Initiatives in French Midwest Heritage Collection (IF Midwest)

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Collection Overview

Title: Initiatives in French Midwest Heritage Collection (IF Midwest)

ID: OGLMC1519

Extent: 12.0 Linear Feet

Date Acquired: 04/27/2007

Subjects: Ethnicity - French, Ethnicity - French-Canadian, Ethnicity - Metis, Native Americans

Languages: English, French

Abstract

Established in 2007 to document French history in the Midwest

Scope and Contents of the Materials

The Initiatives in French Midwest Heritage Collection documents the history and heritage of the French, as well as French-Canadians, in the Midwest. The collection is comprised of materials from numerous donors.

Collection Historical Note

The Initiatives in French (IF) Midwest Heritage Collection was formally established 27 April 2007 on occasion of the first annual meeting of IF Midwest. This meeting took place on the campus of the University of North Dakota, at both the Chester Fritz Library and the International Centre.

Subject/Index Terms

Ethnicity - French
Ethnicity - French-Canadian
Ethnicity - Metis
Native Americans

Administrative Information

Repository: Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections

Access Restrictions: Open for inspection under the rules and regulations of the Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections.

Related Publications:

IFMidwest magazine. 2008-2010. Call number: E184.F8 I4

Numerous books, magazines and other publications were purchased through funds donated to IF Midwest. These have been cataloged and are searchable under the heading "Initiatives in French Midwest Heritage Collection (Chester Fritz Library)." They can also be viewed on ODIN.

Preferred Citation: (Description of Item). Initiatives in French Midwest Heritage Collection. OGLMC 1519, Box #, Folder #. Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections, Chester Fritz Library, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks.

Finding Aid Revision History: Finding aid added to Archon in January 2013.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: IF Midwest Historical Documents, 2007-2010],
[Series 2: Chez Nous, Nouvelles Villes Jumelles, and Quebec Update, Donated by Dick Bernard, 1980-2001],
[Series 3: Family Heritage of the Emard and Boucher Families, Donated by Laura Munski],
[Series 4: DuBord Family Papers, Donated by Richard DuBord],
[Series 5: "A Volume of Treasures," Donated by Becky Leonard],
[Series 6: Sacred Heart Church of Oakwood, North Dakota, Donated by Mrs. Henry Bolek],
[Series 7: Boucher Family Documents, Donated by Merle Boucher],
[Series 8: French Language and French Music, Donated by Sylvia Paquin Steinart],
[Series 9: "Des Champ: From the Field," Donated by Leo Beauchamp],
[Series 10: Personal Journal and Article of Batoche Trek, Donated by Jim dale Huot-Vickery],
[Series 11: "Remembering Our Acadian Heritage," Donated by Virgil Benoit],
[Series 12: Marcil Family History, Donated by Wilmer Marcil],
[Series 13: "Beaulieu Remembered,” Donated by Ray and Rita Dunnigan],
[Series 14: “French Exile from Nova Scotia,” Donated by Kacie Richard],
[Series 15: Guibord Family Genealogy, Donated by Michael Martin],
[Series 16: Brunelle Family Genealogy, Donated by Jacqueline Keller],
[Series 17: Historical and Genealogical Materials of Rolette County, North Dakota, Donated by Marie Roberge],
[Series 18: Quilt made by Honorè Savard, Donated by Evelyn Landis, 1865],
[Series 19: "Bill Martin's Letter to His Grandchildren", January 24, 1993],
[Series 20: Casavant and Dionne Ancestry],
[Series 21: "As I Remember St. Paul of Tarsus' Parish"],
[Series 22: Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, 125th Anniversary, 2007],
[Series 23: Notre Dame Academy Reunion, 2006],
[Series 24: "The Ancestry of Louis Elie Benoit and Rose Anna Chouinard"],
[Series 25: Pierriche by Louis Ritchotte],
[Series 26: Charlebois Family and Richard Family Materials, Donated by Carmen Richard],
[Series 27: "Walking in Our Time: The Family History of Flavien Croteau and Zelia Filteau of St. John, North Dakota"],
[Series 28: Father Joseph Goiffon Material],
[Series 29: Family Heritage of the Bernard, Blondeau, Collette, and Cote Families, Donated by Dick Bernard],
[Series 30: Dr. John Crawford Material, UND Department of English; Donated by Gwen Crawford],
[Series 31: John Rivard Archive, Donated by Jeanne Rivard],
[Series 32: Charles Morin Materials, Donated by Jerry and Julie King],
[All]

Series 29: Family Heritage of the Bernard, Blondeau, Collette, and Cote Families, Donated by Dick Bernard

This series documents the history of the Bernard family, which has roots in both North Dakota and Minnesota. The series has been further sub-divided into nine sub-series. Donated by Dick Bernard, Woodbury, Minnesota, in Fall 2009 (2010-3025) and July 2010 (2011-3083). The materials were given to Dr. Virgil Benoit, who donated them to Special Collections.

Additional material was donated by Florence (Bernard) Hedeen, Park Rapids, Minnesota, on August 29, 2017 (2017-3363).

Sub-Series 1: Henry Bernard and Josephine (Collette) Bernard

Henry Bernard and Josephine Collette were married on June 3, 1901, in Oakwood, North Dakota. The couple settled in Grafton, North Dakota, where Henry worked at the Grafton Roller Mill. The couple had three children: Josephine (1902-1985), Henry Junior (1905-1997) and Frank (1915-1941).

Box 5

Folder 16: Henry Bernard
Folder 17: Henry Bernard: First North Dakota Infantry and Military Service in the Philippine Insurrection, 1898-1899
Folder 18: Henry Bernard: 1901 Oldsmobile Car
Folder 19: Josephine (Collette) Bernard: Recollections of Her by Her Son, Henry Bernard, Junior

Sub-Series 2: Henry Bernard (Junior) and Esther (Busch) Bernard

This second sub-series contains the vast majority of the material. Henry Bernard (Junior) was born in Grafton, North Dakota, on December 22, 1907. He was the son of Henry and Josephine Bernard. He married Esther Busch on August 9, 1937, in Berlin, North Dakota. Esther had been born on July 27, 1909, in Berlin. Both Bernards were public school teachers before retiring in 1971. The couple had five children: Richard (Dick), Mary Ann, Florence, Frank and John.

After retiring, Henry and Esther lived in Grand Forks until 1978. They then moved to San Benito, Texas, where Esther died in August 1981. Henry remained in San Benito before moving to Belleville, Illinois, in 1987, to live at a Catholic retirement community known as Our Lady of the Snows. He died there in November 1997.

Henry was a prodigious letter writer, who wrote regularly to each of his five children. The letters he wrote to his eldest child, Dick, comprise the main portion of this sub-series. Besides this correspondence, other materials in the sub-series include diaries, newspaper clippings and photographs. A file from Esther Busch's high school years can also be found.

Box 5

Folder 20: Henry Bernard, Junior: Remembrances Written by Him
Folder 21: Henry Bernard, Junior: Diary, 1987
Folder 22: Henry Bernard, Junior: Diary, December 1987-December 1988
Folder 23: Henry Bernard, Junior: Diary, 1990
Folder 24: Henry Bernard, Junior: Diary, 1992
Folder 25: Henry Bernard, Junior: Diary, 1994
Folder 26: Henry Bernard, Junior: Diary, 1995-1996
Folder 27: Henry Bernard, Junior: Diary, 1997
Folder 28: Henry Bernard, Junior: Correspondence, 1977
Folder 29: Henry Bernard, Junior: Correspondence, 1980
Folder 30: Henry Bernard, Junior: Correspondence, 1981
Folder 31: Henry Bernard, Junior: Correspondence, 1982
Folder 32: Henry Bernard, Junior: Correspondence, 1983
Folder 33: Henry Bernard, Junior: Correspondence, 1984
Folder 34: Henry Bernard, Junior: Correspondence, 1985
Folder 35: Henry Bernard, Junior: Correspondence, 1986
Folder 36: Henry Bernard, Junior: Correspondence, 1987
Folder 37: Henry Bernard, Junior: Correspondence, 1988
Folder 38: Henry Bernard, Junior: Correspondence, 1989
Folder 39: Henry Bernard, Junior: Correspondence, 1990
Folder 40: Henry Bernard, Junior: Correspondence, 1991
Folder 41: Henry Bernard, Junior: Correspondence, 1992
Folder 42: Henry Bernard, Junior: Correspondence, 1993

Box 6

Folder 1: Henry Bernard, Junior: Correspondence, 1994
Folder 2: Henry Bernard, Junior: Correspondence, 1995
Folder 3: Henry Bernard, Junior: Correspondence, 1996
Folder 4: Henry Bernard, Junior: Correspondence, 1997
Folder 5: Henry Bernard, Junior: Correspondence, Undated
Folder 6: Henry Bernard, Junior: "Highlights of the Retirement Years", 1982
Folder 7: Henry Bernard, Junior: "Highlights of the Retirement Years", 1983
Folder 8: Henry Bernard, Junior: "Highlights of the Retirement Years", 1984
Folder 9: Henry Bernard, Junior: "Highlights of the Retirement Years", 1985
Folder 10: Henry Bernard, Junior: "Highlights of the Retirement Years", 1986
Folder 11: Henry Bernard, Junior: "Highlights of the Retirement Years", 1987
Folder 12: Henry Bernard, Junior: "Highlights of the Retirement Years", 1988
Folder 13: Henry Bernard, Junior: Newspaper Clippings, 1987 and Undated
Folder 14: Henry Bernard, Junior: Family Photographs
Folder 15: Henry Bernard, Junior: Funeral Bulletin, 1997
Folder 16: Esther (Busch) Bernard: General File, 1913-1981: Consists of legal documents, correspondence, and her obituary
Folder 17: Esther (Busch) Bernard: The Gleaner (literary publication), St. John's Academy, Jamestown, North Dakota, 1925-1927
Folder 18: Henry Bernard, Junior, and Esther (Busch) Bernard: "Highlights of the Retirement Years", 1971-1980
Folder 19: Henry Bernard, Junior, and Esther (Busch) Bernard: "Highlights of the Retirement Years", 1981
Folder 20: Henry Bernard, Junior, and Esther (Busch) Bernard: Guest Book, 1973-1997
Folder 21: Henry Bernard, Junior, and Esther (Busch) Bernard: "Bicycling Story", 1974-1981: Contains photographs, newspaper clippings and correspondence

Box 9

Folder 43: Correspondence between Henry Bernard (Junior) and Florence (Bernard) Hedeen, 1996-1997: Florence (Bernard) Hedeen is the third child of Henry Bernard (Junior) and Esther (Busch) Bernard.

Sub-Series 3: Frank Bernard

Frank Bernard was the youngest child of Henry and Josephine (Collette) Bernard. He was a sailor in the United States Navy and died aboard the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941.

Box 6

Folder 22: Frank Bernard: General File

Sub-Series 4: Dick Bernard

Richard "Dick" Bernard is the oldest child of Henry Bernard, Junior, and Esther (Busch) Bernard. He is retired school teacher and was also the editor of Chez Nous (see Series 2).

Box 6

Folder 23: "The First 300 Years: Remembering Four of the Families (Cote, Blondeau, Bernard, Collette) of Henry Louis Bernard," Compiled and Edited by Dick Bernard, 2009

Folder 24: Dick Bernard: Various Writings

Item 1: "Memories from 1940-1950"
Item 2: "Collettes and Bernards - A Short Rough Draft of a Family History." 1981
Item 3: "As I See It." MEA Top of the Range. 1990
Item 4: "The Collettes of North Dakota, Minnesota and Manitoba: A Family Odyssey, Part 1." American-Canadian Genealogist. 2003
Item 5: "The Collettes of North Dakota, Minnesota and Manitoba: A Family Odyssey, Part 1." American-Canadian Genealogist. 2004
Item 6: "Reconstructing Our Real Heritage." IF Midwest Magazine. 2009

Folder 25: Dick Bernard: 1994 Philippines Trip, 1994-1998

Mainly consists of a travel diary from the trip, plus correspondence with people he met while there

Folder 26: Dick Bernard: Photographs

Folder 27: Dick Bernard: Funeral Card for Barbara Bernard

Barbara (Sunde) Bernard was married to Dick. They were married on 8 June 1963 and had one son, Thomas. She died on 24 July 1965.

Sub-Series 5: Florence (Bernard) Hedeen

Florence Heeden is the daughter of Henry Bernard (Junior) and Esther (Busch) Bernard. The material in this sub-series consists of "The Events of My Life," a short autobiographical sketch she wrote at the insistence of her brother, Dick.

Box 6

Folder 28: Florence (Bernard) Heeden: "The Events of My Life"

Sub-Series 6: Bernard Family Genealogy

This sub-series consists of genealogical information on the Bernard family. A fair amount of the material is the work of Jean-Marc Charron, a certified genealogist and retired Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) investigator. Charron and Dick Bernard corresponded extensively in 1994 and 1995.

Box 6

Folder 29: Romain Bernard and Julienne Cote Marriage Certificate, 17 September 1850
Folder 30: Bernard/Old Photos/Maps, 14 July 1994
Folder 31: Bernard, 6 August 1994
Folder 32: Bernard Lineage/Tadoussac/Maps, 11 August 1994
Folder 33: Bernard Ancestry, 22 November 1994
Folder 34: Bernard Family (Final Version), 2 December 1994
Folder 35: Bernard Family (Very Important), 7 December 1994
Folder 36: Herva Bernard/Mill Story, 16 December 1994
Folder 37: Bernard, December 1994
Folder 38: Bernard Family Miscellaneous
Folder 39: Gourde Family: This was an early family in Oakwood, North Dakota. They moved west along with the Bernard family.

Sub-Series 7: Blondeau Family Genealogy

This sub-series consists of genealogical information on the Blondeau family. A fair amount of the material is the work of Jean-Marc Charron, a certified genealogist and retired Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) investigator. Charron and Dick Bernard corresponded extensively in 1994 and 1995.

Box 6

Folder 40: Blondeau, 2 February 1995
Folder 41: Blondeau, March 1995
Folder 42: Blondeau Family/Maurice Blondeau, 1 June 1995
Folder 43: Blondeau Family Land Records
Folder 44: Blondeau Family Genealogy Material Received from John Garney, Annandale, Virginia
Folder 45: Blondeau Family Miscellaneous

Sub-Series 8: Collette Family Genealogy

This sub-series consists of genealogical information on the Collette family. A fair amount of the material is the work of Jean-Marc Charron, a certified genealogist and retired Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) investigator. Charron and Dick Bernard corresponded extensively in 1994 and 1995.

Box 6

Folder 46: Campbell, Marvin: Childhood friend of Frank Bernard and Collette family member
Folder 47: Collette/Bernard, 14 May 1994
Folder 48: Missing Fingers/Collette-Bernard, 27 August 1994
Folder 49: Collette/Bernard/Tadoussac, 25 September 1994
Folder 50: Photo of St Henri/Collette ref Riel, 20 October 1994
Folder 51: Introduction/Collette and Vermette Wedding/Lambert, 3 April 1994
Folder 52: Collette, Denis
Folder 53: Collette Family Land Holdings, Oakwood, North Dakota

Box 7

Folder 1: Genealogie de la Famille Collette (publication), circa 1989
Folder 2: Collette Genealogy Correspondence to/from Dick Bernard
Folder 3: Collette Family Reunion, Dayton, Minnesota, 2002
Folder 4: Collette, Julie (Schiller): Daughter of Alfred Collette
Folder 5: Collette, Loria (Kelly): Daughter of Ernest Collette of Grand Forks
Folder 6: Collette, Octave
Folder 7: Collette, Rene: Correspondence with, 1981-2010
Folder 8: Collette, Samuel: First Collette in Minnesota
Folder 9: Lessard, Raymond: Oakwood, North Dakota, native with Collette ancestry
Folder 10: Manitoba Collettes
Folder 11: Pfleider, James: Friend of Julie (Collette) Schiller who contacted Dick Bernard for genealogical help
Folder 12: Roy, Remi: Great grandson of Philippe Collette
Folder 13: Sell, Vernon: Grandson of Alfred Collette of Ostego, Minnesota

Sub-Series 9: Miscellaneous

Box 7

Folder 14: Correspondence between Dick Bernard and Jean-Marc Charron from Quebec, 1994-1996
Folder 15: Pedigrees Langevin dit LaCroix, Catherine Baillon, Adelaide LaCroix and Samuel Blondeau
Folder 16: Sacred Heart Church, Oakwood, North Dakota

Department of Special Collections
Digital Finding Aids