Willa Ford
Ford in 2009, photo by s_bukley/Bigstock.com
Birth Name: Amanda Lee Williford
Place of Birth: Ruskin, Florida, U.S.
Date of Birth: January 22, 1981
Ethnicity: German, English, Irish, Scottish
Willa Ford is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, model, television personality, and film actress. Her roles include the films The Anna Nicole Smith Story, as the title woman, Friday the 13th (2009), and Submerged,
She is the daughter of Donna and Ralph Williford. Willa is married to NFL linebacker Ryan Nece, with whom she has a son.
Willa’s paternal grandfather was named James M. Williford.
Willa’s maternal grandmother was Juanita Elizabeth Glisson (the daughter of Julius C. Glisson and Elizabeth Willis). Juanita was born in Tampa, Florida.
Willa’s maternal grandfather is Malcolm B. Sweat, Jr. (the son of Malcolm Beaureguard Sweat and Ruby E. Hull). Willa’s grandfather Malcolm was born in Florida. Willa’s great-grandfather Malcolm was the son of Harney Lafayette Sweat and Elizabeth Civility Taylor. Ruby was the daughter of John P. Hull and Rebecca E. Bryan.
Willa’s maternal grandmother is Margaret Jane Colding (the daughter of Solon Saulter Colding and Cora L. Burnett). Margaret was born in Florida. Solon was the son of George Walter Colding and Margaret E. “Maggie” Gallagher. Cora was the daughter of Alexander Patterson Burnett and Nancy Jane Moody.
Willa is a fourth cousin of actress Leven Rambin. Willa’s maternal great-great-great-grandparents, James Malcolm Sweat and Elizabeth Goff, were also Leven’s maternal great-great-great-grandparents.
Sources: Obituary of Willa’s paternal grandmother, Juanita Elizabeth (Glisson) Williford – http://www.legacy.com
Obituary of Willa’s maternal uncle – http://www.legacy.com
Genealogy of Willa’s maternal grandfather, Malcolm B. Sweat, Jr. (focused on his father’s side) – https://familysearch.org
Willa’s maternal grandfather, Malcolm B. Sweat, Jr., on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Willa’s maternal grandmother, Margaret Jane Colding, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Genealogies of Willa’s maternal great-grandparents, Solon Saulter Colding and Cora L. Burnett – https://www.findagrave.com
Marriage record of Willa’s maternal great-grandparents, Solon Saulter Colding and Cora L. Burnett – https://familysearch.org
Willa’s maternal great-grandfather, Solon Saulter Colding, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
She has two African ancestors, John Bunch (Obama’s ancestor too) and Margaret Cornish (check KaDee Strickland).
Not a casuality to me they compare in the same family tree. I’ve seen Bunch’s descendants use to intermarry with people of rumored non-European ancestry, for what available sources can tell us. Probably others may be Melungeons (Collins).
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/pedigree/landscape/LKKR-4MD
indeed: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Collins-12173
Malcolm B. Sweat and Ruby E.->Malcolm Beaureguard Sweat and Ruby E. Hull
Malcolm was the son of Harney Lafayette Sweat and Elizabeth Civility Taylor.
Ruby was the daughter of John P. Hull and Rebecca E. Bryan.
Grandfather Malcolm on a census:
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:STV5-J6Z
Family tree:
https://familysearch.org/tree/pedigree/LKKR-4MD/landscape
Grandmother on a census:
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:STNK-ST2
Great-grandparents Solon Saulter Colding and Cora L. Burnett:
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FW3K-W5S
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M369-RZG
https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=8535224