I became interested in genealogy when my siblings and I found out from my father of our Native American ancestry. Evidently, because my grandfather had often suffered discrimination at the Windsor-Detroit border, my father and his sister were taught to never discuss their Native American heritage. So, we were married with children by the time it was disclosed to us.

I had learned many names of my father's ancestor's from England from my grandmother, Helen (nee Buckley) Bernard. But, on my grandfather, Richard Bernard, Sr.'s side, I had no names at all. A name, Minnie Valliere, appeared to be familiar to my youngest sister, as we began this ancestry work together, and that was the clue that set our progress in motion. We finally discovered Minnie (who has French ancestry) married into the Warrow family (who were our Native American ancestors.)

From there, my interest in genealogy has continued to grow. I have found it simply amazing that I currently live within 10 and 20 miles of some of the places my ancestors settled and raised families. To find books that detail some of their lives, towns and roads named after them, and their connections to significant historical events makes it not only more fascinating, but brings one as as close a sense of knowing them as one could have. It has also made me more interested in the history of my current community. When I am out walking, I often imagine my little city as it was when it was mostly farms and dirt roads, and wonder about the lives of the people that lived, worked, and walked the same paths before I was even born.

I recently came across a very well written biography of one ancestor that just brought him to life for me, so I have set out to do the same for as many of my relatives as I can. Studying the sources on their profiles in order to imagine their lives in the historical context of the period, brings that person's life to a whole new level.

I hope my work, while I still consider myself a beginner genealogist, will bring interest and encouragement to others as they work in genealogy on this very large, connected, family tree.

I became interested in genealogy when my siblings and I found out from my father of our Native American ancestry. Evidently, because my grandfather had often suffered discrimination at the Windsor-Detroit border, my father and his sister were taught to never discuss their Native American heritage. So, we were married with children by the time it was disclosed to us.

I had learned many names of my father's ancestor's from England from my grandmother, Helen (nee Buckley) Bernard. But, on my grandfather, Richard Bernard, Sr.'s side, I had no names at all. A name, Minnie Valliere, appeared to be familiar to my youngest sister, as we began this ancestry work together, and that was the clue that set our progress in motion. We finally discovered Minnie (who has French ancestry) married into the Warrow family (who were our Native American ancestors.)

From there, my interest in genealogy has continued to grow. I have found it simply amazing that I currently live within 10 and 20 miles of some of the places my ancestors settled and raised families. To find books that detail some of their lives, towns and roads named after them, and their connections to significant historical events makes it not only more fascinating, but brings one as as close a sense of knowing them as one could have. It has also made me more interested in the history of my current community. When I am out walking, I often imagine my little city as it was when it was mostly farms and dirt roads, and wonder about the lives of the people that lived, worked, and walked the same paths before I was even born.

I recently came across a very well written biography of one ancestor that just brought him to life for me, so I have set out to do the same for as many of my relatives as I can. Studying the sources on their profiles in order to imagine their lives in the historical context of the period, brings that person's life to a whole new level.

I hope my work, while I still consider myself a beginner genealogist, will bring interest and encouragement to others as they work in genealogy on this very large, connected, family tree.