As researchers discovered further information about the lives of Leo XIV's ancestors in the center of the city's Afro-Caribbean culture, a local parishioner remarked, "This is like a reward from God."
Pope Leo XIV's grandparents, Joseph and Louise Martinez of New Orleans, were visited by a census taker one day in June 1900. Just north of the French Quarter, which is regarded as the birthplace of Louisiana's Creole people of color, they resided on North Prieur Street.
According to the records, Joseph N. Martinez was born in "Hayti" and was Black. In a column indicating "color or race," his wife, two daughters, and an aunt were likewise designated with a "B."
The census knocked again ten years later. The family had expanded to include six girls. Additionally, Mr. Martinez's birthplace was now reported as Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic. Additionally, the family's race is listed as "W," which stands for white.
That straightforward change from "B" to "W" alludes to a nuanced and distinctly American tale.
New Orleans had a racial system that separated whites, blacks, and mixed-race Creole people like the Martinezes throughout a large portion of the 19th century. However, Jim Crow laws, which tended to deal in black and white and put several limitations on people of color, were in place by the early 20th century.
These historical facts have been brought to light by the appointment of Robert Frances Prevost as the first American pope and the following disclosure of his Creole heritage. An interview with the pope's brother, John Prevost, 71, linked them to the present.
Mr. Prevost, a Chicago suburbian, told The New York Times late Thursday that his brothers had always identified as white. "I really couldn't tell you for sure, she might have just said Spanish," he added in reference to his mother.
Therefore, a narrative of American racial rigidity simultaneously implies a certain mobility, limited by the nation's inextricably linked racist past. Stories like these are not exclusive to New Orleans. However, it is familiar with them.
The future pope's future Orleans origins were revealed Thursday by Jari Honora, a local historian and genealogist at the Historic New Orleans Collection, a museum located in the French Quarter. Since then, he and others have been working to learn as much as they can about Leo's family history, including in the Dominican Republic.
Much of the material recovered thus far has come from the Archdiocese of New Orleans, which possesses thousands of records going back to 1720, in addition to the census records. The director of the archdiocese's archives, Katie Beeman, has discovered marriage documents for the pope's maternal grandparents from 1887 and his great-grandparents from 1864.
When Ms. Beeman discovered the document proving that the pope's great-grandmother, Eugenie Grambois, had been christened in 1840 at St. Louis Cathedral—the spired basilica in the center of the French Quarter and one of the city's most iconic landmarks—she became quite enthusiastic. Ms. Beeman informed her mother over the phone.
The discovery was highlighted by New Orleans Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond during a special liturgy held at the cathedral on Friday. In the same font that remains in the rear of the church, the pope's ancestor had received her first sacrament.
The archbishop stated in his homily, "We have a lot of connections with him."
People in next Orleans, particularly those who share Leo's Creole roots and now feel a unique bond with the next pontiff, shared similar thoughts.
Denease Sorapuru, who identifies as Creole and has ancestry that includes Irish, Italian, Basque, and Native American ancestry, stated, "This is like a reward from God given to us for everything we've struggled through."
In an effort to uncover even more of the pope's family tree in Louisiana and elsewhere, Ms. Beeman and other scholars and genealogists dug deeper on Friday. She remarked, "It seems like it just keeps going."
The location of the pope's grandfather's birth is a significant query that historians seek to answer. Records suggest that Joseph Martinez may have been relatively new to New Orleans, even though he married into an old New Orleans family.
He was born in Haiti, according to his marriage certificate and the 1900 census. However, some records state that he was born in Louisiana or the Dominican Republic.
In any case, by Friday, many New Orleanian citizens were sufficiently informed about the family's history to feel a stronger sense of affinity with the pope.
Leo's pick left Michael White, 70, a jazz clarinetist, bandleader, and retired music educator who was raised Catholic in New Orleans, "shocked and surprised and happy."
"I believe that people down here will be very supportive of him," Dr. White stated. "I believe that in addition to pride, there will be a strong desire to support him and hope that things will improve for both the Catholic Church and the people here."
A modest request was made by Ms. Sorapuru. She recalls the excitement of Pope John Paul II's 1987 visit to New Orleans. "Leo should also come and celebrate Mass at St. Louis Cathedral," she remarked.
She believes that his ancestry is sufficient to identify him as a New Orleanian. She also wants him to come home.
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