A totalof seventeen Members of the Steichen family based in the USA, ages 3.5 to 66 years, are visiting Luxembourg with the mission of reclaiming their Luxembourgish roots.
Not only has the Steichen family visited their ancestral villages of Koerich and Berdorf and met with the mayors of those towns but Steichen family members are also presenting their applications for Reclamation of Luxembourg Nationality.
The family’s ancestor, Nicholas Steichen was born in 1862 in Koerich. As a young man, he emigrated from Koerich to the USA, seeking a better economic situation for himself. He first farmed in Iowa, then South Dakota, and settled permanently in Perry, Oklahoma. He married Mary Gengler, also an immigrant from Koerich, in 1884 in Iowa. After raising a large family, Nicholas died in 1941 in Oklahoma.
Descendants of Nicholas never forgot about their Luxembourgish roots. In 2015, three of Nicholas’ granddaughters, Elizabeth Kastl-Steichen, Evelyn Otto-Steichen, and Marilyn Seagraves-Steichen, visited Luxembourg for the first time with Kevin Wester, retired Executive Director of the Luxembourg American Cultural Center in Wisconsin, USA, on a “Discover Luxembourg Tour”. The Steichen women visited Koerich and were able to find their Steichen and Gengler ancestral homes still standing in Koerich.
Their visit to Luxembourg was a transformative experience and the ladies quickly decided that they wanted to reclaim Luxembourg Nationality under the Grand Duchy’s 2008 Law. Their enthusiasm for Luxembourg rubbed off on their children, grandchildren and cousins, and now nearly 40 of their immediate family members are in the process of Reclamation of Luxembourg nationality.
In need of visiting the Grand Duchy once again to present their citizenship applications, the Steichen family contacted Kevin Wester, now co-owner of FUN TOURS WITH KEVIN AND JACK, with his spouse Jack Backstrom, to plan a unique family visit to reclaim their “roots” in Luxembourg during the week-long visit to Luxembourg from 9 – 15 June.
The culmination of the Steichen’s visit to Luxembourg will be the presentation of their applications for Reclamation of Luxembourg Nationality on 12 June at the Bierger Center in Luxembourg City. They are looking forward to becoming Luxembourg citizens as both a tribute to their ancestral heritage but also as a way of being a part of Luxembourg today and in the future.
Marilyn Seagraves-Steichen commented: “We are so proud of our Luxembourgish roots and we want our children, grandchildren and all future generations to stay connected and involved with the country that has formed us into the people we are today. We also want to be good will ambassadors of Luxembourg back in the USA where we reside.”
