By: Chris Sebastian, Macomb Daily Special Writer
Macomb Daily photo by David Dalton
 
 

Several Rivard family generations investigated their family trees at the Mount Clemens Public Library in July. Mary and Leo Clor, left, join  Bette Nebel Rivard.

The city of Detroit's birthday party was not the only celebration at the end of July. A family rich in Detroit history observed its birth in America as well.

The Rivard family traces its descendants back to Cadillac's founding of Detroit in 1701, when the earliest American relatives accompanied him during settlement.

To remember, celebrate and meet, more than 150 Rivard cousins descended on Windsor, Ontario, and various Michigan locations for a "Rivard Rendez-Vous 2001" reunion.

The reunion was organized by the Rivard Forum and Rivard Association. The forum is an Internet group that allows family members worldwide to know each other. The database contains more than 30,000 family members. The association, an international group, works to unite family members through reunions.

This reunion comes after a successful gathering last year in Three Rivers, Quebec. It was in this area that French-born Nicolas Rivard, the family's first North American immigrant, established roots in the 1600s.

Many cousins had never visited Quebec and their North American roots, said forum member Mary Ann Mickey of Saginaw. "But it was also because we wanted to meet each other. We talked for three to four years on e-mail. ... It was nice to meet face to face."

This year's reunion had similar intentions.

"We wanted to host our Canadian cousins, but at the same time just get together and meet again," Mickey said.

Thomas Dufour, a Rivard cousin, organized the events and trips for the weekend.

"It was a great success. We gathered a lot more information on our family," he said. "With the information and us getting on the Internet, we basically put three family trees together."

The activities for the most part were free of charge, designed to gather genealogical information and give people free time to enjoy the Detroit birthday celebrations.

It began when family members went to Windsor and had a barbecue at their hotel on July 20, where cousins first met each other.

"There was our first signs of surprises. People showed up we didn't know were coming," Dufour said. "But sitting down and talking to them through the evening, it was quite interesting."

The group traveled to the Burton Library in Windsor on July 21 to look up records, and attended Mass at Ste. Anne's Church in Detroit.

July 22 included Mass at Assumption Church in Windsor, and a picnic at Ambassador Park to watch the Tall Ships parade. They were treated to a surprise during the event.

"One of our groups who had visited the ships earlier, told the sailors where the group would be," Dufour said.

"When they saw the Rivard group on shore, they fired cannons. It was our salute," Mickey said.

Sunday evening brought an exhibition to the hotel, offering factual data and displays on the different branches of the Rivard family and its many descendants.

A small group traveled to the Mount Clemens Library on July 23 to look up history and genealogy records. The Rivards have a large history in the Macomb County area, beginning when Charles Napoleon Rivard married Louisa A.J. Lodewyck.

On July 24, the Rivard Association participated in the re-creation of the landing of Cadillac in Detroit.

The weeklong events gave participants, young and old, a new understanding of their heritage. Dufour said children do not appreciate their roots and the many sacrifices previous generations made for them.

"A lot of this smaller history is not being taught in the schools; it should be (taught more) because it also explains to the younger kids ... how their families migrated."

The Rivard family has spread to every coast in America since the first descendants crossed into Detroit 300 years ago. Reunions such as these attempt to bring everyone together, and they work, Dufour said.

The best part for him was "meeting so many different people, from various parts of the country, that six months ago I was not aware of."