Dan Smyers
Smyers in 2014, photo by kathclick/Bigstock.com
Birth Name: Daniel Christopher Smyers
Place of Birth: Wexford, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Date of Birth: August 16, 1987
Ethnicity:
*25% Japanese
*25% Italian
*25% Slovak
*25% mix of Irish, with Scots-Irish/Northern Irish, English, German
Dan Smyers is an American singer and songwriter. He is one half of country pop music duo Dan + Shay, along with Shay Mooney.
Dan is the son of Patty and Dave Smyers. He is married to Abby Law. The two of them work with Wags & Walks Rescue Nashville, to save dogs and secure their adoptions.
Dan’s paternal grandfather was Edward Calvin Smyers (the son of Edward Calvin Smyers and Ethel Marie Bennett). Dan’s great-grandfather Edward had Scots-Irish/Northern Irish, English, and German ancestry, and was the son of Bertrand Hunter Smyers, an attorney, known as the co-founder of the University of Pittsburgh’s football program; and of Flora Bell Hays. Ethel was the daughter of Thomas Joseph Bennett and Mary Catherine Cannon, who were born in Pennsylvania, both of them to Irish parents.
Dan’s paternal grandmother was named Michiko “Angle” Ohashi. Michiko was Japanese.
Dan’s maternal grandfather was Jack/Gracomino Joseph Colando (the son of Anthony “Tony” Colando and Mary J. Timpanaro/Timpanoro). Jack was born in Akron, Ohio, to Italian parents.
Dan’s maternal grandmother was Elizabeth/Lizabet Matilda “Betty” Serdinak (the daughter of Stephen/Steve/Istvan Richard Serdinak/Szerdinyak and Catherine/Katherine Julia Skolada/Skoloda). Elizabeth was born in Akron, Ohio. Stephen was born in Ostrovany, Slovakia. Catherine was born in Pennsylvania, to Slovak parents, Andrew Skoloda and Mary Rolins.
Sources: Genealogy of Dan Smyers – https://www.genealogy.com
Genealogy of Dan’s paternal great-grandfather, Edward Calvin Smyers – https://www.findagrave.com
Dan’s paternal great-grandmother, Ethel Marie Bennett, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Obituary of Dan’s paternal great-grandmother, Ethel Marie (Bennett) Smyers – http://www.legacy.com
Obituary of Dan’s paternal grandmother, Michiko “Angle” (Ohashi) Smyers – https://www.newspapers.com
He could be put as:
25% Japanese
25% Italian
25% Slovak
12.5% Irish
12.5% mix of Scots-Irish/Northern Irish, English, and German
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/160324992
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/115358177/lizabet-colando
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KWP9-QB5
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X4CB-DGB
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KWPS-8KQ
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X4ZS-DX9
His mother is half Italian, half Slovak.
Dan’s maternal grandfather was Jack/Gracomino Joseph Colando (the son of Anthony Colando and Mary J. Timpanaro/Timpanoro). Jack was born in Ohio, to Italian parents.
Dan’s maternal grandmother was Elizabeth/Lizabet Matilda “Betty” Serdinak (the daughter of Stephen/Steve/Istvan Richard Serdinak/Szerdinyak and Catherine Julia Skolada/Skoloda). Stephen was born in Ostrovany, Slovakia. Catherine was born in Pennsylvania, to Slovak parents.
His maternal grandfather was likely Sicilian, “Timpanaro” is very common in Catania and not elsewhere except in Milan due to immigration. Colando has to be a different spelling of another surname (maybe Cogliandro).
Picture of Dan’s father:
https://twitter.com/dansmyers/status/750526979380621314
His mother is visible in a tweet above that one.
Typo: Dan’s Edward —> Dan’s great-grandfather Edward
There’s an obituary of his Japanese grandmother that I can’t access, so if anyone could extract any useful information from it, that would be appriciated.
https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/41697052/
Lastly, what type of name is Callenda? Maybe it’s a typo for Callender.
Michiko “Angle” Smyers Shaler Mother of five Michiko “Angle” Ohashi Smyers, 61, died Wednesday, March 1.1995. Mrs. Smyers is survived by her husband, Edward Smyers; two sons, Daniel D. Smyers of Wexford and Douglas E. Smyers of Upper St. Clair; three daughters, Audrey A. BezQla of Shaler, Diane D. Carson of New York and Andrea M. Diez of McCandless; three sisters, Peggy Shizve Jester of Ohio and Chiyoko Ohashi and Fumiko Ohashi, both of Japan; and 12 grandchildren. Friends will be received from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. today in Schellhaaa Funeral Home, 388 Center Ave., West View. Christian Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Saturday in St. Sebastian Roman Catholic Church, Siebert Road, Ross, followed by burial in North Side Catholic Cemetery, Ross. Memorial contributions may be made to the Scleroderma Research Fund, care of the University of Pittsburgh, Suite 502, Kaufmann Building 3471, Fifth Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa. 15213.
Just click on ”Show Page 6 article text (OCR)”
Thanks, I could access it now. I’m used to not being able to read obituaries from that site, so I barely tried to click around this time.
Since her sisters were from Japan, we could change “of Japanese descent” to simply “Japanese”.