Debby's Family Genealogy Blog

 The Birth of Jacob Hamman

When doing genealogy on our immigrant ancestors we are always advised to gather all the information possible before we start looking for information in the country that ancestor came from.

Over the years I have gathered information on my maternal 2^nd great grandfather Jacob Hamman in the United States.  I possibly have Jacob on a passenger list, I know when he filed his immigration paperwork, when he obtained his US Citizenship, when he purchased land and when he died.

There are still questions to be answered but I always wondered about his life in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg prior to his immigration to the United States in the late 1850s.  Who were Jacob’s parents and siblings?  Where exactly was he born in Luxembourg and when?

The information have I been able to gather about Jacob’s birth, parents and siblings:

• According to the 1880 US Census for Jacob in Iowa he was 40 years old and born about 1840 in Luxembourg.
• According to the 1900 US Census for Jacob in Iowa he was 60 years old and his birth date was July 1839 in Luxembourg.
• According to Jacob’s obituary in 1900 he “was 64 years old and born at Hesper, Grandduchy, Luxembourg on the 25^th day of August 1836”.
• According to Jacob’s Iowa death record he was born in Luxembourg about 1835.
• According to Jacob’s tombstone his birth is listed as 1830 and at his death in 1900 he was 70 years old.

Based on this information I can narrow down Jacob’s birth from 1835 to 1840.  That is definitely a discrepancy.  Is the birth date and location reported in his obituary, correct?  Can I locate a birth certificate in Luxembourg?  Will this tell me his parents’ names?  Is it possible to determine his siblings?  Did any of them also immigrate to the United States?

Reminder:  just because a record isn’t in an online database you are searching today it doesn’t mean it won’t be there tomorrow or ...years from now.  Keep searching!!

Fast forward many years of searching and I happened to find the following record on FamilySearch:

 

Wow!  Major Happy Dance!!  I think that is my ancestor and WOW there are his parents’ names.  I begin to search under their names and believe I have found Jacob’s siblings.  Major excitement!

After justifiably being excited about finally finding what I think is my ancestor’s birth record and other family records including Jakob’s parents’ names I realize that the index has only basic information and I don’t know about you but…this is never enough for me.  I can see the actual ledger in the photo but I want to know more of the information that is there but …I don’t read or write German.  UGH!  What do I do next? 

I need someone to translate these for me and I’m up to about 25 records now.  Where to go?  I could post this on a genealogy site or try to find someone who speaks German.  An idea starts to develop.  These are records from Luxembourg.  Several years ago I joined and visited the Luxembourg American Cultural Society and Center in Belgium, Wisconsin.  I wonder if they’d have any suggestions? 

How exciting it was to learn that yes, they could definitely help me.  They actually contract with someone in Luxembourg and they informed me of the fee for services.  All the records were emailed to LAC and then all I had to do was, not so patiently, wait for a reply.  At last, this was the reply for Jacob’s birth record:

Translation:

In the year 1840, on July 28, at 7 a.m. before us Mayor, registrar of the civil status records of the municipality of Hesperange, canton of Luxembourg, in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, has appeared Jakob Hamman, aged 37 years, road maintenance supervisor, residing in this municipality, who presented us a child of male sex, born on the 27^th of this [month], at 11 a.m. of him deponent and his wife Barbara Clement, both residing in Hesperange, and whom he declared to give the first name of Jakob.

Which declaration and presentation took place in the presence of Nikolas Zahlen, aged 45 years, farmer, and of Johann (=John) Didesch, aged 64 years, day laborer, who are residing in this municipality, and they have all signed this present birth record, after having previously been given lecture thereof.

[signatures]

Wow! WOW!! 

From the translation I now know that:

• Jakob was born on 27 July 1840 at 11 am.
• His parents were Jakob Hamman (37 years old and a road main supervisor) and Barbara Clement.
• They lived in Hesperange.
• Witnesses were Nikolas Zahlen (45 year old farmer) and Johann Didesch (64 year old day laborer) who lived in the Hesperange.

Interesting that the 1880 US Census was the only record with his correct year of birth.  The obituary showed his birth date but was several days, a month and four years off.  I’m sure birthdays were not remembered and celebrated the way we do today. There were language and cultural differences and so many adjustments when traveling and becoming established in the United States that I’m sure your actual date of birth was just not that important.  Reminder: know that dates may be off by months, days or years as you are researching.

The amazing translator I had even provided the following additional information:

The spelling of the name is nowadays Hammang. On the Hammang family and descendance, see: Prosper Kayser & Paul Vanolst: Familienchronik der Gemeinde Hesperingen. Um 1650-1923. Publ. 2018 pp. 169-170.

Someone who spoke German could have translated the document but this additional information is extremely valuable for further research.

Being connected to Historical Societies from locations your ancestors lived or to Cultural Societies whose goals are to help preserve the cultures of the countries your ancestors immigrated from are very valuable sources of information.  I would definitely recommend LAC if you have ancestors from Luxembourg to provide another level of support as you research your ancestors.

If you have any corrections or additions or stories to share, I look forward to hearing them.

Enjoy the journey,

Debby

The following posts help tell the story of Jacob's life: Jacob Hamman's Land Deed, Sunday Obituary-Jacob Hamman, My First Naturalization Papers-Jacob Hamman, Searching for the Will and the Land of Jacob Hamman, Finding Jacob Hamman's Land-First Understanding Iowa Land.