Betty White

White in 1989, photo credit: Alan Light

Birth Name: Betty Marion White

Date of Birth: January 17, 1922

Place of Birth: Oak Park, Cook, Illinois, United States

Date of Death: December 31, 2021

Place of Death: Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Ethnicity:
*50% British Isles [English, and some Welsh]
*25% Danish
*25% Greek

Betty White was an American actress, animal rights activist, author, television personality, comedian, singer, and radio host. An early television pioneer, she starred as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls, and is also known for her film work, mostly in her senior years, including Hard Rain, Lake Placid, The Story of Us, Bringing Down the House, The Proposal, and You Again. She joked that she was often cast as a Norwegian woman from Minnesota.

Betty was the daughter of Tess Christine (Cachikis) and Horace Logan White, a lighting company executive. Her father was of half Danish and half English descent. Her mother was of half Greek and half English and Welsh ancestry. She was born in Oak Park and later raised in Alhambra, California, and Los Angeles. She was the 4th Mayor of Hollywood, an honorary title.

Betty was married to television personality, emcee, and game show host Allen Ludden, until his death.

Betty’s paternal grandfather was named Christopher/Christian/Christen Hans White (the son of Lars/Christen White). Christopher was born in Denmark.

Betty’s paternal grandmother was Etta/Ettie K./R. Lundy/Lunde (the daughter of Horace Dean Lundy and Catherine/Katherine Ann Harris). Etta was born in Aurora, York, Ontario, Canada. Horace was the son of Enos Lundy, Jr., who had deep roots in Pennsylvania, and of Margaret Bostwick, whose parents were English. Catherine was also the daughter of English parents, Thomas Harris and Ann.

Betty’s maternal grandfather was Nicholas/Nickolas/Nikolaos Cachikis/Kachikis (the son of Petros/Peter Cachikis and Chrisoula/Chrissola Stavros/Stavris). Nicholas was born in Kissamos, Crete, Greece.

Betty’s maternal grandmother was Margaret/Maggie Hobbs (the daughter of Thomas Valiant Hobbs and Margaret Hughes). Betty’s grandmother Margaret was born in Wingham, Huron, Ontario, Canada, to an English father and a Welsh mother. Thomas was from Lambeth, and was the son of James Hobbs and Frances Mary Jones. Betty’s great-grandmother Margaret was the daughter of David Hughes.

Sources: Family history of Betty White – http://www.huffingtonpost.com

Genealogies of Betty White – http://www.geni.com
https://www.wikitree.com
https://www.findagrave.com
https://famouskin.com

Betty’s paternal grandmother, Etta/Ettie K./R. Lundy/Lunde, on the 1881 Canada Census – https://www.familysearch.org

Birth record of Betty’s maternal grandmother, Margaret/Maggie Hobbs – https://www.familysearch.org