Durand Heritage Foundation--Who and what we are.

Mission Statement
To preserve the family and cultural heritage of Jean Durand dit LaFortune (1636-1671), the Durand Heritage Foundation researches and disseminates genealogical and other information about his ancestors and descendants through the voluntary efforts of its members.

Current  Officers
John Durand, Chairman of Board
Ellen Durand Olson, Vice-Chair
Mike Durand, Treasurer
VACANT, Secretary
 

Five Projects Identified at the First Durand Heritage
Foundation Organizational Meeting on July 11th, 1998

1. Integrate and expand the Durand family data base, i.e. family tree, pictures and other important documents.
   
2. Disseminate information about the family tree
        A. Have a CD- ROM printed for distribution purposes.
        B. Have a printout of the family tree available.
   
3. Develop a central repository of information for family records, data, etc.
   
4. Promote the Durand Heritage Foundation through the newsletter and trips.
   
5. Develop and preserve our family history through the collection of stories and pictures to possibly be published in book form or by other means.
   

If you are a Durand, Durand ancestor or interested in Durand family history and genealogy or French Canadian history, we encourage and invite you to join the Foundation. Annual membership entitles you to receive our excellent printed newsletter.

This web site, started in 1998 with the assistance of Derek Brusegard, has been developed to provide members and others with easy access to their heritage. It is an electronic library where school age children and well as adults can access information about their family heritage and other historic information.

Durand Heritage Foundation History
      Durand Heritage Foundation was founded in 1998. The first initiatives to organize the Durand Heritage Foundation were through the efforts of Mike Durand. Mike realizing that various family members were working in different areas of interest to discover and preserve their French Canadian Heritage felt that it would be logical and practical to form an organization to facilitate working together in a more organized manner. Mike also developed, edited and published the first newsletter, the Durand Family Heritage & Foundation Newsletter in April of 1998. Three hundred copies of this first newsletter were printed. Limited copies are still available. Other authors also contributed to this first newsletter. Two main articles were published in this first edition. The first article, The Amerindian Princess, by Paul M. Dumais, M.Ed. The second article, The Adventures of Louis Durand, Joseph Moreau and Sieur de Antoine Laumet de La Mothe Cadillac, by Roger Durand. In addition a third article, The Huron Indians was published, the first in a series of articles authored by Mike Durand.
      The first edition of the newsletter also announced July 11th 1998 as a meeting date to determine if there was sufficient interest to officially form an organization. People attended the first meeting from the states of Texas, Arizona, Florida, Minnesota, and Wisconsin to name a few. Officers of the Durand Heritage Foundation were elected at this historic meeting and well as committee chairpersons and members. Also five goals or objectives were defined at that first meeting. In addition, Mike Durand received numerous responses from the first mailing of the newsletter from people pledging their support through financial contributions for membership to assist in funding the organization.

July 1998
Durand Heritage Foundation Founders:
Marilyn Durand, Marie Miller, Jeanne Sansovini, Mary Brusegard, Cecile Foley, Suzanne Durand, Mike Durand, James Miller, Roger Durand, Elizabeth Kinslow,Richard Durand, Susanne & Mat Krasovich and Fred Foley.

Original Officers:
Mike Durand, Pres.
John Durand, Vice Pres.
Elizabeth Kinslow, Sec.
Susanne Krasovich, & Cecile Foley Treas.
Official Photographer, Mr. Fred Foley