Our Mission
The mission of DHF shall be to preserve and make available to its members and others the family and cultural heritage of the ancestors and descendants of Jean Durand of Doeil-sur-le-Mignon, Saint Onge, Charente Maritime, France (1636-1671) and Catherine Annennontak, Huron Nation, Canada (1648-1709) by encouraging and supporting research, scholarship, publication, and other activities consistent with the mission of DHF through the voluntary efforts of its members.
Durand Heritage Foundation History
The Durand Heritage Foundation was established in 1998 by Mike Durand, who recognized that various family members were working in different areas of interest to discover and preserve the French-Canadian roots of the family history of Jean Durand. To facilitate these people working together he proposed that interested individuals form an organization to facilitate working together. Mike Durand also developed, edited and published the first newsletter in April 1998, the Durand Family Heritage & Foundation Newsletter. In that first newsletter, which he printed and mailed at his own expense, Mike announced an organizational meeting to be held that July in Burnett County, Wisconsin. In response to that mailing Mike received numerous expressions of interest and pledges of support, and although attendance at the July meeting was modest, people from Texas, Arizona, Florida, Minnesota, and Wisconsin attended. Those attending the meeting defined objectives, elected officers, and formed several committees.
Those who participated in the July meeting were:
Marilyn Durand, Marie Miller, Jeanne Sansovini, Mary Brusegard, Cecile Foley, Suzanne Durand, Mike Durand, James Miller, Roger Durand, Elizabeth Kinslow, Richard Durand, Susanne & Mathew Krasovich and Fred Foley.