Joseph Antoine Rohner and
Mary Barbara Katherine Casanova Rohner
Louisiana, Circa 1859

Mary Barbara Katherine Casanova (called Katherine) and her husband Joseph Antoine Rohner were two of the original members of the Casanova and Rohner families to come to America. In their early twenties (ages), they came into the Port of New Orleans during 1847, with her father, her two brothers, and his brother, on the ship Queen Victoria which sailed from Germany. The Casanova family lived in Switzerland prior to immigrating to America. The Rohner family originated in Austria, where Joseph was a hand weaver. Joseph and Katherine met on the Queen Victoria and were married and settled in Louisiana.

In this photo, Joseph and Katherine appear to be about 40 years old and Katherine appears to be pregnant which suggests that the date of the photo was about 1859. The texture of the photo matches that of other photos taken around the 1860s (photography was invented in 1839). The photo background was very plain, which suggests that this photo was taken by a traveling photographer that came to their town. Usually photographers who had their own shops had fancier backdrops and chairs.

Last updated September 21, 2001, by Murphy, Claire, and Ginger. Photo provided by Marcia.