Stephanie J. Block
Block in 2009, photo by Prphotos
Birth Name: Stephanie Janette Block
Place of Birth: Brea, Los Angeles, California, United States
Date of Birth: September 19, 1972
Ethnicity:
*25% German
*25% Italian
*25% Polish
*25% mix of Frisian, French-Canadian, Scottish, Irish, and English
Stephanie J. Block is an American actress and singer.
Stephanie is the daughter of Rosemarie, who worked for the local school district, and Steven Block, a welfare fraud investigator. Her mother was of half Italian and half Polish descent. Her father is of German descent on one side, and of Frisian, French-Canadian, Scottish, Irish, and English descent on the other. Stephanie was raised a Catholic.
She is married to actor Sebastian Arcelus, with whom she has a daughter.
Stephanie’s paternal grandfather was Louis/Lewis James Block (the son of Albert Block and Louise Backus). Louis was born in South Dakota. Albert was born in Missouri, to German parents. Louise was German.
Stephanie’s paternal grandmother was Audrey Marguerite Fields (the daughter of Moses Alexander Fields and Hilka Cecelia/Cecilia Van Gerpen). Stephanie’s great-grandfather Moses was the son of Frederick/Fredrick William Fields and Margaret/Marguerite Almina Bressord/Brossour/Brossor. Frederick’s mother was born in Québec, Canada, possibly of Irish descent, and his father was born in either Canada or Scotland, and likely was of part English ancestry. Marguerite was born in Burlington, Vermont, to a Canadian mother, and to a father who was born in either Vermont or Canada, of French-Canadian descent. Stephanie’s great-grandmother Hilka was the daughter of Franz Cornelius Van Gerpen, who was Frisian, from Ostfriesland, Germany, and of Christina Dreszen/Driesen, who was born in Iowa, to parents from Germany; it is not clear if she was also of Frisian ancestry.
Stephanie’s maternal grandfather was Norman D. Garritano (the son of Antonio Garritano and Rose/Rosa Fuoco Ross). Norman was born in Indiana. Antonio was from Longobardi, Calabria, and was the son of Domminick Garritano and Luisa. Rose was born in Ohio, to Italian parents, Frank and Gelsomina.
Stephanie’s maternal grandmother was Irene Gajewski (the daughter of Marcin/Martin Gajewski and Cecylia/Cecilia Smurzynska). Irene was born in Indiana, to Polish parents. Marcin was from Lublin.
Sources: Stephanie’s paternal grandfather, Louis/Lewis James Block, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Louis/Lewis James Block on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Genealogy of Stephanie’s paternal grandmother, Audrey Marguerite Fields (through Audrey’s brother, Marvin Arthur Fields) – http://findagrave.com
Stephanie’s paternal great-great-grandparents, Franz Cornelius Van Gerpen and Christina Dreszen/Driesen, on the 1880 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Franz Cornelius Van Gerpen and Christina Dreszen/Driesen on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Stephanie’s maternal grandfather, Norman D. Garritano, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Obituary of Stephanie’s maternal grandfather, Norman D. Garritano – http://www.legacy.com
Marriage record of Stephanie’s maternal great-grandparents, Antonio Garritano and Rose/Rosa Fuoco Ross – https://www.familysearch.org
Stephanie’s maternal grandmother, Irene Gajewski, on the 1940 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Trivia: her maternal great-grandfather hometown in Calabria was founded by Liutprand, King of the Lombards, hence the name “Longobardi”.
Frederick William Fields’s ancestry is said to have been English:
https://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/fields/161/
Also, a small update for his wife Marguerite: apparently, she was most probably a descendant of French-Canadian immigrants to Vermont, judging by the relatively frequent migrations of people from Canada to the northernmost states of the U.S. at the time. So, no “French-Huguenot ancestry” as I assumed earlier on.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NQSK-QYW
Antonio Garritano and Rose->Antonio Garritano and Rose/Rosa Fuoco Ross
Antonio was from Longobardi, Calabria.
Marcin/Martin Gajewski was from Lublin, Poland.
His wife was Cecylia/Cecilia Smurzynska.
If Marguerite Brossor’s ancestry is based in U.S. rather than Canada, it could be that she belonged to the French-Huguenot family Brashears/ Brashear/ Brasher/ Brazier… The original family name was “Brasseur”, from which the whole lot of variations went on. A pity almost nothing is known of her lineage.
Obituary of Stephanie’s maternal grandfather:
http://www.geisenfuneralhome.com/services/memsol.cgi?page=documents&user_id=1077824&MAIN_EVENT=MEMSOL&SUB_EVENT=VIEW_GUESTBOOK