contact    site index

The results so far

The currently family tree, which has grown quite large over the last couple of years, is available here. It contains data going back roughly 1000 years and many generations, with branches in many countries, including Belgium, Luxemburg, France and Canada (last updated on 19 Mar 2011). It is a vast expansion of the book published by my late father, Henri Deblier, and includes data from many sources. I've also prepared a section with frequently asked questions.

Your help is needed!

There are still many partial branches and people that I have come across on many sources on the internet and can't link up to the main tree - yet. For this reason I'm calling on all relatives out there to lend a hand. Have a look at the complete list and see if you know more about any of these people.

I've also found a website with over 100 old photos of relatives. I've been able to identify a few, but not all. Have a look at the site, skip the intro, enter 'Blier' in the search window, and please let me know if you recognize any of the persons.

An anecdotal history

Impressed by his grandfather's wild tales of an important family history, during the summer of 1950, my father hopped onto his bicycle and rode to Hargimont. He made the trip of 150 km to see if he could find out more about his family. He arrived on a thursday afternoon, and as it turned out, the town hall was only open on wednesdays. The mayor, a farmer, was working his fields and couldn't be persuaded to let a 14-year-old snotnose look into his archives.

In 1971, returning from a family trip to the caves of Han, we passed by Hargimont. Recalling his biking adventure, my dad stopped the car and found the doors of the town hall invitingly open. It was the beginning of a long trip of discovery, with many surprising twists and turns. It seemed that there was indeed a core of truth to my great-grandfather's tales.

When he published his genealogy book, my father had exhausted the resources at his disposal, but not without impressing upon my brother and myself that "more might be out there".

My first introduction to the internet in 1994 gave me the idea of trying to find out more about the 'missing branches' of France and Canada. Little did I know of what exactly I was going to find. It took me a few years to prepare, and it wasn't until I got my high-speed cable internet connection that I started researching in earnest.

A note of caution

The earliest records of our family go back quite some distance in the past, with traces to the early 11th century. Unfortunately most of the sources went up in flames during one of the many battles in the Ardennes at the end of World War II. Some of the oldest data may therefore not be complete or even accurate. It is, however, a best effort based upon what facts there are (or were) available.