Pope Leo XIV’s Louisiana Creole Roots Shed Light on America’s Complex Racial History
- Victor Nwoko
- 4 hours ago
- 3 min read
Pope Leo XIV, the first Catholic pontiff from the United States, has familial roots tracing back to the Creole and free people of color communities in Louisiana, revealing a profound and complex intersection of race, class, and culture in American history. Formerly known as Cardinal Robert Prevost, the newly elected pope’s ancestry highlights a deep lineage of Catholicism and cultural blending rooted in New Orleans' historic Seventh Ward.
Genealogist and former Louisiana state archivist Alex DaPaul Lee confirmed Pope Leo’s Creole heritage after extensive research. Initially skeptical upon hearing of the pope’s background from fellow genealogist Jamarlon Glenn, Lee began an investigation that led to the discovery of archival documents and historical records confirming that Leo XIV descends from one of Louisiana’s most prominent Creole families.
Lee found that the pope’s maternal great-great-grandmother, Celeste Lemelle, was the daughter of Louis Lemelle and Celeste Olimpie Grandpres, both free people of color who married in Opelousas, Louisiana, in 1798. Legally classified as “quadroons,” the couple represented a class of free, racially mixed individuals in pre-Civil War Louisiana. Their descendants would navigate a racially stratified society, often passing through various legal and social classifications over generations.
Celeste Lemelle, a free woman of color, was given earnings from a business in 1833 and later granted land by merchant Frédéric Guimont, with whom she had several children. The land transfer was irrevocable — a strategic move to protect her property rights in a time when women of color owning land was rare but not unheard of in Louisiana.
According to Lee, classifications like “mulatto” and “octoroon” frequently appeared in historical records, and Creoles of color occasionally owned enslaved people themselves. The Lemelle family, known for cattle ranching, held significant wealth and influence during the Antebellum period. Census records show that Celeste’s son, Ferdinand David Baquie, was listed as “mulatto” in 1870, but by 1880, his family had been reclassified as white — a reflection of the fluidity of racial identity at the time.
The pope’s family likely relocated to Illinois during the early 20th century, part of the first wave of the Great Migration, when many Louisiana Creoles moved north in search of better opportunities. Illinois, once part of the Louisiana Territory, had historical ties to early Creole settlements. In Chicago, where Pope Leo’s mother, Mildred Martinez Prevost, was born in 1912, many Creole families “passed” into white society, gaining social advantages not available to African Americans in the segregated South.
Genealogist Jari C. Honora confirmed that Leo’s maternal grandparents, Joseph and Louise Martinez, lived in New Orleans’ 7th Ward and were listed as Black in the 1900 Census. Joseph, a cigar maker born in “Hayti,” and his wife were part of the free people of color community before the Civil War. The family’s migration to Chicago marked a transition into the broader white American society — a decision Honora emphasized was not about denial but about survival and opportunity.
Pope Leo XIV has not publicly addressed his Creole ancestry, but the discovery has stirred pride in New Orleans, particularly in the historically Black and predominantly Catholic neighborhoods. Local residents have affectionately dubbed him the “Gumbo Pope,” a nod to the city's diverse heritage and the pope’s multicultural lineage.
His election marks a milestone not only for American Catholics but also for the descendants of communities that shaped both the religious and cultural fabric of the country. “This is more than just genealogy,” Lee said. “It’s a legacy.”
Comments