Winter - Durand Heritage Foundation

Durand Heritage Foundation Newsletter
Dedicated to the Preservation of Our Family Heritage
Winter, 2003 $4.95
The Alfred Durand Family

Durand Heritage Foundation Newsletter Winter, 2003
In this issue...
“Lost” Michigan Durands Found
The Alfred Durand Story, by Betty Andree and Roger Durand
Great Classical Photo– Beatrice Durand Derrick collection 7
How to Interview Your Older Relative, by Yvonne Cariveau 8
Holiday Greetings
“All hearts come home for Christmas” by Mary Durand Morrow
Durands in the Military
Devil Doc Heals and Teaches in Iraq, by Lt Col James F. Durand, USMC
Rules for the Teacher...again, and this time in full 14
In In Memorium Memorium Eugene L. “Jack” Durand
Great Classical Photo– Beatrice Durand Derrick collection 15
Returning to the Seasonality of Food, by Charli Mills 16
Our readers write
Reader’s Connection Brothers and Sisters and More, Oh, My!
For What It’s Worth A Tale of Tee Shirts by John Durand 19
The back page where you find out who’s who 20
The cover: Image #17 on the 1900 census microfilm for the Town of Meenon in Burnett County, Wisconsin shows the entry
for Peter Durant [sic] and his wife Louiza [sic] and their children. By the time of the next census in 1910 the Town of Scott had
been created from the division of Meenon. This 1900 census was taken four years after Pierre Durand and his wife Louise moved
from Turtle Lake, Wisconsin to homestead 160 acres in Burnett County. Louise is shown as 31 years old and married for 17
years, indicating that she was married at age 14, inconsistent with the entry for the 1930 census when she is shown as being married
at age 18. More remarkable is that at age 31 in this census Louise had already given birth 11 times. Eight of her children
were living. Note also that the occupation for sons Elzear and Adelard, ages 14 and 12, is shown as “Farm Laborer.” Obviously
both no longer attended school. The age of Arthur, the baby, is shown as being 9/12 ths of a year. The census was taken in June,
1900. The census taker (Enumerator) misspelled almost every one of the family’s given names.
Picture credits: Photos for The Alfred Durand Story from Betty Andree. Great Classical Photo (p.9) is from the collection of
Beatrice Durand Derrick. Photos for How to Interview…(p. 8) from Yvonne Cariveau. Photos for “All hearts…” (p. 10) from
Mary Durand Morrow. Photos for “Devil Doc…” (p. 12) from Dr. Patrick Ginn. “Rules for the Teacher” (p. 14) courtesy of Mike
Durand. Great Classical Photo (p.15) is from the collection of Beatrice Durand Derrick. Photos for “For What…” (p.19) from
John Durand and Alice Durand Keppel.
This publication © 2003 by Durand Heritage Foundation, Inc. Published four times a year by the Durand Heritage
Foundation. All rights reserved. Duplicating or copying by electronic or other means is strictly prohibited without
written consent of the Foundation. Subscription rate is $20.00 per year. Send payment to: Durand Heritage Foundation,
1104 Apple Circle, Mayer, 55360 MN, USA. Major credit cards are accepted. To subscribe on-line visit www.
Durandfoundation.com.
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Winter, 2003 Durand Heritage Foundation Newsletter
“Lost” Michigan Durands Found
The following article submitted by Betty Durand Andree
was written in the early 1990’s as a joint effort of
her and me. It outlines the family story of Alfred Durand
and his descendants who were “lost” by the rest of the
Nazaire Durand family.
While they probably didn’t know they were “lost”, Alfred’s
family and his whereabouts were unknown past
the 1930’s to those of us left in Minnesota. My cousin
Ed Durand was documenting
the Nazaire Durand family
descendants in the late 1970’s
and published his book Durand,
A Family Genealogy
in 1981 with a reference to
Alfred and his two boys,
named Leanord and Lawrence.
Nothing more. As the
following article reports, Alfred
“sightings” in Minnesota
and Alberta, Canada were
documented but no clear trail
could be followed to his family.
After I ran across Leanord
and Lawrence’s entries in the
Social Security Administration
(SSA) death index things
started to fall into place. The
index listed the two brothers
separately, and listed their
places of death (in Michigan)
along with their dates of birth
and death. While I didn’t
have their exact birthdates,
the SSA index dates suggested
that they might be Alfred’s
sons.
I then searched the phone
listings for Durands in the
cities mentioned in the index and after three or four
telephone calls identified one of Alfred’s descendants,
who then referred me on to Betty Andree. After I got in
touch with Betty we discussed how we might document
the Alfred Durand story. We decided to have her dictate
to a tape recorder and then I would transcribe the text.
Information that Edmund had from Canada and I had
from my father Leo was added to Betty’s information.
The results follow.
Thank you, Betty, for taking the time to share your
family story with us!
The Alfred Durand Family
By Betty Andree and Roger Durand
Alfred Durand, married three times, was an energetic,
skilled plasterer who lived in Minnesota, Canada, and
Michigan. He fathered two sons by his first wife, Anna.
3
Roger Durand
Alfred Durand was born in Faribault, Minnesota in
March 1882. He was the last of ten children born to
Nazaire Durand and Leocadie Berneche.
Little is known of the early years of Alfred. He probably
grew up with his older brothers and sisters on Nazaire's
farm in Cannon City, just east of Faribault, Minnesota.
He married Anna Quarnstrom
from Dassel, Minnesota. It is
not known where or when
they met or were married.
They had two boys, both born
in Chicago. Leonard was born
in 1905 and Lawrence in
1907.
About 1912 Alfred left Chicago
with Anna and the boys.
They went to Newaygo,
Michigan with the intention of
buying property and building
a home. However, Alfred left
Anna and the boys after they
were there for a week.
(Anna’s story is told below.)
We don't know the circumstances
of the separation.
Alfred's second wife was
named Helen and he was with
her from about 1917 to about
1940.
The next information we have
about Alfred is from his
nephew, Leonard Durand (son
of Albert, Alfred's brother,
who also had a son named
Leonard) In 1994 Leonard recalled
to Catherine Durand Dacyshym, the following:
"Here is a bit I know about Uncle Fred and Aunt
Helen. They came to Lomond, Canada in 1917 or so.
Uncle Fred was a plasterer. He had worked at the trade
for 18 years and was very good. My father Albert built a
house in 1916 and Uncle Fred plastered it for us. He did
some of the neighbors’ houses too.
Then they (Fred and Helen) both got jobs at the J.C.
Clark Ranch at Cluny. They came to our place for
Christmas. Anyway, there was a letter and a picture of
his two boys that his first wife sent to us. We told him

Durand Heritage Foundation Newsletter Winter, 2003
about that and he got on the move right after that. I was
nearly 17 and I went back to Cluny with them and
stayed there for a couple of weeks. Then they quit their
Annan Quarnstrom Durand and sons Leonard and Lawrence.
Soon after the family moved to Michigan, Alfred left
the marriage.
jobs and went back to the States. They invited me to
come with them, but I didn't. I kind of thought that he
was afraid his first wife was going to come after him for
support for the boys. I don't know why I thought that
but that's how I always thought about it. That's the last I
ever saw of them."
We now know that Alfred was reunited with his sons.
After Alfred and Helen left Canada they were in
Bemidji, Minnesota in 1929 when George Durand and
his family built their barn. George's son Leo remembers
that Alfred plastered their new silo. Leo also remembers
Alfred as one with lots of energy. One morning Alfred
woke Leo and his brothers early in the morning to go
fishing. Alfred had the horses all ready to go.
Leo also remembers an incident where Eleanor,
George's wife, became furious with her house guests
(Alfred, Helen, and Helen's dog) because the dog insisted
on urinating on George and Eleanor's bed!
Alfred and Helen were living in Chicago when Alfred's
sons Leonard and Lawrence located him. Alfred
and Helen also visited his sons in Muskegon. Betty Durand
Andree, second child of Lawrence and Vera Durand,
remembers her grandfather Alfred:
"Alfred Durand was short in stature, fair skinned, and
had clear blue eyes. Plastering was Alfred's occupation,
specializing in ornamental plastering. He worked on
many theaters, hospitals, libraries, and many other
buildings in the Chicago area. He also worked on the
original Mayo Clinic. I recall him telling of lying on his
back putting tiny mosaic tiles of gold and black in the
entrance besides helping plaster all the building."
4
At some point Alfred and Helen returned to Minnesota,
because Alfred was in Minneapolis in 1941 when
George Durand wrote a letter to Willard Durand stating
that he had been living with Alfred in Minneapolis but
that he (George) was moving out.
Helen died in the 1940's. A note written by Louise Durand,
Willard Durand's wife, was found by Janet Durand
Kahler and it stated the following:
“Alfred's second wife, Helen Durand. Interesting lady.
Raised small bull dogs. A Spiritualist. I met her in 1933
or 1934. Uncle Fred was a stone mason. He worked on
Hotel Duluth--sculpted figures in cement. Helen died
suddenly one night and told Fred she was going. Probably
early 40's.
Alfred and his third wife, Margaret, visited Martin
(Bettys Durand Andree's step-father) and Vera Durand
Pastori in 1947 and invited Betty, then in high school, to
visit them in Minneapolis. At that time Alfred owned
three apartment buildings, two of them on Hennepin
Avene in Minneapolis.
After Betty Durand graduated from high school in
Alfred Durand and his second wife Helen with his son
Lawrence's wife Vera and their two children, James and
Betty, the co-author of this article.
June 1947, she went on a trip to visit her maternal uncle
and his family in Washington state. She took the train to
Minneapolis and visited Alfred and Margaret. They all
visited Alfred's oldest sister, Sarah Durand Duffney

Winter, 2003 Durand Heritage Foundation Newsletter
Babineau, in Eagle Bend, Minnesota. She was living in
an old folks home and was over 90 years old. Alfred and
Sarah spoke in French.
Shortly after this time Alfred visited his son Leonard
and Leonard's wife Ruth in Rothbury, Michigan, 20
miles from Muskegon, where Leonard owned an unfinished
15-room home. Alfred wanted Margaret to move
to Michigan but she
wouldn't. They divorced
and Alfred
moved to Michigan.
Alfred helped Leonard
finish the big
house, including plastering
and remodeling,
and then lived
there until he died.
Betty, Vera, and
Martin visited Alfred
quite a few times
while he lived there.
Betty Andree remembers
Alfred drinking
his milk and eating
oatmeal every day.
Anna Quarnstrom, Alfred Durand’s
first wife, was born in Sweden
as Anna Peterson.
Alfred Durand died in 1961 in Rothbury at age 78.
Anna Quarnstrom
Anna Quarnstrom, Alfred’s first wife, was born in
1880 in Sweden. Her family moved to the United States
and settled in Dassel, Minnesota, near Litchfield (about
50 miles west of Minneapolis). (When Leonard Durand
was 30 years old he went to Dassel, Minnesota to find
Anna Quarnstrom’s relatives. He found them on the
family farm. Leonard learned that Anna's father's name
was originally Peterson but that he changed it to Quarnstrom
when he moved to Minnesota because he was one
of 40 Petersons working for the Great Northern Railroad.)
After Alfred left them, Anna lived in Newaygo, Michigan
with her two boys, Lawrence and Leonard. There
she worked at a confectionery store and lived with the
boys above the store. The boys were 4 and 7 when Alfred
left. Leonard left Newaygo at age 18 and moved to
Muskegon where he worked for Continental Motors.
Anna and Lawrence followed.
Anna took a job at the Occidental Hotel in Muskegon
where she met her second husband, John Cornelson. He
was a chef at the hotel and Anna was the head of the
cafeteria.
Anna and John moved to Chicago and worked in various
hotels in the Chicago and Hammond, Illinois area.
They would visit the family in Michigan, and returned
to Michigan around 1937 when they teamed up with her
son Lawrence and his second wife Helen in a restaurant
venture. Their venture broke up after Anna died of can-
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cer in Muskegon, Michigan in 1944.
Leonard Durand (first son of Alfred Durand)
Leonard Durand was approximately 5'7" tall, had dark
brown hair and blue eyes. He worked for Railway Express
while living in Grand Rapids. At that time he took
a correspondence course and received a degree in accounting.
After that he became an auditor for the State
of Michigan and traveled the western part of Michigan.
Later he became Head of Accounting with the Michigan
Employment Security Commission in Muskegon.
Leonard was a very well read man and loved to talk on
most any topic. He was very inventive. He invented and
built an automobile engine and applied for a patent. The
patent office told him it was too much like the Swedish
Vandal. The engine was a different concept than any in
the U.S. at that time. He also invented a "Century Calendar,
" and long before people thought of using the sun
for heat Leonard had pipes running from his hot water
tank up to heat collectors on his roof to heat his water.
While living with his brother Lawrence and Lawrence’s
wife Vera he invented a rubber flap that fit
Anna with Lawrence and Leonard in front of the confectionery
store where Anna worked in Newaygo, Michigan.
around the clutch, brake and accelerator of automobiles
that kept the cold air out. He sold quite a few of them.
As a young man he also joined the Civilian Conservation
Corps (CCC), whose camp was located on Lake
Michigan. The CCC built roads, created campsites, fishing
areas, hiking paths, and picnicking areas. The young
men’s work is still seen today around Muskegon State
Park.
Lawrence had a big old Packard which Vera would
drive out to pick Leonard up. By the time they left the
park there would be fellow workers on the fender running
boards and luggage rack.
Leonard married Katherine (Ruth) Harmon in about
1940 in Muskegon. They celebrated their 50 th anniversary
in 1990. They had one child, Larry, who was born
(Continued on page 6)

Durand Heritage Foundation Newsletter Winter, 2003
in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1946. Katherine died in
1989 in Muskegon. Leonard die in 1991, and is buried in
the family plot in Rothbury, Michigan.
Leonard and Katherine’s son Larry Durand married
Karen [last name unknown]. Larry died in 1978 in
Rothbury, Michigan. Larry and Karen had three children:
Corinna, Collette, and Benjamin.
Lawrence Durand (second son of Alfred)
Lawrence Durand
was approximately
5'10" tall, and
had brown hair
and blue eyes.
He graduated
from high school
and attended
Howel Business
College in Muskegon,
where he
obtained an accounting
degree.
Later, when he
was in business
for himself, he
did all his own
bookkeeping.
Lawrence met
Vera Harrison at
the Occidental
Hotel in Muskegon
where they
were both em-
Lawrence and his wife Vera. Although
he was the younger brother, Lawrence
married many years before his brother
Leonard.
ployed, as was Lawrence's mother Anna. After Lawrence
and Vera were married in 1926, his brother Leonard
lived with them. Lawrence and Vera had two children,
James (Jim) and Betty [co-author of this article].
James Durand was born in 1927 and Betty in 1929. During
Prohibition, when Lawrence, Vera and Leonard all
lived together, Lawrence ran a "blind pig,”a speakeasy
that sold illegal liquor.
Lawrence met Helen Peacock in about 1933. Shortly
after Lawrence’s wife Vera filed for and obtained a divorce,
and Lawrence married Helen.
Beginning about 1937, Lawrence and Helen Peacock
worked teamed up with Anna and her second husband,
John Cornelson, to operate a restaurant and bar called
the Ridatto. After that establishment, which had food,
drink, and dancing, burned down, they bought another
restaurant called the Cottage Inn—a much larger place.
Lawrence’s children Betty and Jim visited him at the
Cottage Inn, which did well during WW II. After Anna
died of cancer the partnership between John, Lawrence,
and Helen broke up.
At the time his mother Anna died, Lawrence was suf-
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fering from the effects of alcoholism. Soon after his wife
Helen left him. Lawrence later married Annette McDonald,
who also worked at the Cottage Inn. Lawrence
eventually developed osteomyelitis in a leg and hip
which then required amputation. He lived in a nursing
home for ten years before he died in 1970.
Vera Harrison Durand’s children
After her divorce from Lawrence, Vera held various
jobs such as washing, ironing, and sewing to support her
children Jim and Betty and herself. When Betty was 5½
years old, the family moved to Jackson, Michigan,
where Vera married Martin Pastori. Martin worked at
the Plymouth plant when the unions were organizing the
employees and held “sit-down” strike.
During this time, Jim developed scarlet fever and was
very ill. Martin had to sleep in the basement because
Vera, Betty, and Jim were quarantined.
The family moved back to Jackson and Martin hitchhiked
back and forth to Detroit. This was a bad time and
the family was on welfare. One Thanksgiving they had
meat loaf and thought it was wonderful. They still talked
about that holiday in later years.
After moving back to Detroit and living in a one bedroom
apartment until WW II ended, the family returned
to Muskegon. During her growing up Betty attended
eight different schools. Vera died in 1984 in Muskegon.
Betty Durand married Bill Andree in 1950. They had
Lawrence, Jim, Vera, and Betty Durand, probably in 1929
when co-author Betty was a babe-in-arms.
two children, Richard (born in 1954) and Dori (born in
(Continued on page 7)

Winter, 2003 Durand Heritage Foundation Newsletter
Great Classical Photos From Yesterday!
The great classical photos above are from the collection of Beatrice Durand Derrick. Top left is a photo of Pierre Durand and one
of his sons, perhaps Elzear? Top right is daughter Florida with Barney and Cap. Bottom right, thrashing on the ole homestead.
Alfred Durand story continued below from page six.
Betty Durand Andree, co-author of The Alfred Durand
Story, and her grandfather Alfred Durand, taken in Muskegon,
Michigan in 1947.
7
The Afred Durand Story (Continued from page 6)
1959). Bill was active in local politics, and was both the
mayor of North Muskegon and served on the city council
for a total of 21 years. He was also County Treasurer,
and worked in the automobile and moving business.
Betty sold real estate for a number of years and
enjoyed that career. Bill died in 1987 of a brain tumor.
James (Jim) Durand, Betty's brother, enlisted in the
Merchant Marine in 1943. In 1946 he came home from
the war. Betty introduced him to Beth Dickenson, and
they were married in 1947. In 1952 Jim enlisted in the
Air Force and was sent to Korea. Later he transferred to
the Army and went up in rank in the Office of Strategic
Intelligence (OSI), reaching the rank of Chief Warrant
Officer. During his military career he and his family
were sent to Germany twice, and he was sent to Vietnam
to investigate the black market. While in Vietnam
he suffered a heart attack and retired from the service.
He served during three wars: World War II, the Korean
Conflict, and the Vietnam War.
After retiring from his military career Jim opened offices
in Texas and performed polygraph testing. He died
in 1987 of a heart attack and is buried in the National
Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas. Jim and his wife Beth
had three children: Lawrence (b 1948; Kathy (b 1950;
and Mark, (b. 1954). Mark is a psychologist in Corpus
Christi, Texas.
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Durand Heritage Foundation Newsletter Winter, 2003
The only way we can keep our family stories alive is to collect them
How to Interview Your Older Relative
By Yvonne Cariveau
You realize how important it is to capture the memories
of your mother, but you aren't sure how to start.
You understand that if you don't get your grandfather to
tell his story, no one else will, and soon it may be too
late. Here's some help.
One book recommends a 4S approach—Short, Simple,
Strong and Sincere.
• Short Keep your list of questions to one page,
keep the questions short and open-ended.
• Simple Tie thoughts together and keep the tone
conversational. Know your subject. Look over the dates
and things you already know.
• Strong Use specific words rather than generalities
(He loved sausage and banana sandwiches” rather
than “he loved sandwiches”) Use action verbs (“She
groaned when she talked about giving birth” rather than
“She has bad memories about giving birth”) Don't beat
around the bush. Be direct.
• Sincere Be human. Write like you talk.
(The Researcher's Guide to American Genealogy, Val
D. Greenwood, 2nd Ed., 1990, Genealogical Publishing
Co. Inc.)
Another book provides good tips on how to go about
collecting the stories.
Prepare your questions ahead of time.
Start with a short list of the questions you are most curious
about at the top. Then have another set of questions
in case you have additional time. (There are some
suggested questions at the end of this article)
Preparing for the interview.
If you are going to take notes on paper, put the interview
date and the person's full name on the top of your
pages. Write out or type the questions, one to each page
so you have LOTS of room for taking notes.
If your relative is okay with recording the interview,
set up the tape recorder or video camera in the corner of
the room — somewhere out of the way so they can forget
it is there after a while. Check the lighting, focus and
sound to make sure you're all set. It’s best to have an assistant
who is comfortable with the tape recorder or
video camera who can check on the machinery and
change tapes so you don't have to mess around with that
business. It is difficult to take notes or switch tapes
when you are trying to ask questions and keep the conversation
rolling.
Doing the interview.
If you are going to do the interview in person, find a
time that they are awake, relaxed and suggest meeting in
their home or wherever they will be most comfortable. If
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they have a favorite chair, perhaps a rocker, have them
sit there. Make sure they have a glass of water handy—
story telling can dry you out.
Sit so you are just off to their side, so they can see
you, but you aren't facing them head on because that's
kind of intimidating.
Ask if they might have any old papers or photo albums,
bibles or other objects that you might look at together.
Things like that bring up lots of great stories.
Ask the
questions
slowly and in
a relaxed
way. If they
tell you a
story and you
wonder about
something as
t h e y
tell it, go
ahead and
ask, because
if the question
occurs to you
it might occur
to others listening
to or
reading the
story later.
Make the
experience of
telling the
story a pleasure
for both
Yvonne Cariveau used the tools described
in her article to write her feature article in
the Fall 2002 Newsletter, which told the
story “Marie Cesarie Durand—Tiny Pioneer
Mother”
of you. It's not a race or test. Keep it a warm, family
conversation. If they don't remember something or don't
want to tell about it, just move on to the next question.
Don't press.
Avoid commenting on the stories except to ask more
questions. Show interest and empathy, but keep other
emotions to yourself or you may cause them to stop or
change the story. Remember that things that were scandalous
or very hurtful to them may not seem like much
to you, but the feelings they have may be very deep.
Don't confront the person if something they tell you
appears to be incorrect. Note their version of the story
and investigate through other sources later. You may be
mistaken or they may have just made a human mistake
or perhaps it could be the result of age and loss of memory.

Winter, 2003 Durand Heritage Foundation Newsletter
Doing a remote interview. If an in-person interview
isn't good due to distance or for whatever reason, then
make arrangements for a remote interview. Type up
your questions or write them neatly and mail them to the
person with a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Send
them a large envelope so they can send back photos or a
longer story if they want. Or send the typed list of questions
along with a tape recorder and a set of blank tapes
and a box and postage to mail the tapes back to you.
And have them keep the recorder for the next round of
questions or to use to record any other messages or stories
they might want to record.
Send a thank you and follow-up note. Send a note after
you've gotten even one story and tell them how wonderful
it was to get their
story and how interested
you were in it.
Most people think
their lives were fairly
dull and may be surprised
at what you
find interesting.
Compile the stories
and check them. If
you were only able
to get written notes,
print them up and
send them to the person
you interviewed
so they can look
them over to be sure
you got everything
Book by Kirk Polking is one of
many helpful resources available.
down correctly (and
that they remembered
correctly!). If
you used a tape or
video recorder, make a copy for them and send it to
them to have and to listen to, not only for the pleasure of
hearing themselves talk but for them to check their facts
for you.
Editing your material.
Keeping the person's grammatical and spelling errors
or their accent or dialect in their stories is part of the
tale. But sometimes, for the clarity of the story, it may
be appropriate to correct spelling and grammar to make
it standard English. In that case, you may want to preserve
and present a few examples of the person's unique
language in some way.
Of course if you’re preserving their stories by audio or
video tape they should remain unchanged except for editing
out long pauses or interruptions. You might, however,
want to record in your voice each question if it
wasn't spoken aloud as you taped.
Organizing your material
Put the stories in chronological or some other order
9
that makes sense to your family. Some people are just
fine with sharing their story while they are living, but
others would prefer that certain stories be told only after
they have gone. Let them know that is an option for
them and ask if there are any stories they would prefer
you hold back until they (or someone else) has passed
on.
Sharing the stories.
Besides the usual possibility of putting the stories
you've gathered into a printed book or written family
history, there are lots of electronic options. You can
convert the stories into .pdf files by typing them up and
inserting photos and scanning them using Adobe Acrobat.
Or convert the audio tape to .wav or .mp3 files. Or
convert the video tape to digital format. Any of these
options will enable you to save the interview information
to a CD or DVD for portable, permanent storage.
Or to send it over the internet.
You can distribute the stories in whatever form to family
as a Christmas gift, or you can publish a book just
get the stories out there. In any case, don't let them sit in
your closet too long or they may stay untold to anyone
but you.
Suggested Starter Questions
1) What is the earliest thing you can remember?
2) We call you ____ in the family. Did you ever have
any other names? Did you like that name? How did you
get it?
3) What were Christmases (Easters, Thanksgivings)
like for you as a child? Do you remember a certain present
or one year more than others?
4) What did you want to be when you were a kid in
school?
5) Did you have someone you really looked up to as a
kid or as a teenager? What did you admire about them?
6) What kinds of games did you play when you were a
child?
7) How did you meet your husband/wife? What did
you think of them that first time?
8) How did you get engaged? Who asked? Where?
What did your parents think of this?
9) What do you remember about your wedding? Did
you have a dance? Did anything not go according to
plan?
10) (If they have children) How did you find out you
were going to have your first child? What was that like?
11) What's the best job you ever had? What's the
worst? Tell me about them...why were they good/bad?
12) They say that each of us needs to learn something
in our lifetime...what do you think you were supposed to
learn during your life? Did you learn it?
13) Have you been accident-prone? Was anyone in the
family? How did that affect your life?
14) Was anyone in our family limited by special
(Continued on page 18)

Durand Heritage Foundation Newsletter Winter, 2003
Holiday Greetings by Mary Durand Morrow
“All hearts come ho
This phrase stirs many memories for me as
my thoughts drift back to the farmhouse in
northern Wisconsin where I grew up along
with my eight siblings.
The day before Christmas found us all bustling
about as we prepared our home for this
very special time. The floors were scrubbed,
the Julekage (Norwegian Christmas bread)
and pies were baked.
Us older kids were assigned the task of going
out into the “Tamarack swamp” to cut the
Christmas tree. We would load it onto our
sled, or if it was to big we would drag it home
over the snow. When we arrived at the house
it would still be covered with snow and little
icicles. So it had to be warmed up by the
wood stove, which then left a big puddle of
water on mother’s clean floor.
After the tree was put into the tree stand we
would decorate it with silver garland and candles!
When the evening meal was cleared
away and the barn chores were finished, we
gathered around the tree for that magical moment
when our parents would light the candles.
The pungent pine fragrance and the scent
of the flickering candles filled the room. This
ritual was only performed on Christmas Eve.
It was a special time as we sat in awe of how
beautiful our tree was. We would sing a few
Christmas carols and then the candles would
be snuffed out.
Each of us hung one long stocking up by the
tree. The other stocking was carefully laid out
with our clean clothes that we were to wear to
early morning Christmas Mass. I am sure that
some Christmas mornings we must have attended
Mass with a piece of Christmas candy
still stuck in the toe of our stocking. We were
sent upstairs to our beds, but it seemed like
sleep would never come. We would lay there
and listen for Santa.
10
Our dad would summon us early in the morning
from the bottom of the stairway. His familiar call
was “Charles, Mir, Shir, Virg, Eileen and Audrey –
it’s time to get up!”
The list was too long at a time like that! We
would bound down the stairs to see what Santa had
left for us. There was always a gift for each of us.
The size of the gift depended on how profitable
farming had been that year. If money was scarce
Author Mary and her sister Shirley stand in snow heaped
by a blizzard in 1939. In the background is the farmhouse
where Lewis and Jennie raised their nine children.
mom and dad made do with what they had. On
Christmas Eve one year, Mother sat at her sewing
machine making a rag doll for our youngest sister

Winter, 2003 Durand Heritage Foundation Newsletter
so that she would have a gift in her stocking.
It was hard to tear ourselves away from our gifts
to attend an early morning Christmas mass at our
little country church. We had to be careful not to
pop a piece of candy into our mouths because we
were supposed to fast from 12 o’clock the night before
if we wanted to receive Communion.
When we returned home after mass we were allowed
to play with our new gifts while mother pre-
Mary (“Mir”) stands with her brother Charles in a photo taken about 1945. In
front l to r are Shirley (“Shir”), Virginia (“Virg”), Eileen, and Audrey. Yet to
make their appearance in the family were Michael, Betty, and Kaye (1952-2002).
pared a Christmas dinner of ham which had been
grown and cured on our farm.
My most memorable Christmas gift was a pair of
new skates. They were beautiful! White leather
with red laces! I felt like Hans Brinker as I glided
over the ice on the lake that was part of our farm.
Christmas vacation was a time to have sliding and
skating parties with our siblings and many special
friends and cousins. We would stand at the top of
11
the hill with our sleds — run and then “belly
flop” onto our sleds to made them go faster
and farther. We would build a warming bonfire
on the iced over lakes when we went skating.
Sometimes we brought along hot dogs
and marshmallow to roast. We spent many
hours enjoying ourselves this way.
One Christmas when our own children were
very young my husband and I traveled from
Oregon by train to spend Christmas
in Wisconsin. My parents
had asked a neighbor to come on
Christmas Eve to deliver the
gifts. This portly neighbor appeared
at the door in his red velvet
suit with a sack on his back
full of Chatty Cathy dolls, Tonka
trucks and a shaggy maned stick
horse. It was snowing outside
and Santa was covered with big
snowflakes. It was a Christmas
that will always be remembered
by our five children. After Santa
left my parents hugged each
other with joy! The farmhouse
had once again held the magic of
Christmas!
Forty years later, Christmas 1983
found all my sisters and brothers
gathered once again at the farmhouse.
The Christmas tree was
up and decorated in the same
room where we had our stockings on past
Christmases. This year would be different.
Our dear mother was near death in the next
room. The parish priest had been there to administer
the last rites. Our hearts were so
heavy!
It was a gray dreary December day. At daybreak
a flock of evening grosbeaks (we always
(Continued on page 17)

Durand Heritage Foundation Newsletter Winter, 2003
Durands in the Military
Devil Doc Heals and Teaches in Iraq
By Lt Col James F. Durand, USMC
Lieutenant Commander Patrick Ginn, Medical Corps,
United States Naval Reserve, was deployed to the Middle
East in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom with Expeditionary
Medical Facility Three. During his tour of
duty, he provided medical care to those in need and continued
to teach those in
his charge. Dr. Ginn is
the son-in-law of Durand
Heritage Foundation
member Susanne Krasovich
of West Allis, Wisconsin.
A native of Las Vegas,
Nevada, Dr. Ginn completed
medical school at
Dartmouth College
through the Navy’s
Health Professions
Scholarship Program. He
met Susanne Krasovich,
his future wife and namesake
of her mother, while
attending Dartmouth. After
graduating from Officer
Indoctrination School
in Newport, Rhode Island,
he was commissioned
a lieutenant in the
Navy’s Medical Corps.
Following initial assignments,
Pat completed a
family practice residency
at the Madgian Army
Medical Center in Fort
Lewis, Washington.
While in residency, he
was selected for a Faculty
Development Fellowship
and concurrently
pursued a Master of
Business Administration
degree at Pacific Lutheran
University, focusing
on resident education
and organizational behavior and management.
He was assigned to the Naval Hospital in Pensacola,
Florida. In addition to serving the sailors assigned to
bases surrounding the city, Naval Hospital Pensacola is
a “teaching hospital” and the location of the Family
Practice Residency Program. Dr. Ginn supervised and
12
mentored the doctors specializing in Family Practice as
they completed three years academic and practical training.
Concurrently, the doctors, corpsman, and pharmacists
assigned to Naval Hospital Pensacola are prepared to
deploy as a Fleet Hospital.
Over 900 medical
professionals operate a
500-bed field hospital
that can be deployed
throughout the world in
support of American
military and humanitarian
interests. In the
months prior to Operation
Iraqi Freedom, Naval
Hospital Pensacola
deployed a 116-bed hospital
to Kuwait. Designated
Expeditionary
Medical Facility Three,
300 medical and surgical
personnel from navy
hospitals throughout the
south and southwest
staffed the hospital. Its
facilities included, a
casualty receiving unit,
an operating room, three
inpatient wards and an
intensive care unit, as
well as laboratory, radiology
and pharmacy
suites.
Dr. Ginn left for the
Middle East in early
January, leaving his wife
Susanne—also a family
practitioner—and twoyear
old son, Michael, in
Pensacola. While any
deployment is difficult
for military families, the
likelihood of combat
and austere environment made this deployment even
more challenging. Moreover, Susanne was pregnant
with their second child.
Upon arriving in theatre, the hospital and its staff were
attached to the First Service Support Group, I Marine
Expeditionary Force. The staff initially set up the hospi-
Lt Cdr (Lieutenant Commander) Patrick Ginn on station in Iraq at
Fleet Hospital Three. Motto is, “Anytime, Anywhere, Any Place”

Winter, 2003 Durand Heritage Foundation Newsletter
tal along Kuwait’s northern border. In the months leading
up to the war, they provided health services to the
70,000 Marines and sailors of I MEF.
While the hospital contains the most modern equipment
available, the staff endured the same challenges as
the Marines in living in the desert: heat, sand storms,
and water rationing. Like all servicemen and women living
and operating in the field, the doctors and corpsmen
developed ways to adapt. Pat brought along a five plas-
Lt Cdr Ginn in fatigue jacket against a sere desert backdrop.
tic gallon bucket, which alternately functioned as a basin,
washing machine, and suitcase. Yet it is because
doctors and corpsmen willingly accept the same dangers
and privations as the Marines they serve alongside that
they are held in such high esteem.
The history of the Marine Corps is filled with accounts
of “Devil Docs” who have a sacrificed alongside the
“Devil Dogs.”
A field hospital is a massive and complex enterprise
by any standard; EMF-3 was transported aboard 60 tractor-trailers
and covered over nine acres once established.
Serving there requires more than sharp medical skills.
With the exception of the Marines assigned to provide
external security and Seabees who support the hospital’s
construction and maintenance, the hospital staff does
everything. Doctors, nurses, and corpsman frequently
and readily take on additional responsibilities to support
the hospital’s mission.
Amidst the 100-degree heat and threat of enemy fire,
Dr. Ginn continued to teach and mentor those in his
13
charge. The doctors and corpsmen working at the hospital
were eager to learn new skills and procedures. In correspondence
with his family, Pat frequently recounted
how staff members would seek to be taught new skills
in order to better support the hospital.
As the First Marine Division attacked north into Iraq,
EMF-3 followed the Marines into battle and established
the hospital at Jabilah Airfield, located midway between
the Iraq-Kuwait border and An Nasiriyah. This was the
To serve in Iraq, Ginn had to leave his two-year-old son Michael
and pregnant wife Susanne, who is also a physician.
first time that a Fleet Hospital had moved inland from a
beach or port. Moreover, it was the first time that a hos-
Rachel Ginn, born four months after Lt Cdr Ginn returned
from his unit’s assignment in Iraq.
pital had operated within a combat zone. By establishing
the hospital close to the advancing units, the staff of
(Continued on page 17)

Durand Heritage Foundation Newsletter Winter, 2003
Rules For The Teacher…...1915
You will not marry during the term of your contract.
You are not to keep company with men.
You must be home between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 a.m.
unless attending a school function.
You may not loiter downtown in any ice cream stores.
You may not travel beyond the city limits unless
you have permission of the chairman of the board.
You may not smoke cigarettes.
You may not under any circumstances dye your hair.
You may not dress in bright colors.
You may not ride in a carriage or automobile with
Any man unless he be your father or brother.
You must wear at least two petticoats.
Your dresses must not be any shorter than 2 inches above the ankles.
To keep the schoolhouse neat and clean, you must:
Sweep the floor at least once daily; scrub the floor at least
Once a week with hot, soapy water; clean the blackboards at least
Once a day; and start the fire at 7 a.m. so the room will be warm by 8 a.m.
14
Polk County, Wis. Historical Society
Bench Street Antiques & Mercantile
Taylors Falls, MN 55084

Winter, 2003 Durand Heritage Foundation Newsletter
In In Memorium
Memorium
Eugene L. “Jack” Durand, 72, of Spooner, died on
Sunday, Nov. 9, 2003, at Spooner Health System.
He was born on Sept. 11, 1931, to Lawrence and Ida
(Jacobson) Durand in the town of Scott, where he was
raised. He was a 1949 graduate of Spooner High School.
On Aug. 8, 1953, he married Evonne Fox in Spooner.
He served three years in the Army. In 1956 he cofounded
Dur-a-Bilt in Spooner, which he operated for
43 years, retiring as president. He and Evonne enjoyed
their country cabin in the town of Scott.
He was a member of St. Francis de Sales Catholic
Church, Spooner, and served several terms on the
Spooner School Board, of which he was a past president.
Survivors include his wife; five children, Mark Durand
of Minong, Franceen (David) Horin of Hudson, Lisa
(Charles) Wachtel of Evansville, Chris Durand of Webster,
and Andrew Durand of Spooner; four grandchildren,
Taylor, Jonathan, Jacob, and Hayleigh; two sisters,
Sr. Manette Durand of Jonestown, Miss., and Karen Urben
of Racine; and nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his stepmother,
Harriet; an infant son, Gregory; a brother, Joseph;
and a sister, Ione.
The Mass of Christian Burial was held on Thursday,
Nov. 13, at Sacred Hearts of Jesus & Mary Catholic
15
Church in the town of Scott, Fr. Andrew P. Ricci, celebrant.
Jack was interred in the Sacred Hearts Cemetery in the
town of Scott with military honors accorded by the
Spooner Area Veterans Honor Guard.
Notice of Family Reunion
The descendants of Pierre & Louise Durand will
hold their biennial Family Reunion
Saturday, August 14, 2004
Shell Lake Community Center
Shell Lake, Wisconsin
Host families are the descendants of
Elzear Durand
Adelard Durand
Gilbert Durand
Please be prepared to bring family keepsakes and
heirlooms for display at the reunion, along with
written explanations of what they are and why they
are significant to our history.
Contact persons for the 2004 reunion are:
Joanne Durand Berres (952) 469-2914
Joyce Durand Ripley (715) 635-2245
Alice Durand Keppel (952) 658-2330
Great Classical Photos From Yesterday!
Great Classical Picture– This great classical photo is one of many treasures from Beatrice Durand Derricks archives. Recently,
Gaylen and his wife Martha Derrick, allowed Richard and Roger Durand to begin to sift through her “trunk”. Beatrice saved
many treasures like this one that have not seen the light of day for many years. This photo is of Pierre Durand, (holding plow
handles), along with four children, presumably on the homestead of Pierre and Louise Durand, perhaps early 1900’s.

Durand Heritage Foundation Newsletter Winter, 2003
Returning to the Seasonality of Food
By Charli Mills
It’s winter. The snows are drifting outside, the lakes
are frozen over, and you’re snug as can be in your warm
house, eating—of all things—strawberries! And why
would you be eating strawberries mid-winter? Because
you are a modern person living in a modern world,
where strawberries are available at the grocery store
year-round. Since your ancestors a hundred years ago
certainly would not be nibbling strawberries in January,
what would they have eaten?
By 1890 43% of the American population was farmers.
While that percentage is half of what it was in 1790
(census records show that 90% of Americans were
farmers in 1790) by 1990 that percentage had plummeted
to 2.6%. Strawberries never were a mainstay
crop, although in some parts of the country wild berries
were abundant in the summer months. Raspberries fared
well in the north-central states back in 1890 and shoots
were easy enough to relocate when the families moved.
Most often the crops on the farm did not directly supply
the family with food. In 1890, for example, Minnesota’s
primary crop was wheat, and this state was one of
the country’s top three producers. Plentiful flowing water
also afforded gristmills opportunities to produce
flour; thus the growth of Minneapolis as “Mill City.” Of
course bread was a constant staple food in the diets of
our ancestors. Yet it would be big vegetable gardens and
berry patches that ultimately supplied our ancestors with
an abundant variety of seasonal foods: rhubarb in the
spring, green beans all summer, melons by midsummer,
tomatoes late summer, and potatoes and squash
by fall.
Heavy farm work often called for three full meals a
day plus two lunches between. Fresh strawberries in
winter would have been an utter oddity in 1890, but not
strawberry jam. Our ancestors were ingenious for preserving
the bounty of the land to see them through the
barren winter months.
While it is interesting to reflect upon the diets of our
great-great-grandparents, really, what does this have to
do with our current generation? After all, we are of a
generation who can get strawberries in winter, fresh or
preserved.
The seasonality of food can help maintain our health
by offering a wider variety of nutrients at peak freshness.
Since our health is worth preserving, it is wise to
gain the full nutritional impact of foods in season.
Sometimes we get stuck in habits and eat the same
foods week after week. Learn to notice what is in season.
Talk to your store’s produce manager about what is
freshest.
January is the month for citrus. Take advantage of the
16
mandarins, tangerines, varieties of oranges and big ruby
red grapefruits. They always taste better in January than
in any other month. From citrus you get very important
vitamin C, which can help ward off winter colds. Also,
try to buy local produce when in season.
Of course, January in the Midwest does not yield
much in the way of produce. However, we do have a
network of local dairies providing milk, butter and
cheese and the hens are still laying their brown and
white eggs nearby. We are also blessed to have local
green-houses that grow tomatoes hydroponically yearround.
While these tomatoes are different from the seasonal
varieties we grow in summer, they do taste full
and fresh. Tomatoes are one of the most nutritious foods
available.
Here is the complete list of the most nutritious foods
you can include in your diet, from “Ten Foods that
Pack a Whallop” (Time, Jan. 21, 2002):
1. Tomatoes – cooked tomatoes have been linked
to reducing cancers of the digestive track
2. Spinach – highly nutritious for numerous reasons
3. Red Wine – supercharged with antioxidants
4. Nuts – seem to trigger a process known as apoptosis
in which cancer cells kill themselves
5. Broccoli – includes indole-3-carbinol that may
detoxify cancer-causing substances
6. Oats – this is a great source of fiber and hard-tofind
antioxidants
7. Salmon – high in omega-3s
8. Garlic – nature’s cure-all
9. Green Tea – loaded with polyphenols
10. Blueberries – highest concentration of antioxidants
Health professionals agree that food provides the highest
quality of nutrition. While you would be able to find
vitamins and other supplements that provide the nutritional
value found in the top ten foods, your body will
best be able to assimilate those nutrients from the actual
source.
This brings us back to seasonality: foods are at their
peak of nutrition when they are freshest. Sure, strawber-
♦ Local Produce Market
♦ Meat & Seafood Market
♦ Organic & Natural Groc.
♦ Full-Service Deli
♦ Drive-thru Coffee
♦ Wellness Center
13750 Co. Rd. 11 • Burnsville, MN 55337 • 952-891-1212

Winter, 2003 Durand Heritage Foundation Newsletter
All hearts come... (Continued from page 11)
called them Mother’s birds) had fluttered outside
her bedroom window.
It was a very long vigil as we sang to her in spite
of the big lumps in our throats. Mother seemed to
be aware of our presence, and she lay quietly as we
Mary’s parents, Jennie and Lewis Durand. From a Norwegian
family, Jennie made Julekage as part of the family’s
Christmas tradition. As a young man Lewis did factory work,
sales, and sailed the Great Lakes. Later a carpenter and
farmer, Lewis lost two fingers in a construction accident.
sang to her and prayed the rosary.
And then something beautiful happened! At the
very instant that our mother drew her last breath, an
unexplainable light shown through the room. All of
us that were at her bedside saw it. We could not
find words to describe it.
Perhaps it was the Christmas Angel coming to
guide her home.
You can give a gift membership online…
and charge it!
Visit www.durandfoundation.com
17
Devil Doc (Continued from page 13)
EMF-3 was able provide to injured servicemen with a
timely medical care a level that is unavailable in aid
stations.
This willingness and ability to operate so close to
those in combat saved lives, as An Nasiriyah was the
site of some of the most difficult combat the Marines
encountered during the war. In addition to providing
critical care to coalition troops from all units in Iraq,
EMF-3 treated enemy prisoners of war and Iraqi civilians.
In two months the hospital treated over 1,100 patients.
Pat Ginn returned with the medical professionals of
EMF-3 to a heroes’ welcome in Pensacola on June 9,
2003. For Michael, his father’s return was the best present
to celebrate his third birthday. After taking leave to
visit family and friends, he resumed his duties at Naval
Hospital Pensacola, continuing to teach and heal. More
importantly, he helped Susanne as the couple prepared
for the arrival of their daughter Rachel, who was born
just four months later, in September.
Returning to (Continued from page 16)
ries picked in New Zealand in January might be fresh
initially, but by the time they reach your store they have
lost a lot of nutritional value. Many conventional fruits
and vegetables are often irradiated to lengthen their
shelf life. Irradiation does not preserve nutrients—some
studies point out that this process may actually rob food
of its natural vitamins and minerals. So again, look
closer to home for the most nutritious foods. Only certified
organic produce is guaranteed to not be irradiated.
While you are contemplating the lives of your ancestors
and digging up the roots to your family tree, keep
warm and keep healthy. Savor the seasons and the food
each one brings.
—————————————————————
Charli Mills writes food-related articles for Valley
Natural Foods where she has served as Marketing Manager
for three years. Valley Natural Foods is a community-owned
cooperative located in Burnsville, MN, off of
35E at exit 90 (look for the state road signs). Charli can
be contacted at 952-891-1212, #239 or
vallnat3@frontiernet.net.
Do you have a question about food? Ask Charli...
Mike Durand, Financial Advisor
Insurance & Investments
No cost or obligation portfolio review.
Call toll free– 877-300-5797
Visit my web site at www.mikedurand.com
Securities offered through
SunAmerica Securities
AIG Advisor Group– Member NASD/SIPC

Durand Heritage Foundation Newsletter Winter, 2003
Reader’s Connection
More Brothers and Sisters Marriages,
and a Plea for Help
Colleen Fadollone of Antelope, California wrote regarding
sisters marrying brothers, and also asked for
help in locating a burial site. Colleen wrote:
Hi, Cousin John,
Just read the newsletter and your wanting to know
about sisters marrying brothers. I am a descendant of
Leocadie and Rosana Durand, and my two sisters, Eileen
and Margaret, married two brothers, Ted and Stan
Zellmar.
Two of my sons also married sisters: Richard and
Tony Montes married Dianne and Barbara Feister.
I also have a son who married a girl from Canada, and
they live in the same town as my second cousin, who I
believe is the husband of Doreen Hart [who wrote in the
Fall 2003 newsletter]. They live in a small town of about
5,000 named Olds, Alberta. I guess I have lost my son to
Canada. He lives only about 50 miles from the grave of
my great-grandfather, Nazarie Durand. I will visit
Nazarie’s grave when I go to visit my son next summer.
I have talked to Mavis Johnston [who wrote in the Summer
2003 newsletter] several times. She is also my second
cousin. What a small world!
I am wondering if in the next newsletter you might
mention the fact that all the Thibodeau family in
Minnesota has been looking for the burial site of
Caroline Thibodeau and her husband, Joseph Bonin.
They were killed in Turtle Lake, Wisconsin and no
one knows where they are buried, including their
own grandchildren. They lived in Faribault at the
time but were killed by a train in Turtle Lake in
1892.
Caroline was the first born of Olivia Durand. Caroline
and Joseph left three orphaned children who
never knew where their parents’ graves are.
———————————————–
Thanks for writing, Colleen. Hopefully someone will
be able to shed some light on Caroline and Joseph
Bonin’s burial site.
Colleen by the way is the daughter of Jed (Gedion)
Thibodeau, whose mother was Rosana Durand and
whose grandmother was Olivia Durand, who married
Dieudonne Thibodeau in Quebec and came to America
and to Faribault, Minnesota in the great migration of
Durands.
————————————————
From Margie Durand Block of Rice Lake, Wisconsin
comes word that she and some of her family are working
on an article for this newsletter on “Mom and Dad’s
story.” “Mom and Dad” are Peter and Marina Durand.
Peter (the sixth surviving child of Pierre and Louise Du-
18
rand) lived and farmed in the Town of Scott, Burnett
County, Wisconsin his entire life.
Margie wrote that she is also working on a write-up
for “Uncle Ray,” Peter’s bachelor brother, and she invites
anyone who has something to add to either story to
please get in touch with her. She also would like information
about Peter’s early life because “as you know
Dad was 38 when he and Mom married and we never
learned much of his early life. He never said much about
it, except how hard he worked.”
Thank you for taking on this responsibility, Margie.
Anyone who wants to get in touch with Margie can
write to her at:
Margie Block
1963 21 15/16 St.
Rice Lake, WI 54868
—————————————————
While cruising the internet one day in Google (you all
know what that is, of course, I ran across a genealogical
website that featured the name of Durand along with a
couple of others. Not being familiar with the other
(Continued on page 20)
How to Interview… (Continued from page 9)
needs—deaf, blind, birth defects, loss of limbs? How
did that affect you?
15) Were you or was your spouse a veteran? Where
did you serve? What can you tell me about that experience?
16) What was your grandpa and grandma's full
names? What do you remember about them? Did they
have any brothers or sisters?
17) What did your grandfather do for a living? Where
is he buried?
18) What was/is your favorite entertainment? movies?
radio? TV? plays? opera? sports?
(The Complete Idiot's Guide to Genealogy, Christine
Rose and Kay Germain Ingalls, 1997, Alpha Books).
For more question ideas and suggestions for effective
writing, get Writing Family Histories and Memoirs by
Kirk Polking, 1995, Betterway Books. One of the best
ideas in this book is that your interviewing and story
telling should start with you. Ask yourself all of the
questions above and record your answers, then interview
others. You will learn things that will help you to
interview others, and YOUR story will be recorded too.
How can you NOT own an honestto-goodness
book by a relative?
Order The Taos Massacres by John Durand
$15 plus $3 shipping
PO Box 765 Elkhorn, WI 53121
Order online: www.puzzleboxpress.com

Winter, 2003 Durand Heritage Foundation Newsletter
Well, the scholarship fund bike ride is about three
months closer. Next year on Tuesday, August 10 I’ll be
unloading my bike from my car in Faribault, Minnesota
and greeting those who will join me on
this grand three-day adventure. So far
there are several...my sister Ellen and
her husband Bob, my sister Alice and
her husband Pat, my niece Anna Webber,
and Marilyn Durand, wife of Mike
Durand, founder of our family foundation.
Dianne Zimmer (daughter of the late Maurice Durand)
has already pledged $25. I assume that’s in total
and not per mile. Thank you, Dianne.
I’m sure as the days creep closer that others will join
in, especially when winter’s blasts are done and we take
heart once again in the great renewal that springtime
brings.
I hope you aren’t put off by my yammering about this
bike ride, but I believe it could turn out to be a great
bonding event for family...not unlike the annual Green
Chili Run in our family from years past, when those of
my generation were younger and more vital.
I believe 1980 was the year of the first Green Chili
Run (although it wasn’t known as such at the time).
That’s when several of my generation were running (or
jogging mostly) for fitness and fun.
Gathered at “the cabin” for our annual 4th of July gettogether,
we rather spontaneously organized a run along
the back roads of the area. My sister-in-law Florence
Durand, famous in our family for her green chili and not
inclined to such foolishness as ruining a perfectly good
day by getting all hot and sweaty and being chased by
deer flies, stayed at the cabin to cook green chili while a
gang of us set forth on a recreational fun. And thus was
born the annual Green Chili Run, which always culminated
in a feast of Florence’s wonderful green chili and
copious quantities of Margaritas.
Next year my nephew John Durand Hillis (1949-1991)
Surplus souvenir T-shirts from the visit of Pope John
Paul II to Iowa were recycled for the 2nd Annual Green
Chili Run by imprinting over the original design.
19
contracted with a friend to produce special T-shirts for
the event, which by reputation was attracting a lot of interest
(whether for the green chili or the Margaritas I
cannot say). This friend happened to
have hundreds of T-shirts left over
from the visit of Pope John Paul II to
For What It’s Worth
Des Moines, Iowa the year before. So,
By John Durand
ever the entrepreneur, John said, “Why
don’t you print a new design over the
Pope thing for this year’s Green Chili
Run?” And thus she did. And thus did John bring up
from Des Moines dozens of Green Chili Run T-shirts to
sell to his gullible aunts and uncles and cousins.
If anyone thought it would be neat to show up for the
Green Chili Run wearing one of John’s T-shirts they
soon learned that his product was good for photo-ops
only. To cover the old design, John’s friend fashioned a
circular image and screened it with thick rubbery white
stuff that is about as good an insulator as I’ve ever seen.
After few steps in one of these T-shirts on a summer day
you feel sweat beads sliding down your belly.
Nonetheless, these T-shirts are treasured by those of us
who ran in the annual Green Chili Run, which as years
went by dwindled from a 10-mile run to a 10-kilometer
run to a 5-kilometer run/walk and ultimately to a fairly
private affair for a few of the diehards. The consumption
of green chili and Margaritas did not diminish, however.
Well, I’m inclined to think that the scholarship fund
bike ride not only needs a T-shirt for everyone who
rides or participates, but also a proper name (something
more jazzy than “scholarship fund bike ride”) . So that’s
another project to get going. Any ideas out there? Anyone
want to volunteer to come up with a design? To organize
the acquisition and printing of T-shirts, etc?
But as I said, if like Little Red Hen I have to sow and
reap and bake by myself, that’s okay too. After all, I’m
the one who got me into this. But I have a feeling that,
like a family potluck, it somehow will all come together.

Durand Heritage Foundation Newsletter Winter, 2003
The back page…
Interested in the Durand Heritage Foundation? Visit our website: www.durandfoundation.com
Reader’s Connection (Continued from page 18)
names I entered the website and was surprised to see
detailed information about the family of Jean Durand
dit La Fortune from earliest times down to the present.
Curious, I sent an email to the webmaster and received
the following reply:
I’m the wife of Joseph Matthew Durand (Texas), son
of Gilbert Matthew (son of Leo Gilbert).
I’ve been researching our ancestry for a while and
came across the Durand Foundation website a few years
ago.
Anyway, a while back I came across an obituary from
one of my ancestors (Hermenegilde Fournier) and noticed
that one of the casket bearers was a Louis Durand.
At the time I didn’t know whether this Louis Durand
was family or friend. Since then in researching other
lines I’ve come across other Durands in my ancestry
and curiosity got to me to see how many times our
families crossed.
Regards,
Marie Durand
Small world! Readers may remember that Marie’s
husband Joseph ran across our Foundation website and
got in touch with former chair Mike Durand. The result
was a story about the Leo Durand family that appeared
in the Spring 2002 Newsletter. After many a year of
being out of touch with their Midwest roots the “Texas
Chair
Roger Durand
rdurand@frontiernet.net
Vice Chair
John Durand
Durand Foundation Officers
jcdurand3391@charter.net
Secretary
Richard Durand
rgdur@spacestar.net
Treasurer
Alice Keppel
amkeppel@2z.net
76 Marcin Hill
Burnsville, MN 55337
Phone 612-898-2896
624 East Market St #103
Elkhorn, WI 53121
Phone 262 723-7750
320 Em Street
Spooner, WI 54801
Phone 715-635-3888
1104 Apple Circle
Mayer, MN 55360
Phone 952-659-2330
20
To update the Durand family tree, contact:
Blanche Durand Hammer
1547 Quail Ridge Road
Woodbury, MN 53125
Email: mbmn@attbi.com
Durand Foundation Board of Directors
Mike Durand, John Durand, Roger Durand, Alice Durand Keppel, Tom Bacig, Yvonne Cariveau, Richard Durand,
Susanne Krasovich, Mary Brusegard, Blanche Durand Hammer, Joanne Berres
New
Durands” were reconnected! Now we learn that Durands
are also connected to the family of Joseph’s wife
Marie. Did someone say “six degrees of separation?” In
any event, Marie’s talents as a genealogist are a welcome
addition to our efforts.
Keep those cards and letters and emails coming, folks!
To contact the Durands in the Military Project
Lt Col James F. Durand, USMC
(Colonel Durand, between postings, will have a new
mailing address soon)
Email: JFDURAND@aol.com
To find out about the Young Writers Project
Virginia Durand James
2087 County Road A
Spooner, WI 54801
Phone: 715-635-3068
Newsletter
John Durand, Chair
Roger Durand
Susanne Krasovich
Ellen Durand Olson
Research
Roger Durand, Co-Chair
Yvonne Cariveau, Co-Chair
Richard Durand
Mike Durand
Susanne Krasovich
Standing Committees
Records
Blanche Hammer, Chair
Roger Durand
John Durand
Membership/Marketing
Mike Durand Chairperson
Marilyn Durand
The Durand Heritage Foundation is a public, not-for-profit, educational and research corporation chartered in the State of
Minnesota and operating under §501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowable.
The Foundation affords no pecuniary benefit to its officers and members.