Aisha Tyler
Birth Name: Aisha N. Tyler
Place of Birth: San Francisco, California, United States
Date of Birth: September 18, 1970
Ethnicity: African-American, distant Malagasy, English, Scottish, and Irish
Aisha Tyler is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and director. She is known for her roles on the series Friends and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
Aisha’s maternal grandparents were Eugene Chandler Gregory (the son of Thomas Montgomery Gregory and Hugh Ella “Huella” Hancock) and Elaine Graham. Thomas Montgomery Gregory was a dramatist, educator, activist, and social philosopher; he was the son of James Monroe Gregory, a Professor of Latin and Dean at Howard University, whose grandparents were free blacks; and of Fannie Emma Hagan. Aisha’s great-grandmother Hugh was the daughter of Hugh Berry Hancock and Susie E. James.
Aisha’s great-great-grandmother Fannie Hagan’s mother, Margaret A. Mahammitt, was said to be the daughter of Jeremiah/Ali Mahomet, from Madagascar.
Aisha’s episode of Who Do You Think You Are? (2016) stated that her great-great-great-grandfather was John Hancock, who was a member of the Texas House of Representatives (1860-1861), and served as a U.S. Congressman from Texas, from 1871 to 1877, and from 1883 to 1885. John was white, and had English, Scottish, and Irish ancestry.
Sources: Genealogies of Aisha Tyler (focusing on her mother’s side) – http://www.geni.com
http://www.wikitree.com
Genealogy of Aisha’s maternal great-grandparents, Thomas Montgomery Gregory and Hugh Ella “Huella” (Hancock) Gregory – http://www.findagrave.com
Information about Aisha’s maternal great-grandfather, Thomas Montgomery Gregory – http://www.aaregistry.org
Information about Aisha’s Gregory family – http://www.pbs.org
Informtaion about Aisha’s Malagasy ancestry – http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com
Photo by Prphotos
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/secret/readings/gregory.html
James Monroe Gregory’s grandparents, Claiborne Gladman and Anna Pollard, were Free Blacks. They’re listed in “Free Blacks of Lynchburg, Virginia, 1805-1865” (by Ted Delaney, Phillip Wayne Rhodes)
Correction she also has Irish ancestry as well through several branches of John Hancocks mother whose maiden name was Ryan.
genealogy of Aisha’s maternal great-grandparents, Thomas Montgomery Gregory and Hugh Ella “Huella” Hancock: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=102277586
Thomas was a noted dramatist, educator, social philosopher, and activist. His mother is described as being of Madagascan descent
http://www.aaregistry.org/historic_events/view/thomas-montgomery-gregory-broke-ground-black-theater
Thomas’ father, James Monroe Gregory, was a Professor, and a member of Republican Party
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Monroe_Gregory
Aisha is also related to astronaut Frederick D. Gregory
Fannie Emma Hagan’s mother, Margaret Mahammitt, was said to be the daughter of Jeremiah/Ali Mahomet from Madagascar. It seems confirmed
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~malagasy4us/familystory.htm
Correction. On Who do you think you are they traced her ancestry to her third great grandfather a white man named John Hancock who was a representative for the state of Texas. He had English and Scottish ancestry.