Nativity:
Born March 15, 1788, in Dalmatia

Marriages:
Eugenie Krebs of Pascagoula, MS

Children:
Catherine Louise, Vincent, Antonio, Isabella, Peter, Lucretia Corinne, John F., Bridgitta Eugenie, Agnes Valentine, Helen H

Residence:
Mobile Territory

From an article located at the Jackson County, Mississippi website we find that he was a businessman: "... The potential of this site, no doubt prompted four businessmen— Jacob Baptiste, W.D. Forrest Holley, Joseph B. Earle and James B. Wallace— to become a corporation to plan the town and bring more commerce into the area..."  

But even this source stumbled across a mystery: "...Exact identities of the four principals of the incorporation are hazy."  The article goes on to state that only Jacob Baptiste was well known -- mentioning the marriage to Eugenie Krebs and several of the resulting children -- however, for such a well-known man it provides only sketchy information including a birthyear estimate from census records of 1796 contradicting the year 1788 found on the tombstone.

Another reference to "Jacob Baptiste" is found in reference to "Camp Jefferson Davis".  Apparently when he and Eugenie Krebs married they inherited 1265 acres which had been part of the Francois Krebs claim located on Greenwood Island.  This surprising amount of land is truly staggering when combined with the large number of land patents I have discovered either in Jacob's name alone or along with the three 'businessmen' mentioned in the Jackson County article referenced above.  (Two land patents in particular are written in the names "Jacob Baptiste" and "Baptiste Serra", respectively.  Another mystery? Who is this second Baptiste?)

So here we have a man who either alone or in the partnership of three other mysterious men owned the vast majority of the land in what was then the county of Mobile, marrying a young lady from one of the most prominent families in Pascagoula, fathering at least ten children -- yet I am hard-pressed to find many local historical references to him let alone hard evidence of who he was or where he came from.  

Alda Talley's family tree at Ancestry.com  contains the note:

 "He was familiarly called "Baptiste", which has become the family name of all his children."  

Alda also lists his name as "Jean Bapt. (Jacob) BAPTISTE (BUCOVICH)" -- the Bucovich in line with the rumors I have heard in the past.  The only reference I have been able to find containing this name in the area so far is a very small newspaper article regarding an 'Old Man Bucovich' who had died in virtual obscurity.  With no leads regarding such a name for a self-proclaimed 'Native of Italy' I decided to try to find Mr. Baptiste before he arrived on the Gulf Coast.  My only clue was found in the 1860 Census of Jackson County, Mississippi Territory.  The place of birth is listed as "Delmateu".  If you ask Jeeves you will find that there is no such place as "Delmateu" -- that would be too easy.  What I discovered instead is that "Delmateu" is most likely a mispelling of the pronounced "Dalmato" or Dalmatia.  Dalmatia was made of up an area & islands along Adriatic coast first settled by the Illyrians ca. 1000 BC.  It was conqured by Rome in 34 BC and subsequently fell into the hands of the Goths, the Slavs, the Venetians, and was given to Austria in 1797 (coincedentally close to the birthyear for Jacob Baptiste found in the census).  Dalmatia -- most definitely then a part of "Austrian-Italy" was located in what is now Croatia and is certainly a more fitting homeland for a name such as 'Bucovich'.  

Found at the website Blue Dog Seafood Tours is a short explanation of the immigration of the Croats into New Orleans in the 1820s: 

"The Croatians also known as Yugoslavians or Dalmations came to New Orleans as crewmen aboard merchant ships in the 1820s. Because of the economic difficulty facing these people who came from the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia (later part of the nation of Yugoslavia), they were forced to go to sea. When they arrived in New Orleans, they became longshoremen working on the docks. They recruited brides from their homeland, but the process was expensive and many Croatians married French or Italian women who were expected to adapt to their husband's culture."

According to census records, Jacob Baptiste was in the Mississippi and Alabama areas in the 1830s - a contemporary of the Dalmations coming to New Orleans aboard the merchant ships mentioned above.  Perhaps he too was part of that story. 

Finally with a better picture of where my great great great grandfather had come from I may be able to find out who he really was.  If you have any information, I would love to hear from you!  In the meantime, this story is to be continued.

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