Luxembourg to Wisconsin

Luxembourg to WisconsinJacob Adam ROOB and Anna Maria DECKER, married in 1832 in Lorentzweiler, Luxembourg, made the difficult decision to uproot their children and journey to a new land of promise America. A flood of immigrants surged to the United States from Luxembourg and the rest of Europe during the 19th century. As farmers, Jacob and Anna felt they had no future in a country where the population was growing as the size of their farms was dwindling. Poor harvests only

Jacob Adam ROOB and Anna Maria DECKER, married in 1832 in Lorentzweiler, Luxembourg, made the difficult decision to uproot their children and journey to a new land of promise -- America.

A flood of immigrants surged to the United States from Luxembourg and the rest of Europe during the 19th century. As farmers, Jacob and Anna felt they had no future in a country where the population was growing as the size of their farms was dwindling. Poor harvests only contributed to the urge to search for a brighter future. At the same time, there was a perception that America was a sort of paradise, where there were opportunities for social advancement, land ownership and political freedom.

Jacob and Anna and others like them sought a place of refuge similar to their homeland, and they found it with the numerous other Luxembourgers who settled on the rich Midwestern farmland of Ozaukee County, Wisconsin.

While this story documents the actual events experienced by Jacob and Anna in Luxembourg and the United States, it also illustrates the courageous journey undergone by the couple and others like them. Anyone curious to learn more about the lives of their 19th century European immigrant ancestors will enjoy following Jacob and Anna from Lorentzweiler, Luxembourg, to Belgium, Wisconsin.

Documented with actual incidents drawn from Jacob and AnnaÕs lives, this story is also filled with more general facts illustrating the immigrant experience as they struggled to find a better life for themselves and their children.