Joseph Simone

[mvarnell]

Looking for help finding grandfather. Have exhausted ourselves with no luck at all.
We do know the following.

USA Name and Information

Simone Joseph Cropper
Born around 1859 in Palermo Sicily Italy
Immigrated around 1881
Married Alida Blanchard from Louisiana
Lived in Louisiana and died in Port Arthur Texas
Height 5' 2" and very dark complexion

Cropper is not his real last name. I think Simone is his last name because he carried a large seed with him at all times and claimed it was from his families crops. We are unsure what type of seed it was. Possible he added Cropper to describe his work. Spoke only Italian and could not read or write. Wife had a French lineage and we believe he must have met her in Europe and followed her to Louisiana. Searching names also has shown Simone was never a given first name at the time in Sicily. Joseph has stayed prominant in the family and was giving to one of his sons. Stories have said he was running from something like mafia or war. But no history to confirm that idea.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. We would love to know our true family name.
This is the only part of our tree we can not finish. Very frustrating indeed.

[suanj]

hi, the below record could be abt your Simone J Cropper:
1900 United States Federal Census about Seymore Cropper
Name: Seymore Cropper
Age: 46
Birth Date: 1854
Birthplace: Italy
Home in 1900: Police Jury Ward 5, Saint Mary, Louisiana
[St. Mary]
Race: White
Gender: Male
Relation to Head of House: Head
Marital Status: Married
Spouse's Name: Allida Cropper
Marriage Year: 1886
Years Married: 14
Father's Birthplace: Italy
Mother's Birthplace: Italy
Occupation: View on Image
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members:
Name Age
Seymore Cropper 46
Allida Cropper 45
Saul Cropper 22
William Cropper 12
Willie Cropper 7
Mary Cropper 1

?
suanj

[adelfio]

Louisiana Marriages, 1718-1925
Name:Alida Blanchard
Spouse:Simeon Crepper
Marriage Date:31 Jan 1887
Marriage Place:St. Mary


Marty

[adelfio]

1860 United States Federal Census
about Alida Blanchard
Name:Alida Blanchard
Age in 1860: 6
Birth Year: abt 1854
Birthplace: Louisiana
Home in 1860: Ward 11, Assumption, Louisiana
Post Office: Paincourtville
Household Members:
Pierre D Blanchard 51
Elisa Blanchard 39
Adolphe Blanchard 16
Lorenza Blanchard 9
Alida Blanchard 6
Ducroisel Blanchard 5
Devilliers Blanchard 4
Seraphin Maitrejea 20

Marty

[suanj]

Bravo Marty!
I think that the original italian surname could be CAPRARO...
suanj

[mvarnell]

We have all of the American records on him. Just cant find any in Italy or who his family is and have looked at the Craparo. There are no ship records we can find. We do know he had a house boat and they lived on it for a very long time. We have thought it possible they came through Canada with the Acadian roots of his wifes family. They were together long before their marrraige date according to the census records. My mom died last year and all she wanted to know is what her real last name was. She asked me to put it on her tombstone when I found it. Our frustration level of not knowing for her has reached an all time high. We researched everything we could before she died and never found it. Now its my mission to find it for her head stone. Alida had a son named Saul Cropper in one of the census but we learned his real name was Paul Foret by a previous man. We think he was born in France since we were unable to find birth records on him in the US.

[PippoM]

Sorry, not about Cropper, but about Blanchard...
Don't know if it can be useful, but this image was lately made available on FamilySearch:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/T ... 1364123623
It MIGHT be related to your Blanchard's. If you go some images back, you will also find an Adolphe and an A., who according to the names present in 1860 Census might also be related.