Not only was Pope Leo the 14th born in Chicago, but it turns out that he has roots in New Orleans.
Jari Honora, a family historian at The Historic New Orleans Collection, started digging into the former Robert Prevost’s family after hearing his last name, and he was amazed at what he found.
“His mother’s family, which is Martinez, they are rooted here in New Orleans,” says Honora. “They go back well into the 19th century here, Catholic people of color, from the Seventh Ward area of New Orleans.”
Honora says Leo XIV still has distant cousins in the New Orleans area.
“Some of the names they carry are Flot, Rouzan, Fauria, Bagneris, Soraparu, (and) Baquié, which was his maternal grandmother’s maiden name.”
Honora says the pope’s mother is the only one among her siblings who was born outside of New Orleans.
“His mother was born in Chicago in 1912, but she was the youngest of seven daughters in her family, and all of the older girls, plus their parents (and) grandparents, were born in New Orleans,” Honora says.
Honora says by digging into your family history, you never know what you may learn about your family – and yourself.
“I’d just encourage everyone to pursue their genealogical research,” says Honora. “You just never know what you might uncover.”
