Page 9 - Genealogy French Families Détroit River Revision 1701-1936 - Vol. 1

In 1976 The Detroit Society For Genealogical Research, Inc. under
agre-nt with the Burton Historical Collection of the Detroit Public Library,
publiahed for the first time French Families Of The Detroit River Re ion
1701-1911. With the expert gu-e of Dr. H ~ o ~ F ~ l ~ m of a ~ o u p
=era and others worked tirelessly for several years to make available
this unique work by Father Christian Denissen as a two vol- set for purchase
by the general public.
The aupply of copies of this first edition was limited and within months
the entire atock was distributed. An offer had ertended in the publication to
accept additions and correctiona toward the end of publishing another vol-
containina this new infomtion. Additional information was received from
readers in the years following publication.
The topic of publishing another vol- c- up at DSGR meetings, and a
few enthusiastic volunteers were souaht. As the new slate of officers were
being elected in the Spring of 1982,-they reached an agre-nt to begin the
task of revisiting the Denisaen publication. President Betty Lou Horria
arranged for Vice-President Robert L. Pilon to meet with Alice C. Dalligan,
Chief of the Burton Historical Collection which held the copyright to the
work, to initiate the project. All of the submitted information which had
been received had been channeled to &a. Dalligan, and it was turned over to
the Deniaaen Conreittee of the DSGR.
Several of the persona corresponding with the DSGR had volunteered their
servicea to work on the project, and a amall group was formed to look over the
Contributions and plan the scope of the project. Dr. Powell auggerted several
names of qualified individuals to join the cormittee, copies of the rough-
draft of the 1976 version were volunteered by Elizabeth Caae Erwin and Leigh
LaChapelle, and letters were aent out to the few dozen volunteers and
recruits. M omanirational meetin- waa called Avlrust 18. 1982 with attendees
~~~
Dr. Harold B. ~o;ell, Editor of the-1976 edition, kbert L. ~ilon, Vice-
President of the DSGR, ALberta Pilon &Govern, Joan Belanger, and Pat
Lafayette. Eligibility, proof, and other ground rules were prepared and an
abritrary "deadline" of January, 1983 was set for contributors to submit their
informatxon. Diatribution was-made to DSGR hers, libraries and through the
Burton Historical Collection. Honthly meetings were held By this initial
group, and Robert L. Pilon was rec-nded by Dr. Powell aa Assistant Editor
in the Fall. Alice C. Dalligan, Chief of the Burton Historical Collection met
with the group to review our progreaa, and letters were aent to contributors
and volunteers from the previous sir years. Several organizational and
introductory meetings were held in the Burton Historical Collection room in
January, 1983 and the work began.
All contributed info-tion was to be aorted and verified as to cited
~OYTC~ and applicability to the work. The taak of contacting the contributors
began, creating follow-up suhoissiona and uncovering new volunteers. A great
deal of information was not acceptable for one reason or another, but it all
had to be acreened. The cormittee had decided to allow one more generation of
information to be included, up through 1936, from the contributed works, but
not to attampt to initiate new research projecta ourselves. The purpose of
the Denissen Ccmmittee was to include the additions and correctiona aa
admitted and verified, not to re-research the source record. Denisaen and
Burton had previously scoured. The ground rules were quite simple, yet
intended to be consistent with the initial work by Denissen and Burton.
The general rule was to retain the a m infomtion with correctiona,
include all consistent applicable conteibutiona, and only make changes where
they were necessary to rain conriatent. That included leaving all n-s as
Denissen and Burton had converted and left them, English veraions of primarily
French names. Where new material had clearly proven the names to be French
(as Pierre not Peter) they were so indicated. Where dates after 1936 were
encountered, they were left out. If the children with pre- and post-1936
birtha were listed in a family, all datea were left out but the children were
listed to be complete. My infomtion which could not be used would be
retained and turned over to the Burton Historical Collection upon Completion
of the project, and could be used in subaequent revisions.