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Emma (Wolff) Kuhn
A 19-year-old woman left her hometown of Useldange, Luxembourg in 1891 and started the journey of a lifetime as she travelled to the United States. The story of Emma KuhnWolff starts out as a common tale of Luxembourgers who immigrated to the United States in the late 1800s. However, Emma did not lead an average life in her later years. She was able to fulfill her own wish - according to local Useldange legend - when she stated, “I will return from America when I am rich, and I will buy the castle.”
Photo: Emma (Wolff) Kuhn and Frank Kuhn, surrounded by their seven surviving children. Courtesy of Margot Wolff Archives.
Emma (Wolff) Kuhn: About My Project
Jean and Catherine Wolff welcomed their daughter on August 5th, 1872 and named her Anna, although she would later be called Emma. Due to lack of employment opportunities in Luxembourg and success stories from America, four of the five Wolff siblings left for the U.S. in 1891. Anna (Emma) Wolff registered at the Castle Garden in New York and went to Pennsylvania to find work. There she met and married Frank J. Kuhn in 1895, and had eleven children, seven of which survived. Frank did well in his business while Emma became sociopolitically active as a women’s suffrage activist and the head of the episcopal council for Catholic women.
Photo: Emma and Frank Kuhn with their grandson Ray. Courtesy of Michael White Archives.
Shortly after a visit to Europe and presumably Useldange, Emma purchased the Useldange Castle from the Count of Ansemburg in 1924. Over the next 10 years, the castle was slowly restored and conserved. After World War II, Emma frequently travelled between her homes in Europe and America, even when she was over 80 years old, showing her love for both her old and new homes. However she died in Pittsburgh on April 4th, 1954. Her descendants sold the castle, which is now a non-profit institution for the general public to enjoy.
Photo: Useldange Castle. Wikimedia Commons.
Emma (Wolff) Kuhn: Other Projects
Emma (Wolff) Kuhn: Text
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