Unveiling the Immigrant Legacy of Jeanne Victoria Anne Clerec

Early Life in Brittany

I admire quiet resilience stories like Jeanne Victoria Anne Clerec’s, whose life was like an Atlantic bridge. Born 3:45 a.m. July 29, 1901, in Brest, Finistere, Brittany, France, a bustling port city. Her parents, Louis Victor Clerec and Marie Pauline Rodrigue, raised her in a modest municipal service and maritime culture. Louis, born April 1, 1877, was Brest’s city hall clerk and office head until his tragic death on September 23, 1918, at 41. The family was left stranded after his death from the Spanish flu after World War I’s end.

Marie Pauline, born February 26, 1878, was the daughter of marine gendarme Jean Edouard Jacques Rodrigue and Pontrieux native Anne Marie Cavalan. Jeanne had one sibling, Victor Louis Clerec, born January 19, 1906. A post-war French child, Jeanne endured scarcity. She found chance in an American sailor at 17, orphaned and with few prospects.

The Transatlantic Crossing and First Marriage

Imagine a young woman with a passport boarding a steamship to a new planet. Jeanne, her mother, and 12-year-old brother Victor bought one-way tickets to New York with family savings in early April 1920. After leaving Le Havre on the SS La Touraine, they arrived on April 19, 1920, with $40. Jeanne’s contact was John Paul Labofish at 802 Kennedy Street, Washington, D.C.

She married John in Manhattan the following day, April 20, 1920. John, a 25-year-old Jewish Ukrainian immigrant U.S. Navy lieutenant and stenotypist, was born January 15, 1891. Charles Shashan Labofitz (born April 1861) and Rose Rabinovich (born around 1867) fled Odessa pogroms and arrived in the U.S. in 1888. John’s siblings were William Harry (1885), Louis Willard (1887), and Lillian Ethel (1895). Rose spoke Yiddish, and Charles left the family in 1917 for another lady, causing cultural tensions.

On November 29, 1921, Jeanne had her first child, Jacqueline Frances Labofish, in Washington, D.C. By December 2, 1922, Madeleine Renee Labofish followed. Yet stresses arose. Jeanne applied for a U.S. passport to visit France on June 22, 1923, and left July 7 on the SS President Roosevelt with her daughters. Her return October 23, 1923, strained the marriage. In the late 1920s, separation loomed. John lived alone with his mother in the 1930 census, while the girls, 7 and 8, boarded at a Methodist school in Columbia.

Second Chapter in America

Life’s currents carried Jeanne onward. She remarried Clarence Winterton Hyer, born November 19, 1908, son of William Renson Hyer and Mary Elizabeth Ostrander. They settled in Keansburg, Monmouth County, New Jersey, and had six children, including Ellen Mae Hyer Allen. This union expanded her family to around 20 grandchildren in total. Clarence passed in January 1975, shortly after Jeanne’s own death on February 4, 1974, at age 72 in Keansburg. She rests at Bay View Cemetery in Leonardo, New Jersey.

Her brother Victor returned to Europe, marrying Fernande Martha Paula Couwenberg on August 12, 1933, in Mons, Belgium. He built a career in retail, rising to store director at Dames de France in Brest, earning wartime decorations from 1939 to 1945. Victor died February 3, 1984, in Nimes, Gard, France.

Family Legacy and Descendants

Jeanne’s story weaves into a tapestry of notable descendants, most prominently through Jacqueline, who became Jackie Stallone (1921-2020). Jackie, a dancer, astrologer, and wrestling promoter, embodied eccentricity. Her life intersected with fame via her son Sylvester Stallone, born July 6, 1946, the iconic actor and filmmaker behind Rocky and Rambo. Sylvester’s siblings include Frank Stallone, born July 30, 1950, a musician and actor, and Toni Ann D’Alto.

Great-grandchildren extend the line: Sage Stallone (1976-2012), Seargeoh Stallone (born 1979), Sophia Rose Stallone (born 1996), Sistine Rose Stallone (born 1998), Scarlet Rose Stallone (born 2002), and Edmund D’Alto. These figures, especially the Stallone branch, carry echoes of Jeanne’s immigrant grit, transforming personal hardships into public legacies.

To map this intricate web, consider the following family tree:

This table captures the breadth of her influence, from humble Breton beginnings to Hollywood heights.

A Timeline of Resilience

Jeanne’s path mirrors the ebb and flow of ocean tides, marked by pivotal dates. In 1901, her birth in Brest set the stage. 1906 brought brother Victor. 1918’s loss of her father propelled change. The 1920 emigration and marriage to John marked reinvention. Children arrived in 1921 and 1922. A 1923 voyage back to France hinted at unrest, resolved by return that October.

Separation in the late 1920s led to her union with Clarence in the 1930s, yielding six more children. John’s death in 1956 closed one chapter. Jeanne’s passing in 1974, at 72, ended her era, but her descendants thrive.

Here’s an extended timeline for clarity:

These milestones highlight a life of adaptation.

Career and Personal Pursuits

I see Jeanne not as a public figure but as a pillar of domestic strength. No records spotlight a formal career; instead, she navigated family amid migrations. Arriving with minimal funds, she depended on John’s legal practice initially, then Clarence’s work. Her achievements lay in raising eight children across two marriages, fostering resilience that echoed in her lineage. Financial details remain veiled, suggesting a modest existence shaped by early 20th-century immigrant realities.

FAQ

Who was Jeanne Victoria Anne Clerec’s first husband?

John Paul Labofish, a lawyer from a Jewish Ukrainian immigrant family. They met in Brest during his Navy service post-World War I and married in 1920, but separated by the late 1920s.

What prompted Jeanne’s emigration to the United States?

Her father’s death in 1918 left the family in hardship. At 18, with limited opportunities in war-torn France, she emigrated with her mother and brother in 1920, drawn by her engagement to John Labofish.

How many children did Jeanne have in total?

Eight. Two from her first marriage: Jacqueline and Madeleine. Six from her second to Clarence Hyer, including Ellen Mae.

What is Jeanne’s connection to Sylvester Stallone?

She is his maternal grandmother. Her daughter Jacqueline Stallone was Sylvester’s mother, linking Jeanne’s Breton roots to his Hollywood fame.

Where did Jeanne spend her later years?

In Keansburg, New Jersey, with Clarence. She died there in 1974 at age 72 and is buried at Bay View Cemetery in Leonardo.

Did Jeanne have any siblings?

Yes, one brother, Victor Louis Clerec. He returned to Europe, built a retail career, and lived until 1984.

What cultural challenges did Jeanne face in America?

Adapting to her in-laws’ Yiddish-speaking household and Jewish traditions, contrasting her French Catholic background, contributed to marital strains.