On March 25-26, 2001 Jean Dennis HASTERT, Speaker of the House of Representatives, was in Luxembourg, the land of his a ancestors. Aside of meeting with the head of State, the members of the government and the president of the Luxembourg House of Represntatives, he devoted the late afternoon and night of Sunday 25th to visit Osweiler in Eastern Luxembourg, where his forefathers lived.

Ceremonies

Upon arrival, Hastert, amidst a large crowd of villagers and Hastert name bearers, was greeted by the mayor of Rosport, to which Osweiler administratively belongs. He was led to the house where the Hasterts once lived and given explanations on the history of the house, before he proceeded to the unveiling of a commemorative plaque. After a remembrance ceremony at the village's monument in honor of the American soldiers, who defended Osweiler during the Battle of the Bulge, Hastert was escorted by the music band to the "centre culturel". Luc BONBLET , the mayor formally greeted the guest, stressing the importance of that day, when a person in such a high position returns to the village of his ancestors located in one of the smallest countries of the world. Hastert was handed a framed copy of the city council's decision of 12 March 2001 proclaiming him honorary citizen of Osweiler and Rosport and then held in his hands the original records book with his ancestor's birth record. After signing the golden book of Osweiler and being presented with books and brochures on local history, he addressed his thanks to the audience and officials Leaving aside all formalities he then mingled into the crowd, socializing with the villagers and his Luxembourg Hastert relatives.
Later in the evening a dinner was offered to the illustrous guest by Jean SPAUTZ, President of the Chambre des Députés, the Luxembourg House of Representatives.
During dinner, Jean ENSCH , genealogist and member of the Luxembourg Society for Linguistic, Ethnology and Onomastics, a department of the Insititut Grand-Ducal, gave a presentation on Luxemburg emigration from that area to Aurora, the genealogy of the Hasterts and the corresponding 17th and 18th century records and elaborated on the first place where the Hastert where known to have lived, a now-gone farm estate by the name of Fehl, about 1 mile northeast of Osweiler.