Pope Leo XIV and I are fourth cousins. I am grateful to Jari Honora of the Historic New Orleans Collection for bringing Pope Leo XIV’s New Orleans Baquié family roots to my attention in the newspaper.

Our Baquié roots in New Orleans go back to the early 19th century. My grandmother, Blanche Catherine Baquié and Pope Leo’s grandmother Louise Baquié were second cousins, both born in New Orleans.

Max Reichard

Through Blanche and Louise, Robert Prevost and I share a common ancestor: Jean Pierre Baquié (b. 1752 in Monein, France). Jean Pierre had at least two families. One branch (mine) produced Jean Rose (b. 1786, St. Domingue [Haiti]), his son Charles Eduard (b. 1816, Jamaica), and the daughter of Charles, Blanche Catherine (b. 1844, New Orleans). Blanche Catherine Baquié was my grandmother.

After Jean Pierre Baquié’s wife (Rose Blanchard) died in 1810, he had two sons with Marie Thérèse Rancuel. One was Joseph Aristide Fleury Baquié (b. 1811, Guadeloupe). His father (Jean Pierre) died when Aristide was 5 years old. Aristide became part of the family of his much older half-brother, Jean Rose (my great-great-grandfather) and went to New Orleans with the family some time in the 1820s or early 1830s.

By 1835, Aristide was in a relationship with a free woman of color in New Orleans, Celeste Lemelle. They had two sons. One, Ferdinand, was born in 1837. Ferdinand was the father of Louise Baquié (b. 1868), the grandmother of Pope Leo XIV.

Honora was quoted in the newspaper as joking that “now, every New Orleanian is going to be claiming to be cousins with the pope.” Many New Orleanians may have that claim. I hope people are motivated to look at the complex family relationships that have enriched our culture.

Max Reichard is a retired professor of history.