Library or some family history centers.

3. 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.

Census Records (Recensements)
Census records list the names of each member of a family and show ages and other valuable information for linking families. Earlier censuses give names of heads of families and their children. Later censuses give ages or birth dates, places of residence, civil status, occupation, etc. The are especially useful for sorting children unto families, when a village has several families with the same father's name.

Online

 * Luxembourg Census Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)

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 French or German to Do Genealogy

 * It's easier than you think! You do not have to be fluent in French and German to use these records, as there is only a limited vocabulary used in them. By learning a few key phrases, you will be able to read them adequately.  Here are some resources for learning to read French records.
 * French Genealogical Word List
 * French Handwriting.


 * There is a three-lesson course in reading French Records:
 * Reading French Handwritten Records Lesson 1: The French Alphabet,
 * Reading French Handwritten Records Lesson 2: Key Words and Phrases
 * Reading French Handwritten Records Lesson 3: Reading French Records

Here are some resources for learning to read German records.
 * German Genealogical Word List
 * German Handwriting.


 * Online interactive slideshow lessons are available to help you learn to read these records:
 * Reading German Handwritten Records Lesson 1: Kurrent Letters
 * Reading German Handwritten Records Lesson 2: Making Words in Kurrent
 * Reading German Handwritten Records Lesson 3: Reading Kurrent Documents. In this lesson, you will explore several types of German genealogical records, including birth, baptismal, marriage, and death records.
 * German Script Tutorial

This converter will show you how any phrase or name might look in German script:
 * Kurrentschrift Converter (enter German genealogical word, click on "convert", view your word in Kurrentschrift (Gothic handwriting)

Latin Records
Records of the Catholic church will usually be written in Latin:
 * Latin Genealogical Word List