Loretta Young
Studio publicity portrait of Loretta Young, c. 1940s
Birth Name: Gretchen Young
Date of Birth: January 6, 1913
Place of Birth: Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Date of Death: August 12, 2000
Place of Death: Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Ethnicity: English, some Scottish, distant Dutch, remote Welsh and Irish
Loretta Young was an American actress and singer. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for The Farmer’s Daughter (1947). She was also known for her roles in Ladies Courageous, The Stranger (1946), The Bishop’s Wife, Come to the Stable, and It Happens Every Thursday, among many other films.
She was the daughter of Gladys Royal (Belzer) and John Earle Young. She was married to fashion designer Jean Louis, until his death. Loretta had a daughter, actress, writer, producer, and therapist Judy Lewis, with actor Clark Gable; and two children, screenwriter and film producer Christopher Lewis and musician Peter Lewis, with her former husband, producer Tom Lewis. Peter is a founding member of band Moby Grape. Loretta was the sister of actresses Polly Ann Young and Sally Blane, and the half-sister of actress Georgiana Young. Georgiana was married to actor Ricardo Montalbán.
Loretta had English, some Scottish, distant Dutch, and remote Welsh and Irish, ancestry.
Loretta is frequently cited on the internet as having had Luxembourgian roots. This claim does not appear to have been verified/documented. It is not clear which of her ancestors, if any, were from Luxembourg.
Loretta’s paternal grandfather likely was born in Indiana. He was possibly named Charles Herbert Beach.
Loretta’s paternal grandmother was Laura Vickery Mendell (the daughter of Cicero Mendell and Angeline Vickroy). Laura was born in Kentucky or Pennsylvania, and re-married to Benjamin Day Young, who became Loretta’s father’s stepfather. Cicero was the son of Noah Mendell and Mary S. Angeline was the daughter of Edwin Augustus Vickroy and Cornelia Harlan.
Loretta’s maternal grandfather was Robert Tecumuseh Royal (the son of Tecumseh F. Royall and Maria Ellen Blackman). Robert was born in Mississippi. Loretta’s great-grandfather Tecumseh was the son of John Royall and Pamela Maynard. Maria Ellen was the daughter of Ollen Marion Blackman and Johanna F. Mayfield.
Loretta’s maternal grandmother was Gertrude L./M. “Fanny”/”Fannie” Watkins (the daughter of John T. Watkins and Nancy Jane Forgey). Gertrude was born in Missouri or Tennessee.
Sources: Genealogies of Loretta Young – http://www.geni.com
https://www.wikitree.com
Loretta’s father on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Correction. Her grandmothers maiden name was Laura Vickery Mendell. She was the daughter of Cicero Mendell and Angeline Vickroy.
Correction. Benjamin Day Young was indeed John Earl Youngs step father. Found a 1900 census record that clearly indicates John was the step son of Benjamin. His biological father was apparently a man named Mandell and Laura’s maiden name was Pettigrew.
I think you may be confusing Laura with Laura Louise Pettigrew, who married Benjamin Mendell, an unrelated couple.
Correction. Looks like she has some Irish ancestry as well threw her ancestor Catherine Dudgeon Royal. Catherine’s father was born in Ireland in 1715.
Correction. The info you have for Lorettas maternal grandparents is not correct. Fanny Watkins was the daughter of John t. Watkins and Nancy jane forgery. Roberts second wife who he married after fanny died was a key, but no biological relation to Loretta.
Thank you. Corrected. One tree listed them as her parents.
Do you know if Loretta had Luxembourgian ancestry, as is often claimed?
Having royal ancestry it’s possible she had remote Luxembourgian ancestry, but everything I’m finding is English, Welsh, and Scottish. It’s also possible her biological paternal grandfather had that ancestry. Apparently her grandmother Laura married Benjamin young when Loretta father John was small.
Where is her Welsh ancestry from?
From an ancester on her Blackman side. First person was able to trace back to wales was in 1502.
She also has English ancestry as well. Was able to trace her mother’s mother back to English royalty making her French and German as well.