Penn Jillette

Jillette in 2014, photo by Prphotos.com

Birth Name: Penn Fraser Jillette

Place of Birth: Greenfield, Massachusetts, U.S.

Date of Birth: March 5, 1955

Ethnicity: English, as well as Scottish, 1/32 Guernsey [Channel Islander], distant Welsh and Irish

Penn Jillette is an American magician, actor, musician, inventor, television presenter, and author. He forms the magician duo Penn & Teller, together with Teller.

Penn is the son of Valda Ruth, a secretary, and Samuel Herbert Jillette/Gillette/Gillet, who worked at Greenfield’s Franklin County Jail. Penn’s paternal grandparents were born in Newfoundland, Canada, and Penn’s father had English, Scottish, and 1/16th Guernsey [Channel Islander], ancestry. The surnames Jillett/Jillette in Newfoundland originally come from England. Penn’s mother had deep New England roots for many generations, and was of mostly English ancestry.

Penn is married to Emily, with whom he has two children.

Penn’s paternal grandfather was Samuel Edward Jillett (born Samuel Edgar Gillet, the son of John Samuel Jillett and Ann G. Gillaspie). Penn’s grandfather Samuel was born in Carbonear, Newfoundland, Canada. John was the son of Samuel Jillett and Mary Penney. Ann was the daughter of William Gillaspie/Gillespie and Susannah Clark/Clarke.

Penn’s paternal grandmother was Caroline F. Penney (the daughter of Edward Sparks/Sparkes Penney and Emma Theresa/Teresa Noftal). Caroline was born in Freshwater, Carbonear, Newfoundland, Canada. Edward was the son of William Penney and Mary Parsons. Emma was the daughter of William Noftal and Emma Thistle; William’s father, Peter Noftal, was born on St. Saviour, Guernsey, Channel Islands.

Penn’s maternal grandfather was Robert Henry Parks (the son of James W. Parks and Ellen/Helen Rebecca Cook). Penn’s grandfather Robert was born in Greenfield, Franklin, Massachusetts. James was born in Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada, the son of William Parks and Jane. Ellen was born in Londonderry, Windham, Vermont, the daughter of Lafayette Cook and Ellen Stoodley.

Penn’s maternal grandmother was named Elizabeth/Lizzie Jenkins (the daughter of Cora Ellen Jenkins). Elizabeth was born in Cummington, Hampshire, Massachusetts. Cora was the daughter of Marshall I. Jenkins and Ellen L. Rhoades.

In Penn’s book Every Day is an Atheist Holiday!, 2012, Penn wrote:

After she read Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, my mom claimed that we had some aboriginal American relatives, and some TV show recently did some genealogy research in our family background and proved she might have been telling the truth… My dad told me that I have at least one African-American ancestor. I’m a pretty direct descendant of Captain Cook, who brought syphilis to Hawaii and gave the English the name “limeys.” Statistically, the long line of sailors must have brought in most other nationalities I can think of and some I can’t.

It is not clear if Penn’s Native American and/or African-American ancestry has been verified/documented.

Penn is not a direct descendant of Sir James Cook (1728-1779), who did not appear to have had grandchildren. Captain Cook was a British explorer, cartographer, and naval officer, who mapped parts of Canada’s east coast, prior to the British conquest of Canada, and founded New South Wales, the first British colony in Australia. James was of half Scottish and half English descent.

Sources: Genealogies of Penn Jillette – http://www.andrewkolstee.com
https://famouskin.com

Penn’s father on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Penn’s paternal grandparents, Samuel Edward/Edgar Jillett/Gillet and Caroline F. Penney, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Penn’s mother on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Penn’s mother on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Penn’s maternal grandfather, Robert Henry Parks, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Genealogy of Penn’s stated relative, James Cook – http://www.geni.com