The Vatican conclave surprised the world this week by selecting the first American pope, a native of Chicago. Soon after, a respected genealogist surprised the world by revealing that the new pope’s heritage connected him to far more strands of the American experience than previously known.
Robert Francis Prevost, 69, who took the name Pope Leo XIV, descended from Creole people of color from New Orleans.
The detective work of Jari Honora, the New Orleans genealogist and historian, was based on analysis of historical documents, including census records, many of which are presented here. Other documents were unearthed by the archdiocese of New Orleans or obtained independently by The New York Times.
In their totality, the documents begin to trace the story of a family, on Pope Leo’s mother’s side, with a diverse background rooted in New Orleans’s unique Afro-Caribbean culture that later moved to Chicago in the early 20th century.
It is unclear why they left, but many Creole families like theirs moved north at the time in search of better-paying jobs and a less racially hostile environment — a story that finds parallels in the new pope’s emphasis on tending to migrants and poor people.
The documents also suggest a story not uncommon among some American people of color who underwent such journeys: a switch in racial categorization from Black to white. One of the pope’s brothers, John Prevost, 71, who lives in the suburbs of Chicago, confirmed the family’s ancestry but told The New York Times that he and his brothers always considered themselves to be white.
As for his mother, he said, “I really couldn’t tell you for sure. She might have just said Spanish.”
1870
Perhaps the earliest known record of the pope’s maternal grandfather, Joseph Martinez, is a listing in the 1870 census, taken when he was 6. Martinez’s father is listed as Jacques Martinez, 48, a tailor, while his mother, Marie, 43, “keeps house.” The birthplace of everyone in his family is indicated as Louisiana.
1887
Joseph Martinez married Louise Baquié, the pope’s maternal grandmother, on Sept. 17, 1887. Martinez is listed on the marriage certificate as a native of Haiti. Baquié is the daughter of Ferdinand Baquié and Eugenie Grambois.
Both of Louise’s families had long New Orleans roots. The archdiocese of New Orleans unearthed records documenting the marriage of her parents in 1864, and the baptism of her mother — one of the pope’s great-grandmothers — in 1840 at St. Louis Cathedral. The baptismal font where she received her first sacrament remains there today.
1900
Joseph and Louise Martinez are both recorded as New Orleans residents on the 1900 census. They had two daughters at the time, Irma and Margaret, and an aunt appeared to be living at their address. All are listed as “B” for Black.
The occupation of Joseph, who appears on Line 6, is noted as “cigar maker,” and his place of birth as “Hayti,” lining up with the origin on his marriage certificate.
1908
The document below from 1908, known as a settlement (or probate in other jurisdictions), divides the possessions of Joseph’s parents between their heirs. Those assets included a home worth about $800 at the time. Mr. Honora, the genealogist, noted that there are “Beaucoup New Orleans family names” among the various heirs, documenting the links between the pope’s grandfather and many other New Orleans families.
1910
The 1910 census misspells the Martinez family’s surname on Line 35 as “Martina,” and lists their race as “W,” for white. Joseph’s birthplace is listed as “S. Domingo,” capital of the Dominican Republic (and possibly, faintly above, “West Indies”?). The record appears to indicate Joseph’s father was Maltese and his mother was Spanish.
There are now three different places of origin listed for the pope’s maternal grandfather on various historical documents: Louisiana, Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Mr. Honora said it wasn’t uncommon at the time for people to change their responses to record takers — part of the challenge of such research.
1911
The family appears to have moved to Chicago after the 1910 census, though the exact date of their migration north is uncertain. This is a digital record from Cook County of the birth certificate of Mildred Martinez, the pope’s mother, who was born in Chicago and later known as Millie Prevost after she married. Her race is listed as white. (Other documents, also from Cook County, indicate her birth year as 1912.)
The birthplace of her father is listed as Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, while her mother, listed here as “Louise Baquiex,” is identified as a New Orleans native. The races of her parents are not indicated.
1920
The 1920 census shows the Martinez family, including Mildred, Joseph and Louise’s youngest daughter, in Chicago. The records starting on Line 31 again indicate their race as white.
Richard Fausset, based in Atlanta, writes about the American South, focusing on politics, culture, race, poverty and criminal justice.
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