Lynn (Rivard) Ferencz's Old Photos -
a Rivard Family Photo History

(Photo used with the permission of Lynn (Rivard) Ferencz)
Leander and Mary Ann (nee Fournier) Rivard are surrounded by their family in this studio photograpic portrait (circa 1890).
Back row (left to right): Anne (Diegel), Joseph Leander, James Richard (became a Roman Catholic priest), John C.
Seated: Rose Susanne (Trombley), Leander, Mary Ann (nee Fournier), Delia/Justine Adele (Schoenherr),
Mary Elizabeth "Libby" (Diegel). Front: Paul J., Edmund Eugene.
View an Outline Tree showing the descendants of Leander and Mary Ann Rivard.

Leander and his Rivard relatives owned farms that straddled French Road in Hamtramck Township, Wayne County, Michigan, in what is now the city of Detroit. Leander Street is located on his former acreage. Leander's ancestors were members of the earliest French families who settled in Detroit. Leander was the son of Leon and Felicity (Seguin) Rivard, the grandson of Francois and Mary Isabella (Chapoton) Rivard, the great-grandson of Jean Baptiste and Marie Catherine (Yax) Rivard. Jean Baptiste emigrated from Quebec to Detroit and owned a ribbon farm that extended back from the Detroit River. Leander was the 6th great grandson of Thomas Rivard, (b. circa 1560 in Perche, France) and Jeanne Chevreau. [chart].

The Rivard family farms are shown on this 1876 map. Present-day Van Dyke Avenue is the
north-south road and French Road runs on an angle between Six Mile and Lynch Roads.
Connors Creek runs parallel to French Road in the area that later became Detroit City Airport.

Sometime prior to 1875, Leander Rivard and his brother - and French Road neighbor - Francis each purchased 100 acre farms in Macomb County. Leander's was located at the southeast corner of Hoover and Thirteen Mile Road in Section 11 of Warren Township and his brother's was located exactly one mile to the east [1875 map]. Leander maintained his residence on French Road and operated the newer spread with hired hands and later with the help of his sons. The 1895 Warren Twp. map shows that in the meantime his brother Francis had sold his farm in Sections 11 and 12 and had purchased 210 acres of land in Sections 3 and 4.

(Photo used with the permission of Lynn (Rivard) Ferencz)
Frances (Baumgartner) Rivard and her boys. Standing (left to right): Raymond Rivard and his mother Frances, the wife
of Joseph Rivard. Sitting: brothers Loyola (with curls), Leander and Anthony (Tony). This photo was
taken at Leander Rivard's farm on the southeast corner of Hoover and Thirteen Mile Road in Warren Township,
probably around the time of Leander's death in 1900.

(Photo used with the permission of Lynn (Rivard) Ferencz)
This photo was taken on the former Leander Rivard farm, now operated by his son Joseph, circa 1908. Joseph's son Loyola
is the boy with the rifle on his shoulder who is standing in front of the younger children and his mother Frances, who is
likely holding her infant son, Aurelius. Son Anthony is holding the team of horses on the left, his brother
Raymond is standing in front of the cows and their father Joseph is holding the team of horses at right.
Joseph's hired farm hand is standing on top of the horse in the background.

After Leander's death in 1900, his farm was divided among his children and his son Joseph Rivard purchased 70 acres of land in Section 3 from Francis Rivard and another 100 acres in Section 10, all at the intersection of Van Dyke and 13 Mile Road in Warren Township.

(source: 1916 map of Warren Township, Michigan)

Below is a c. 1910 photo of Joseph Rivard's farm house and outbuildings, which were on Van Dyke south of Old 13 Mile Road
(formerly called Canfield Road) at what is now the northeast corner of Van Dyke and Kennedy Circle North.

(Photo used with the permission of Lynn (Rivard) Ferencz)

(Wayne State/DTE Aerial Photo collection)
Left: June 17, 1952 aerial photo of the farm house and outbuildings.
Note the Beverly Hills Golf Course fairway, traps and greens on the west side of Van Dyke.
Right: May 30, 1961 aerial photo including the Chevrolet Central Office building under construction across the street.

(Photo used with the permission of Lynn (Rivard) Ferencz)
This photo of the Rivard farm was taken in the autumn of 1953 from the south end of Longview Ave. looking to the west-southwest.
The stainless steel water tower on the GM Tech Center property can be seen off in the distance above one of
the old barns. Below is an early 1960's photograph of the farmhouse and unused outbuildings.

(Photo used with the permission of Lynn (Rivard) Ferencz)

(Photo used with the permission of Lynn (Rivard) Ferencz)
Concrete sewer pipes are lined up in preparation for the installation of underground utilities to service a new subdivision
in this photo that was taken looking to the southeast from the south end of Longview Ave, circa 1965.
The Rivard farm and land had just been purchased by developer George Karam. By 1967, the farmhouse and
outbuildings had been torn down and new residential homes were sprouting on the old family farm.

(Photo used with the permission of Lynn (Rivard) Ferencz)
Joseph and Frances (Baumgartner) Rivard with their children (circa 1912).
Standing (l-r) Cecil, Loyola, Anthony, Leander, Raymond, Frances (Trombley).
Sitting (l-r) Joseph (son), Joseph (father), Aurelius (a.k.a."Real"), Frances and Ruth (Buechel).
(1910 US Census record) (1920 US Census record)

(Photo used with the permission of Lynn (Rivard) Ferencz)
Anthony Baumgartner, the father of Frances Baumgartner, who married Joseph Rivard.

(Both photos used with the permission of Lynn (Rivard) Ferencz) Above: Catherine (Grobbel) Snoblen, circa 1884. Left: Bernard and Catherine (Grobbel) Snoblen, parents of Rosella Snoblen (below), who would marry Loyola Rivard.

(Photo used with the permission of Lynn (Rivard) Ferencz)
Bernard and Catherine (Grobbel) Snoblen with their children, circa 1907.
Back row (left to right): Anna (Swoish) - she has her hand on her mother's shoulder, Elizabeth (Dupree), Anthony,
Margaret (Schimmel). Front row: Catherine (Grobbel), Rosella (Rivard), Bernard, Louise (Dellies).

(Photo used with the permission of Lynn (Rivard) Ferencz)
Loyola Rivard and Rosella (Snoblen) Rivard's wedding portrait.
(l-r) Ruth Rivard, Anthony Buechel, Loyola Rivard, Rosella Snoblen.
They were married on November 27, 1924 at St. Peter and Paul Church in
North Branch, Michigan. Ruth and Anthony would marry each other in 1927.

(Photo used with the permission of Lynn (Rivard) Ferencz)
Loyola and Rosella Rivard with their children on the occasion of their 50th Wedding Anniversary in November of 1974.
Standing left to right: Eugene Rivard, Evelyn (Rivard) Boyd, Lorraine (Rivard) Masta, Mary (Rivard) Currie/Robinet,
Harold Rivard and Kenneth Rivard. Sitting: Loyola Rivard and Rosella (Snoblen) Rivard.

(Photo used with the permission of Lynn (Rivard) Ferencz)
Kenneth and Delphine (Frank) Rivard on their wedding day, Oct. 3, 1953,
at St. Hyacinth Catholic Church in Detroit, Michigan.

(Photo used with the permission of Lynn (Rivard) Ferencz)
Kenneth and Delphine (Frank) Rivard with their children on the occasion of their son Daniel's wedding day, April 16, 1982.
Standing, left to right: Clifford Michael, Karen Marie (Steele), Laura Jean, Lynn Ann (Ferencz), Michelle Louise (Rochowiak),
Gloria Rose (Laczynski) and Daniel John.

(Photo used with the permission of Lynn (Rivard) Ferencz)
Left to right: Anton Allen Ferencz and Lynn Ann (Rivard) Ferencz with their daughters
Theresa Lynn and Ann Maria (April 6, 2005 photo).
Lynn Ann is the daughter of Kenneth and Delphine (Frank) Rivard.

Continue: Rivard Brothers Ford Dealership History

Visit: Warren Historical & Genealogical Society

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