Marguerite Servais, born in Weilerbach on 25 June 1882, better known as Meisy, received her primary and secondary education at the Pensionnats Ste Sophie in Luxembourg and Notre-Dame de Sion in Paris. As the granddaughter of the Minister of State Emmanuel Servais, this young woman set milestones in a wide range of fields: literature, Guiding, cultural and political life.
In 1902, she married Paul Mongenast. Together they had two children, Maurice and Sylla. With the support of her husband, an engineer and director of the Union des Aciéries, Marguerite Servais published numerous poems, often under the cryptogram of Ysiem (Meisy). A fervent supporter of women's right to vote, she published "De Wahlsproch" in 1916. Two years later, she co-signed the petition to the members of the Chamber of Deputies to grant women the right to vote. She also devoted a lot of time to the "Free Thought" and sent numerous articles in prose and verse to the editorial staff of the "Arme Teufel" and the "Zeitung für kleine Leute".
In 1915 she was asked by Martha Mullendorff and Pola Weber to be the president of the first FNEL guide group.
Meisy Servais was a member of many other societies, including the "Association for the Defence of Women's Interests", the "Association for Popular Education in Hollerich", the "Oeuvre des colonies de vacances" and the "Crèche de Luxembourg".
Attracted by socialism and the Luxembourg personalities who led it, Marguerite Servais also became active on the political scene. With the approach of the revolutionary events at the end of 1918/1919, she became a member of the Comité de l'Action Républicaine. Several articles testify to this commitment.
Meisy Servais' political activity ceased in 1921 when her husband fell ill. After the death of Paul Mongenast in 1922, Marguerite Servais left her home in the rue de la Congrégation to go and live with her parents in the Boulevard Royal, where she looked after her mother, who was also ill.
Marguerite Servais died on 13 June 1925.
Source:
● Jules Mersch: Les familles Servais, in: Biographie nationale du pays de Luxembourg: Vol. 20, 1972, pp. 614-627.