| Collette Family Photo Gallery: Denys-Octave and Clothilde (Blondeau) Collette  This photo is likely the wedding photo of Denys-Octave Collette and Clothilde Blondeau, St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, St. Anthony (Minneapolis) MN, July 12, 1869. The original photo is a tintype kept for years by Henry and Josephine (Collette) Bernard. Children of Octave and Clothilde Collette: Octave (deceased 16 years of age) Adeline (deceased 4 years of age) Alex (deceased 3 years of age) Arcidas (m-Clara French) Elize (m-William Henry Wentz) Josephine (m-Henry Bernard) Francois (deceased 4 months old) Alere (m-Lilly Laberge) Napoleon (m-Roseanna Fortier) Alcide (m-Beatrice DeSautel) Josephine (Collette) and Henry Bernard Josephine Collette and Henry Bernard were married at Grafton ND June 3, 1901. Josephine was born at the then-Red River town of St. Andrews, Dakota Territory, on August 9, 1881, and grew up on a farm near Oakwood ND; Henry Bernard was born at St. Sylvestre, Quebec, February 26, 1872, and followed his brother Joseph to Oakwood in the early 1890s. Henry passed away May 23, 1957; Josephine passed away April 24, 1963. They are buried in Grafton. Children of Josephine and Henry: Josephine (Josie) June 15, 1902-November 3, 1985 (m-Alan Whitaker) Henry (Boy) December 22, 1907-November 7, 1997 (m-Esther Busch) Frank Peter (Petey) July 24, 1915-December 7, 1941 First child Josephine, married in Los Angeles November 28, 1935, had no children, and her husband died of complications from goiter surgery only two years or so after their marriage. She did not remarry. She was deaf from early childhood, and for most of her life was part of the Los Angeles deaf community. Henry and Esther Busch married August 9, 1937, and had five children. Esther, born July 27, 1909, died August 20, 1981. Frank Peter, the youngest child, died aboard the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. He was single, but apparently engaged to be married to a lady in Bremerton WA at the time of his death.  Henry Bernard, upper left, and Alfred Collette (son of Philippe and Julie), reclining at lower right, were among the volunteers who went to the Philippines in the Spanish-American War 1898-99. They served with Company C of the First North Dakota, Grafton. Henry would later marry Alfred's cousin, Josephine Collette, daughter of Octave and Clothilde.  This photo was taken sometime about 1920 at the then-115 Wakeman Avenue, Grafton ND, home of Henry and Josephine (Collette) Bernard. Visiting on this particular day was the Bilodeau family from the Winnipeg area. Frank Bernard is seated second from left in the families 1901 Oldsmobile; Henry Bernard Jr is the tall teenager in the white shirt; his mother Josephine (Collette) Bernard is 4th from left and in center of the photo; Henry Bernard Sr is 6th from left; and Josephine (Josie) Bernard is 7th from left. The 1901 Oldsmobile is still in occasional use (see photo below) in the San Diego CA area. It participated in the 1996 Oldsmobile Centennial Celebration, and the same year finished the famous London-Brighton England rally for ancient cars, also a centennial.  Frank Bernard, son of Henry and Josephine (Collette) Bernard, served aboard the USS Arizona from 1936 to December 7, 1941, and went down with the ship at Pearl Harbor. He is pictured in Honolulu at an unknown time during his tour on the Arizona.  Henry Bernard's grandson, Dick Bernard, "at the lever" of the 1901 Oldsmobile, California, May, 1998.  Four of Josephine Collette Bernard's five grandchildren backpacking at Grand Canyon Arizona March 2003. From left: Frank Bernard; Carter and Flo (Bernard) Hedeen; Mary (Bernard) Maher and Dick Bernard. John Bernard not pictured. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
