"A family tree can wither if nobody tends its roots."

Mar6th2026

Bound in Books: The Baumann Family Story Lives On

by  Phyllis Zeck

 

In 2013 I wrote a post about my mother-in-law, Yvonne Porche Zeck’s ancestry. It’s been awhile since I’ve been back to research her family tree and in the past 10 years I’ve acquired many photos and contacts from the Baumann branch. The two books above have peaked my desire to revisit this family. 

The book “Lost Boundaries” by W.L. White tells the story of The Johnston family. Dr Albert Chandler Johnston Jr. was a respected physician who was rejected by the Navy early in WW II because he had African American ancestry.  Albert’s wife was Thyra Agatha Baumann. Albert decided it was time to tell his oldest son their family secret, that they were all African American passing as white. Our family connection to Thyra is below. Alma Pauline Harrison (Yvonne’s mother) is Thyra’s first cousin. Thyra and Alma’s grandparents are James Connor Baumann and Matilda Johnson.  Thyra and Albert had 4 children: Albert Jr (1926), Donald (1929), Ann (1931) and Paul (1935). The story was made into a movie in 1949 that you can stream titled Lost Boundaries.

Click the image below to enlarge the family tree.  
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LUCY DAVIS
To better understand Thyra and Alma’s heritage I started with Matilda Johnson’s mother, Lucy Davis. Born about 1822 in Virginia (or North Carolina), she died 21 Jul 1900 in New Orleans. Matilda’s father is assumed to be Richard Johnson born Jan 1823 in Kentucky. I have no documents to back this up, therefore this is as far back as I can trace Matilda’s ancestors. Another brick wall…

Click here for the 1870 Census for Lucy starting on page 1 line 36 and continuing on page 2. This census is taken in Kenner, county of Jefferson, Louisiana. Lucy Davis age 49 is listed as Black and her occupation is a servant and she was born in North Carolina. Samuel Baumann is the head of the family at age 50 and his wife Barbara is 55.  James is aged 22 and a grocer, Matilda (8), Pauline (2), Leilia (3). Everyone else’s race is listed as White. 

Click here to view the New Orleans 1880 Census (line 20) for Lucy Johnson, age 60. She is living alone. Her birthplace is recorded as Virginia. Both of her parents were born in Virginia. I would assume that this birth place is correct since anyone could have filled in the blanks for the census taker in 1870 and guessed at Lucy’s birth place. Race: Black, Occupation: Keeping House and marital status: Widowed. Her address is 183 W 7th between David St and Patrick St. Click here to download Lucy Davis’ family tree descendant Lucy Davis Descendant Report report. 

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MATILDA JOHNSON BAUMANN (Lucy’s daughter)
The image to the left is: Kathleen Kennedy born 1915 (daughter of Daisy), Bertha, James, Daisy Baumann and Oliver Randolph (Bertha’s husband). Matilda Johnson Baumann died 7 Apr 1922.

Matilda Johnson (1852-1922) and James Connor Baumann (1848-1928) had the following children: Leila (1867), Pauline Barbara (1869), Josephine Cornelia Amelia (1871), Louisa Marie (1873), Abriam James (1875), Samuel Connor (1876), Rosa (1879), Albert C. (1881), Bertha (1884) and Daisy Juliette (1888).  

In the 1870 census Samuel Baumann is the head of the family at age 50 and his wife Barbara is 55.  James is aged 22 and a grocer, Matilda (8-this is incorrect), Pauline (2), Leilia (3). Everyone’s race is listed as White. Also on the census is Lucy Davis age 49 and listed as Black and her occupation is a servant. 

Click here for the 1880 Census which shows (mid page) Matilda’s occupation: housekeeper, marital status: single, relation to head of house: wife. 

To the left is a photo taken about 1890 of James & Matilda with some of their daughters. Click here for the 14 Jun 1888 marriage story of Matilda Johnson and James Connor, written by James Connor. They were married in Jefferson Parish, LA by Rev L.J. Kennedy. It was legal for a white man to marry a mulatto woman in New Orleans in 1888. There was a brief period (1868-1894) when Louisiana’s interracial marriage bans were suspended.  In 1910 the state criminalized interracial cohabitation as a felony. The bans remained until the US Supreme Court overturned them in 1967.

Below is a 4 generation photo taken about 1913. Left to right: Pauline Barbara and her daughter Beulah Aloysius (Alma’s sister), Pauline’s mother Matilda and Beulah’s son John Franklin White Jr.

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THYRA AGATHA BAUMANN JOHNSTON (Lucy’s great granddaughter)

The 1910 census for Thrya (age 6) lists her race as Mulatto and had an address at 720 Lyon St. in New Orleans.  Thrya was living with her grandparents James (61) and Matilda (58) along with their daughter Daisy (21). Also in the home is their son Samuel (34), Samuel’s wife Nettie (Antoinette Juanita Plough 32) and Samuel and Nettie’s children: Clytie (10), Samuel C. Jr (9) and Thyra (7). All are listed Mulatto except James.  Click here to view the census. In the 1940 census the families race is recorded as White. The photo to the left is Thrya’s mother Antoinette Plough. 

The 1950 census for Thyra (age 46) lists her race as Black. She was living at 146 Washington in Keene, New Hampshire and with her husband Dr. Albert C (age 49 race Black), and their children Albert C Jr, and Ann. Albert was a physician in a hospital.  Click here to review the census, lines 2-5.  The photo to the left is Thyra’s father Samuel Connor Baumann.

The book referred to above “Lost Boundaries” was published in 1947. It focused on Thyra and Dr Albert’s son Albert who was 16 at the time and the complicated feelings that he struggled with in the next few years as he came to terms with his heritage. The book is out of publication now. The photo below is Thyra & Albert’s family.

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JAMES CONNOR BAUMANN (Thyra’s grandfather)
James Connor Baumann was born 27 April 1848 crossing the Atlantic Ocean on the ship “James Corner”. James was appointed in 1870 as Kennerville’s School Director, in 1880 he was mayor of Kenner and by 1886 was a clerk of the 26th Judicial Court in Kennerville. He was nominated to be a Justice of the Peace at the Republican convention soon after.  

In the 1900 census (lines 7-16) the family was living at 720 Lyons St in New Orleans, county of Orleans in Louisiana. James is 52 and the record states that he has been married to Matilda since 1868. There is no record for this ceremony. The family are all listed as White including James’ granddaughter Clytie. 

This newspaper article from 1891 reports that James Baumann was shot at as he answered his front door of his Kenner home. The family would move to New Orleans the next day.

The photo to the left is the home of Matilda and James listed in the 1895 city directory at 720 Lyons St, New Orleans.  On 25 September 1892 James was arrested for instigating the attempted assassination of Judge Long. He was later cleared of the charges. 
 
In my correspondence with family members I’ve conversed with Leslie. Her grandmother Violet and Alma were sisters. She mentioned that a family member donated James Connor Baumann’s scrapbook and family papers to the Newberry Library in Chicago. They have not yet been digitized but I’ll keep watching for them. Maybe my next trip to Chicago will include a trip to the Newberry. I’ve always wanted to pop in there.

James’ scrapbook and family papers were the research used by author Craig Bauer for the excerpts found in his book “An Untractable Country The History of Kenner”. 

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SAMUEL BAUMANN SR. & MARIA BARBARA SCHIBLI PETERHANS
(Thyra’s great grandparents)
Click here for in-depth family tree for Baumann Family dating back to 1492. This was documented by Robert Max Baumann a professor of history living in Stilli, Switzerland.   Leslie traveled to Stilli several years ago and visited the Baumann home.

There is a historic marker on the house and the translation text says: The home was built in 1730 by the married couple Kaspar Baumann and Anna Finsterwald. Built as a timber-framed house with a tiled roof. Behind the house, since about 1865, was a carpenter’s workshop, later a cooper’s workshop, today a model carpentry workshop.

Samuel and Maria Barbara Baumann arrived in New Orleans 18 May 1848. The town of Kenner would soon be established and would recruit families from Europe to purchase land in the newly developing town. Samuel purchased two lots and opened a large livery stable which was burned down by jealous competitors. Click here to read the excerpt from the book “An Untractable Country, The History of Kenner, Louisiana” by Craig A. Bauer. Craig describes Samuel and Barbara setting down roots in Louisiana. The community lost a staggering amount of people due to the yellow fever epidemic in 1853 including 2 of Barbara’s children. The photo below is Stilli, Switzerland.
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KENNER, LOUISIANA 
I enjoyed reading Craig’s book about Kenner and learned a lot about the unforgiving land. The town is situated between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, 30 minutes west of New Orleans. In the early 1700’s the first houses were being built and farmers were deciding which crops were best to raise. Indigo, rice and sugar cane seemed to do well however farmers were constantly battling flooding from the lake or the river and felt the strain of wondering which levee would fail next. William Kenner became one of the area’s wealthy settlers and had 3 large plantations which he would pass down to his children.

In the 1850’s the Great Northern Railroad laid track through Kenner. William Kenner’s two sons Philip Minor Kenner and William Butler Kenner thought it would be a good financial move to shift gears. They had given permission for part of the railroad track to be laid through one of their three plantations. The brothers thought it would be more profitable to build a town and sell plots of land rather than to continue farming. As time went on what was left of the plantations was held by Citizens Bank of Louisiana. The bank sold the land to John Deloss Rouse and James Connor Baumann. Maybe they bought the land at an auction. The men sold the land for $11,000.00 two months after they purchased it.

James became a very popular politician on the Republican ticket. He was an advocate for equal education for all the children in the community. The Baumann’s stayed in Kenner until December 5, 1891 when political enemies riddled the Baumann home with bullets. Click here to read an excerpt about James from the book “An Untractable Country, The History of Kenner, Louisiana”.  

James was unable to escape the tentacles of politics in New Orleans. Click here to read an excerpt about his arrest in 1892.  Again, this is scanned from the book “An Untractable Country”. 

In New Orleans James became a real estate agent for a few years. In January 1900 he was appointed the Kenner county Shipping Commissioner. He was 67 when he retired in 1915. After retirement he moved to Los Angeles with Matilda where they passed away.

 
Click here to view papers typed by James Baumann of his Memoir. The pages are in sequence except page 10 and 11 which appear as the 2nd and 3rd page. 

It’s been a great adventure taking a step back in time to see how our ancestors began life in this new country. Can’t wait to see where I Time Travel next. 

 

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Feb15th2026

Gemma & Giacomo’s Story

by  Phyllis Zeck

gemma ciolli giacomo leoneI recently received some wonderful photos from Giacomo Leone of his grandparents, Giacomo Gerardo Leone (1876-1947) and Nicolina Gemma Ciolli (1879-1952). Gemma and my great grandmother Elvia were sisters and lived across the street from each other. Gemma’s first home in Chicago was at 165 Forquer St. She arrived 16 Aug 1901 and the ship’s manifest (Patria) said she was to meet her husband Giacomo Leone but she had insufficient funds to travel to Chicago.

Giacomo was with his grandfather when he passed away in 1947. He was just a boy of 4 years old but clearly remembers that they were playing under the grape arbor when he fell ill from a stroke. He died three days later.

Giacomo has made molds of the original Crucifix his grandfather brought from Italy with him when he emigrated to the U.S. around 1900. He shared his grandparents story below:

“Giacomo had a great devotion to the cross and to St. Theresa. I remember the day he passed when I was about 4 1/2 years old. I was told that he held the crucifix when he died. A picture of St. Theresa was also in his room on the wall at the foot of the bed.

He was a shepherd and farm hand on my Grandmother’s family estate. Growing up with the family, he and my grandmother fell in love-forbidden in that class system. They did get married, but her family had the marriage annulled, and sent my grandfather to the states and my grandmother to a convent.

After a while, my grandfather was financially successful in the states. My grandmother, Gemma, had a sister who was sympathetic with the situation, who, along with my grandfather’s brother took my grandmother to “lunch” one day. And escorted her to a ship bound for the USA.

Upon arrival my grandparents married and had a family of 12. The day my grandfather died, the entire family gathered in the house. Three of us children “hid” under the dining room table, probably to avoid the crowds of aunts, uncles and older cousins.

Upon grandpa’s death, his devotion to St. Theresa, we were blessed with the scent of roses filling the house. An odor that I recall to this day.

In memorial of my grandparents, I wished to find a duplicate the old picture of St. Theresa. About 10 years ago, after dropping off the crucifixes at the church store, I went into the gym. It was being set up for a rummage sale. I was met with a vision of the exact picture of St. Theresa — frame, bowed glass and all. I asked, Serene if I could buy it even though they were not open. She agreed.

My sister Carlolyn (nicknamed by my grandmother, Blue Eyes) had the crucifix and passed it on to me as the namesake before she passed.”

What a wonderful story, thank you for sharing it Giacomo. Giacomo was 23 and Gemma was 20 when they married on July 3, 1899 in Pescasseroli. Giacomo arrived in the US in April of 1900 less than one year after his marriage. He applied for citizenship on Jan 3, 1928 at the age of 51. By this time the family was living at 1206 21st Ave in Melrose Park. The 1930 census shows a houseful! He owned his home which was valued at $3,000.00 and was a laborer in a steel plant. Living with Giacomo was his wife Gemma, Joe (19), Ester (17), Rocco (16), Anthony (13) and the twins Filomena & Carmela (8). The twins, nicknamed Fifi and Mimi, were born in 1921. I think this might be the earliest set of twins in our family that I’ve come across in my research. Also living at the home were Joseph Di Pirro, his wife Christina and their daughter Jean. They appeared to be renting from Giacomo for $20.00 a month. 

Click the image below to read Gemma’s petition for citizenship which she applied for on 17 Dec 1934.  Click here to read more about Gemma and here to read more about Gemma’s journey to America.
Gemma Ciolli Giacomo Leone

 

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Feb1st2026

I Have The Stories—Do You Have a Photo?

by  Phyllis Zeck

pietro del principeI have three photos of my great-grandfather Pietro Del Principe. That sounds like plenty—until you start wanting more. Every time I look at those photos, I catch myself wondering who else was there, who took them, and whether there’s another image of Pietro still hiding somewhere, waiting to be found. Legend has it that Pietro did not like to have his picture taken.  In the photo on the left some of Pietro’s sons lured him to the roof top to capture this shot. If you click on the photo to enlarge it you can see a “good luck” horseshoe over the door. Pietro has a great mustache! The baby of the family, Frank would have been 14 when Pietro died and my grandfather Gilbert would have been 19. Is that Frank or Gilbert grinning like a cheshire cat, or one of the other boys? He sure looks happy that they pranked Pietro. 

Pietro left Pescasseroli in 1891 and showed up in Chicago with a whole life behind him that never made it into the frame. For instance, did you know that Pietro was married before Elvira? Pietro and Anna Emanuela (16 Apr 1862-02 Feb 1887) were married in July of 1880 in Pescasseroli. They had a son named Antonio Nicola (07 Aug 1881-08 Oct 1887). Anna was 24 when she died. Antonio died 9 months after his mother. I wonder if they both passed from the same illness. The following summer Pietro married Elvira. 

My three photos are all I have of Pietro and every time I study them, I can’t help thinking there has to be more—another picture, another moment—somewhere out there that would help me learn about his personality. My website has been updated so that when you leave a comment, you have the option to include photos. I hope that as you come across family photos you will share them on this website. Just click on the blue Login link  and you can leave a comment or a photo, or both. If you want to send a private message to others who have commented on the post, you now have the option to do that as well.  Fingers crossed that someone else has a photo or two of Pietro!

Click here The Organ Grinder to read an article that I found on Newspapers.com.

It was printed in The Inter Ocean Newspaper  on February 22, 1897. I have so many questions about this article. First, evidently Pietro was in business with one of Neri family members at 165 Forquer St.  Was this Pasquale Gerardo Neri born in 1874? Pasquale was married to Elvira’s sister,  Angelica. Pasquale and Angelica did live in Chicago.

Next, why was Pietro called the “Professor” in this article. Did the reporter bestow him with this title or did Pietro declare himself a professor?  Lastly, where did the monkey live? I can’t imagine he lived on Harrison St perched in the kitchen watching Elvira cook spaghetti. If anyone can add more insight into this article, please leave a comment.

And don’t forget to upload any photos you’d like to share with the family! 

 

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Dec22nd2025

Her Star Shines Brightest on the Holiest Night

by  Phyllis Zeck

Corinne and Phyllis. Sisters and best friends. My mother passed away in 2004. It was especially hard on my Aunt Phyllis as Corinne was her baby sister. When Auntie passed away in 2013 she left instructions that she wanted to be buried at Mount Carmel in Illinois near her mother and father (Bertha and Gilbert). She is buried directly behind Elvira.

When my sister Holly and I were planning our trip to Chicago last October our cousin Rick said he would like to meet us and visit his mother’s grave. We spent a wonderful week together being tourists and reminiscing. One morning I pulled up an audio recording my brother Rob and I had made of an interview with Auntie Phyllis in 2011. In part of this interview Rob asked Auntie Phyl about Christmas Eve in 1939, the evening that Elvira passed away. Our mother would have been 8 and Auntie Phyllis just turned 12. Below is an audio of Auntie’s memory of that night. She recalls it as if it happened yesterday.  

Wishing everyone a joyous and peaceful Christmas!

 

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Nov30th2025

Restoring Elvira & Pietro’s Memorial

by  Phyllis Zeck

The last 18 months have brought profound challenges and changes for me. In June of 2025 I unexpectedly lost my best friend and baby sister, Lori.  People often mistook us for twins and we loved traveling the world together on our yearly trips. Since 2013, Lori and I lived side by side, supporting each other through life’s hardest moments and celebrating its most joyful ones.

In 2018 Lori and I bought a new home and moved closer to family. My daughter and grands, my sister and brothers along with numerous nieces, nephews and their children are all within 15 minutes of Lori and I. How I wish we’d all had more time with Lori!

In September of 2024 my sister Holly and I decided to take a trip to Chicago. We wanted to visit with our younger brother Tony who had some health challenges. Home was calling to us.  As always, we packed a ton of activities into the trip. We had friends and family to see and trips down memory lane that had to be made. 

Holly and I stayed in Oakbrook Terrace. One day we visited the “pond” where we used to ice skate and St Pius Church.  We stopped in at the Villa Park train station (now a historical museum), toured Willowbrook High School and visited with the family who lived in the home we grew up in. I have no idea how we fit our family in that tiny home! Mom & dad, 8 kids and Grandpa Gilbert in a 1600 square feet house.  Grandpa and the 3 oldest boys slept in a room in the basement. There were 3 bedrooms on the main floor. One for mom & dad, one for us 3 girls and one for Lori & Tony.  For several years dad’s mother and step-father lived upstairs.

We spent several days with our brother Tony, playing cards, bringing him treats (beef sandwiches) and watching old home movies. We couldn’t have imagined that our time together would be our final visit. Tony passed away this past January.

One day was set aside to visit Mount Carmel Cemetery and Queen of Heaven Mausoleum in Hillside. Holly and I cleaned up headstones and toured the magnificent stained-glass panels inside the Mausoleum. What a glorious structure that is! 

Several relatives told me that Elvira and Pietro’s monument needed some attention.  It was true that the words were barely legible and that the statue of Jesus was covered in moss and lichen.  When we returned to Oregon I was tasked with finding someone who could restore the monument and Holly set up a go fund me account to help pay for restorations. Thank you for helping honor our past and protect our family legacy for those who come after us.

We hired Glen, the owner of Memories in the Making. He removed the lichen growth from the statue and cleaned the dirt and stains from the granite. For the second phase he applied a dark grey Lithichrome paint to the engraved letters and the background of our family name. Lastly Glen cleaned and caulked the area surrounding Elvira and Pietro’s cameo photos. Thank you to all who contributed!

Another highlight of this trip to Chicago was our Ciolli & Del Principe Family Reunion.  The photo above is of my sister Holly, Vickie (great granddaughter of Bibbiana Ciolli, myself (granddaughter of Gilbert Del Principe), Sandy (great granddaughter of Emil Del Principe), Susan and her daughter Sandra (daughter and granddaughter of Otto Del Principe). Fun fact, Susan was our mother’s flower girl. Standing is Mary and her father Greg (great granddaughter and grandson of Antonio Del Principe).

I can’t express how amazing it was getting to know one another. I had met Vickie, Mary and Greg on earlier trips to Chicago, so it was wonderful to reconnect with them. We all showed up with photos and keepsakes to share, and we laughed and reminisced until the afternoon vanished in a blur of joy.

Until we meet again, Chicago…

 

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