On Saturday, August 2, 2025, at the Madisonville library, Jari C. Honora, the family historian at the Williams Research Center at the New Orleans Historical Collection, presented documents and research focused on the genealogy of America's first pope, Leo XIV. Jari Honora presented his findings, sourced from original records of New Orleans, to prove Pope Leo's Creole ancestry, a discovery he made on the maternal side, the Martinez family.
Some of the records Jari shared in the attached presentation are as follows:
- An ownership book entry for the vault at St. Louis #2 Cemetery of the pope’s third great-grandmother, deceased 1848.
- February 1866, A passenger ship list from the Port of Haiti to New Orleans for Pope Leo XIV’s great-grandparents and their three children, who had spent time in the free state of Haiti after some point in 1861. The ship records tell how Jacques Martinez, 44 yo was employed as a tailor and how Rosa, 37 yo, a dressmaker. They were traveling in the care of three Martinez children, all aged 9 or younger.
- May 10, 1861, Register of Free Colored persons from the New Orleans mayor’s office, records Jacques and Rosa Martinez registering themselves and their three children as free people of color, giving them the legal right to be in the state.
The above three records highlight a few examples that Honora shared and show how he was able to construct Pope Leo XIV's family roots in New Orleans with Creoles of color. Many more records were sourced, and when put together form a more complete puzzle of the Pope’s local family history. To watch the presentation in full, open the attached link, which Honora has graciously agreed to share on the St. Tammany Parish Library website.
Add a comment to: Video link to Jari C. Honora’s Presentation of Pope Leo XIV’s Creole roots