Verne Troyer RIP

by follers on July 18, 2017

2010 Winter Hollywood Show

Birth Name: Verne J. Troyer

Date of Birth: January 1, 1969

Place of Birth: Sturgis, Michigan, U.S.

Date of Death: April 21, 2018

Place of Death: Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Ethnicity: German [including some Swiss-German]

Verne Troyer was an American actor, stunt performer, and comedian. While both sides of his family have lived in the United States since the 1700s, he was still of entirely German descent (including some Swiss-German). His family has an Amish background.

Verne’s patrilineal line can be traced back to Nicholas Troyer, who was born, c. 1550, in Switzerland. The Troyer family lived in Trub Valley, Emmental, Canton of Bern, Switzerland.

Verne’s paternal grandfather was Reuben J. Troyer (the son of John Harrison Troyer and Susanna Yutzy). Reuben was born in Oklahoma. John was the son of Jeremiah J. Troyer and Veronica/Fannie J. Bontrager. Susanna was the daughter of Jonas R. Yutzy and Mary Miller.

Verne’s paternal grandmother was Mattie M. Miller (the daughter of Moses P. Miller and Susanna/Susanne C. Miller). Mattie was born in Kansas. Moses was the son of Christian C. Miller and Polly Plank. Susanna was the daughter of Christian F. Miller and Magdalena/Mattie J. Hochstedler/Hostetler.

Verne’s maternal grandfather was Verne/Vern Edward Yoder (the son of Joseph J./G. Yoder and Susanna B. “Susie” Hochstetler). Verne’s grandfather Verne was born in Michigan. Joseph was the son of Joseph S. Yoder and Mary Borkholder/Burkholder. Susanna was the daughter of Benjamin E. Hochstedler/Hochstetler and Mary Elizabeth Kline.

Verne’s maternal grandmother was Miriam/Merriam J./S. Bontrager (the daughter of John M. Bontrager and Elizabeth B. Mullet). Miriam was born in Kansas. John was the son of Manasses E. Bontrager and Veronica/Fannie Miller. Elizabeth was the daughter of Benedict B. Mullet and Miriam S. Hershberger.

Sources: Genealogy of Verne Troyer – https://www.geni.com

Genealogies of Verne’s paternal grandfather, Reuben J. Troyer – http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com
http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com

Genealogies of Verne’s paternal grandmother, Mattie M. Miller – http://records.ancestry.com.au
http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com

Obituary of Verne’s paternal grandmother, Mattie M. (Miller) Troyer – http://www.goshennews.com

Genealogy of Verne’s maternal grandfather, Verne/Vern Edward Yoder – http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com

Genealogy of Verne’s maternal grandmother, Miriam/Merriam J./S. Bontrager – http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com

Obituary of Verne’s maternal grandmother, Miriam/Merriam J./S. (Bontrager) Yoder – http://boards.ancestry.com

Photo by Prphotos.com

Tagged as: Alsatian, Amish, German, Swiss, Swiss-German

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Avicii RIP

by ann on January 25, 2017

Avicii – 95-106 Capital FM Summertime Ball 2015 with Vodafone – Arrivals – Wembley Stadium – London, UK – Photo Credit: Landmark / PR Photos

Birth Name: Tim Bergling

Date of Birth: 8 September, 1989

Place of Birth: Stockholm, Sweden

Date of Death: 20 April, 2018

Place of Death: Muscat, Oman

Ethnicity: Swedish, 1/4 Danish, 1/8th Norwegian

Avicii was a Swedish musician, DJ, remixer, and record producer.

He was the son of actress Anki Liden (Anna Catarina Lidén) and Klas-Otto Bergling. His half-brother is musician and actor Anton Korberg.

Avicii’s paternal grandfather was Carl Birger Bergling (the son of Otto Bergling and Gusta Maria Rian). Otto was the son of Hedda Fredrika Bergling. Gusta was a Norwegian emigrant, from Trondheim, and was the daughter of Jens Ellingsen Rian and Jonette Greisdatter Malvik.

Avicii’s paternal grandmother was Else Elin Kalff (the daughter of Jørgen Peter Sørensen, later Kalff, and of Emilie Katrine Bentzen). Else was a Danish emigrant, from Frederiksberg. Jørgen was the son of Søren Olesen and Mette Lene Mortensen. Emilie was the daughter of Albert Georg Sigvard Bentzen and Sofie Marie Frederikke Sørensen.

Avicii’s maternal grandfather was Einar Valfrid Lidén (the son of Emil Lidén and Anna Christina Fredriksdotter). Emil was the son of Petter Pettersson and Lotta Christiansdotter. Anna was the daughter of Fredrik Pettersson and Maria Stina Larsdotter.

Avicii’s maternal grandmother was Rut Ester Svärd (the daughter of Henning Olofsson Svärd and Anna Josefina Eriksdotter). Henning was the son of Olof Carlsson Svärd and Maja Lisa Eriksdotter. Anna was the daughter of Erik Johan Jacobsson and Maja Stina Johansdotter.

Avicii’s matrilineal ancestry can be traced back to his fifth great-grandmother, Stina Jonasdotter.

Photo by Shawn Tron

Sources: Genealogy of Avicii’s father – https://gw.geneanet.org

Birth record of Avicii’s paternal grandfather, Carl Birger Bergling – https://search.ancestry.com

Marriage record of Avicii’s paternal great-grandparents, Otto Bergling and Gusta Maria Rian – https://media.digitalarkivet.no

Birth record of Avicii’s paternal great-grandfather, Otto Bergling – https://search.ancestry.com

Baptismal record of Avicii’s paternal great-grandmother, Gusta Maria Rian – https://media.digitalarkivet.no

Avicii’s paternal grandmother, Else Elin Kalff, on the 1906 Danish Census – https://www.familysearch.org

Avicii’s paternal great-grandfather, Jørgen Peter Sørensen Kalff, on the 1901 Danish Census – https://www.familysearch.org

Baptismal record of Avicii’s paternal great-grandfather, Jørgen Peter Sørensen – https://www.familysearch.org

Baptismal record of Avicii’s paternal great-great-grandmother, Mette Lene Mortensen – https://www.familysearch.org

Baptismal record of Avicii’s paternal great-grandmother, Emilie Katrine Bentzen – https://www.familysearch.org

Genealogy of Avicii (focusing on his mother’s side) – https://www.geni.com

Birth record of Avicii’s maternal grandfather, Einar Valfrid Lidén – https://search.ancestry.com

Birth record of Avicii’s maternal great-grandfather, Emil Lidén – https://search.ancestry.com

Birth record of Avicii’s maternal great-grandmother, Anna Christina Fredriksdotter – https://search.ancestry.com

Genealogy of Avicii’s maternal grandmother, Rut Ester Svärd – http://kb44.se

Tagged as: Danish, Norwegian, Swedish

{ 11 comments }

Jay Chandrasekhar

by madman on December 17, 2016

Birth Name: Jayanth Jambulingam Chandrasekhar

Place of Birth: Chicago, Illinois, U.S.

Date of Birth: April 9, 1968

Ethnicity: Tamil Indian

Jay Chandrasekhar is an American actor, comedian, writer, and director. He is a member of the comedy troupe Broken Lizard, along with Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske.

Jay is the son of Hema and Arcot Jambulingam “AJ” Chandrasekhar. His parents are Indian emigrants, from Chennai, of Tamil origin. He is married to actress Susan Clarke, with whom he has three children.

Source: http://www.rediff.com

Photo by Starfrenzy/www.bigstockphoto.com/

Tagged as: Indian, Tamil

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Paula Patton

by ethnic on October 17, 2016

Birth Name: Paula Maxine Patton

Place of Birth: Los Angeles, California, United States

Date of Birth: December 5, 1975

Ethnicity:
*African-American (father)
*German, English, smaller amount of Dutch (mother)

Paula Patton is an American actress. She is known for her roles in the films Idlewild (2005), Déjà Vu (2006), Precious (2009), and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011).

Her father, Charles Patton, is black. Her mother, Joyce (Van Raden), who is white, has German, English, and at least 1/16th Dutch, ancestry. Paula has identified herself as Black. She has stated:

I find it [the term “biracial”] offensive. It’s a way for people to separate themselves from African-Americans… a way of saying ‘I’m better than that.’ I’m black because that’s the way the world sees me. People aren’t calling Barack Obama biracial. Most people think there’s a black president.

Paula has a son with her former husband, singer and songwriter Robin Thicke.

Paula’s maternal grandfather was Benjamin Alexander Van Raden, Jr. (the son of Benjamin Van Raden and Grace Read Alexander). Paula’s great-grandfather Benjamin was born in Nebraska, the son of Carl Edward Holeman Van Raden, whose father was Dutch and whose mother was German, and of Louisa Bergman, whose parents were German. Paula’s great-grandmother Grace was born in New York, and had English ancestry. Grace was the daughter of Robert Read Alexander and Laura Davis, who were from Massachusetts.

Sources: Genealogy of Paula’s maternal grandfather, Benjamin Alexander Van Raden, Jr. – https://www.wikitree.com

Obituary of Paula’s maternal grandfather, Benjamin Alexander Van Raden, Jr. – http://www.legacy.com

Marriage record of Paula’s maternal great-grandparents, Benjamin Van Raden and Grace Read Alexander – https://familysearch.org

Paula’s maternal great-grandfather, Benjamin Van Raden, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Paula’s maternal great-grandmother, Grace Read Alexander, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Paula’s maternal great-great-grandparents, Carl Edward Holeman Van Raden and Louisa Bergman, on the 1880 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

photo by s_bukley / Shutterstock.com

Tagged as: African American, Dutch, English, German

{ 481 comments }

Barbara Bush RIP

by follers on June 13, 2016

Birth Name: Barbara Pierce

Date of Birth: June 8, 1925

Place of Birth: New York City, New York, U.S.

Date of Death: April 17, 2018

Place of Death: Houston, Texas, U.S.

Ethnicity: English, some German, small amounts (to varying degrees) of Welsh, Irish, Scottish, and French, and 1/128th Moravian

Barbara Bush served as First Lady of the United States, from 1989 to 1993, and as Second Lady of the United States, from 1981 to 1989. She was the wife of President George H. W. Bush. Among their six children are George W. Bush (George Walker Bush), who served as President of the U.S., between 2001 and 2009, and Florida Governor Jeb Bush (John Ellis Bush).

Barbara was the daughter of Pauline (Robinson) and Marvin Pierce, who was the president of McCall Corporation, a publisher of women’s magazines McCall’s and Redbook.

Barbara’s ancestry was English, some German, and small amounts (to varying degrees) of Welsh, Irish, Scottish, and French, and 1/128th Moravian.

Among her grandchildren are politician George P. Bush (George Prescott Bush) and journalist Jenna Bush Hager (born Jenna Welch Bush). Barbara’s granddaughter, model and businessperson Lauren Bush, is married to businessperson David Lauren, who is the son of designer Ralph Lauren.

Barbara was a fourth cousin, four times removed, of U.S. President Franklin Pierce. Her seven times great-grandparents, Thomas Pierce and Elizabeth Cole, were also President Pierce’s great-great-great-grandparents. Thomas Pierce was born, c. 1618, in England.

Barbara’s paternal grandfather was Scott Pierce (the son of Jonas James Pierce and Kate Pritzel). Scott was born in Pennsylvania. Jonas was the son of James Pierce and Chloe Holbrook. Kate was born in Zweizel, Baden, Germany, the daughter of Anton Pritzl and Marie Louise Pasquay.

Barbara’s paternal grandmother was Mabel Marvin (the daughter of Jerome Place Marvin and Martha Ann Stokes). Mabel was born in Ohio. Jerome was the son of Samuel Ross Marvin and Julia Ann Place. Martha was the daughter of Richard M. Stokes/Stoke and Julia Ann Myers/Meyers.

Barbara’s maternal grandfather was James Edgar Robinson (the son of John Welch Robinson, Jr. and Sarah Coe). Barbara’s grandfather James was born in Ohio, and was an Associate Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court, from 1919 to 1932. John was the son of John Welch/Wilson Robinson and Elizabeth “Betsy” Mitchell. Barbara’s great-grandfather John’s brother, James Wallace Robinson, served as a U.S. congressman from Ohio, from 1873 to 1875, as a Republican. Barbara’s great-grandmother Sarah was the daughter of Daniel Coe and Mary Gladden.

Barbara’s maternal grandmother was Lula Dell Flickinger (the daughter of Jacob Marion Flickinger and Sarah Haines). Lula was born in Ohio. Jacob was the son of Stephen Flickinger and Margaret Ann Figley. Sarah was the daughter of Jonathan Haines and Mary Jane Sprague.

Sources: Genealogy of Barbara Bush (contained within the genealogy of her son, George W. Bush) – http://www.wargs.com

Genealogies of Barbara Bush – http://www.geni.com
http://www.wikitree.com
http://famouskin.com
https://old.findagrave.com

Photo By David Valdez, White House Photo Office (http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/89715766/) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Tagged as: Alsatian, English, French, German, Irish, Moravian, Scottish, Welsh

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Amy Schumer

February 6, 2016

Birth Name: Amy Beth Schumer Place of Birth: Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S. Date of Birth: June 1, 1981 Ethnicity: *Ashkenazi Jewish (father) *English, German, some Scottish and Welsh (mother, who converted to Judaism) Amy Schumer is an American comedian, actress, writer, and producer. Amy is the daughter of Sandra Jane (Jones) and […]

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Steve Lemme

December 17, 2015

Birth Name: Stephen Carlos Lemme Place of Birth: New York, U.S. Date of Birth: November 13, 1968 Ethnicity: *Argentinian (father) *French, Puerto Rican (mother) Steve Lemme is an American actor, writer, producer, director, and comedian. He is a member of the comedy troupe Broken Lizard, along with Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske. His father, […]

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Kevin Heffernan

December 17, 2015

Place of Birth: West Haven, Connecticut, U.S. Date of Birth: May 25, 1968 Ethnicity: Irish Kevin Heffernan is an American actor, writer, producer, director, and comedian. He is a member of the comedy troupe Broken Lizard, along with Jay Chandrasekhar, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske. Kevin is the son of Cathe Jane (Eibey), a West Haven treasurer, […]

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Jeffrey Dean Morgan

October 2, 2010

Place of Birth: Seattle, Washington, U.S. Date of Birth: April 22, 1966 Ethnicity: Welsh, Irish, possibly other Jeffrey Dean Morgan is an American actor. He is the son of Sandy and Richard Dean Morgan. Jeffrey has two children with his partner, actress and producer Hilarie Burton. Jeffrey’s maternal grandmother was Charlotte M. Loughran (the daughter […]

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Joe Manganiello

September 6, 2010

Birth Name: Joseph Michael Manganiello Place of Birth: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. Date of Birth: December 28, 1976 Ethnicity: *50% Italian, from Naples and Sicily *25% Dalmatian Croatian *25% Armenian [possibly also German] Joe Manganiello is an American actor, writer, director, and producer. He is known for playing Alcide Herveaux in the series True Blood. Joe […]

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Daniel Caesar

April 21, 2018

Birth Name: Ashton Simmonds Place of Birth: Oshawa, Ontario, Canada Date of Birth: April 5, 1995 Ethnicity: *Afro-Jamaican (father) *Afro-Barbadian (mother) Daniel Caesar is a Canadian singer and songwriter. Daniel is the son of parents from the Caribbean. His father is from Jamaica and his mother is from Barbados. Sources: http://www.thestar.com http://www.fender.com

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Dillon Francis

April 21, 2018

Birth Name: Dillon Hart Francis Place of Birth: Los Angeles, California, United States Date of Birth: October 5, 1987 Ethnicity: *Serbian, Croatian (mother) Dillon Francis is an American DJ and record producer. His father, Robert Drew Francis, is an American alternative medicine doctor. His mother, Katica (Kranzelić), is Serbo-Croatian. Source: Birth record of Dillon Francis […]

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Miguel Díaz-Canel

April 21, 2018

Birth Name: Miguel Mario Díaz-Canel Bermúdez Place of Birth: Placetas, Villa Clara, Cuba Date of Birth: 20 April, 1960 Ethnicity: Cuban [Spanish (Asturian), possibly other] Miguel Díaz-Canel is a Cuban politician. He has served as the 19th President of Cuba, since 19 April, 2018. He has been a member of the Politburo of the Communist […]

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Bill Withers

April 21, 2018

Birth Name: William Harrison Withers, Jr. Place of Birth: Slab Fork, West Virginia, U.S. Date of Birth: July 4, 1938 Ethnicity: African-American, possibly some English Bill Withers is an American musician. Bill is the son of Mattie Rose (Galloway) and William Harrison “Willie” Withers, Sr. He is married to Marcia Renee Johnson, with whom he […]

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James TW

April 21, 2018

Birth Name: James David Taylor-Watts Place of Birth: Brent, London, England, U.K. Date of Birth: 27 October, 1997 Ethnicity: English James TW is an English singer and songwriter. James is the son of Sarah Louise Taylor and Richard Ian Watts, who both adopted the family name Taylor-Watts after their marriage. James was named after American […]

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