Brandon Flynn
Brandon Flynn – 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards – Arrivals – Microsoft Theater, 777 Chick Hearn Court – Los Angeles, CA, USA, 2017 – Photo Credit: / PRPhotos.com
Birth Name: Brandon Paul Flynn
Place of Birth: Miami, Florida, U.S.
Date of Birth: October 11, 1993
Ethnicity:
*father – Ashkenazi Jewish, Irish, English, Scottish
*mother – Ashkenazi Jewish
Brandon Flynn is an American actor. He is known for his roles on the series 13 Reasons Why, True Detective, and Ratched, and in the films Looks That Kill and Hellraiser (2022).
Brandon has stated (here and here) that he is Jewish. Brandon’s father is of somewhere between one eighth and three eighths Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry. His father’s other roots are English, Irish, and Scottish. Brandon’s mother’s family is entirely Ashkenazi Jewish.
Brandon’s paternal great-great-grandfather Abraham Samuel Dzialynski was among the first Jewish people to be born in Florida, having been born, in 1876, at Fort Meade, Polk, in the state.
Brandon is married to Canadian author, playwright, filmmaker, and theatre director Jordan Tannahill.
Brandon’s paternal grandfather was Maurice Arthur Flynn (the son of Gertrude Delinski). Maurice was born in Florida. Gertrude was born in Florida, the daughter of Abraham/Abram Samuel/J. Dzialynski/Delinski and Ellalu Lee Green, from Alabama. Abraham was Jewish, and was the son of Philip/Phillip Dzialynski and Mary Cohen, who were born in Poland and/or Prussia. Brandon’s great-great-grandmother Ellalu was the daughter of William Randolph Green and Antoinette Virginia VanZandt/Vanzant. Brandon’s great-grandmother Gertrude Delinski was first married to Harold Arthur Rainess, who was Jewish. She later re-married to Harry Wiseman Flynn, after Maurice’s birth. It is not (publicly) clear which of the two was Maurice’s biological father, though Maurice shared a middle name with Harold and a surname with Harry.
Brandon’s maternal grandmother was Mary Elaine/Eileen Fuller (the daughter of Paul Albert Fuller and Regina Theresa Hope). Elaine was born in Ohio. Paul was the son of Albert/Alphord B. Fuller, who had English and Scottish ancestry, and of Orlene/Orlean Money/Morey. Regina was the daughter of Edward C. Hope and Mary Anne Walsh, and was of Irish descent.
Brandon’s maternal grandfather is George Henry Soulé (the son of Edward Stanley Soulé and Ann/Anna/Annie Doris Schampan). George was born in Ohio. Edward was born in Pennsylvania, the son of George Soule and Hattie Lengberg/Lenzberg, who were both the children of German Jewish immigrants. Brandon’s great-grandmother Ann was born in Pennsylvania, the daughter of Hyman Schampan, who was a Russian Jewish emigrant, from Prorence, Plock, and of Pauline Pulvermacher/Powdermaker/Pulnermacher, who was born in Honine, in the Poland-Russia area, to a Jewish family, and then moved to Liverpool, England, and then the U.S.
Brandon’s maternal grandmother was Freda/Freida Ann Spector (the daughter of Julius Spector and Ruth Brown). Freda was born in Florida. Julius was born in Massachusetts, the son of Samuel J. Spector and Mary Kriensky, who were Russian Jewish emigrants, from Odessa. Brandon’s great-grandmother Ruth was born in Massachusetts, the daughter of Russian Jewish parents, Frank Brown and Mollie/Molly Mazonson.
A picture of Julius and Ruth can be seen here.
Sources: Genealogy of Brandon’s paternal great-grandmother, Gertrude Delinski (focusing on her father’s side) – https://www.geni.com
Brandon’s paternal great-grandmother, Gertrude Delinski, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Marriage records of Brandon’s paternal great-great-grandparents, Abraham/Abram Samuel/J. Dzialynski/Delinski and Ellalu Lee Green – https://www.familysearch.org
https://www.familysearch.org
Brandon’s paternal great-great-grandfather, Abraham/Abram Samuel/J. Dzialynski/Delinski, on the 1880 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Death record of Brandon’s paternal great-great-grandfather, Abraham/Abram Samuel/J. Dzialynski/Delinski – https://www.familysearch.org
Brandon’s paternal great-great-grandmother, Ellalu Lee Green, on the 1895 Kansas State Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Marriage record of Brandon’s maternal great-grandparents, Edward Stanley Soulé and Ann/Anna Doris Schampan – https://www.familysearch.org
Brandon’s maternal great-grandfather, Edward Stanley Soulé, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Brandon’s maternal great-great-grandfather, George Soule, on the 1870 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Marriage record of Brandon’s maternal great-great-great-grandparents, Simon Soule and Hannah Rosenberg – https://www.familysearch.org
Brandon’s maternal great-grandmother, Ann/Anna/Annie Doris Schampan, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Brandon’s maternal great-great-grandmother, Pauline Pulvermacher, on the 1891 England and Wales Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Death record of Brandon’s maternal great-great-grandmother, Pauline (Pulvermacher) Schampan – https://www.familysearch.org
Genealogy of Brandon’s mother (focusing on her mother’s side) – http://www.spectorandsons.com
Brandon’s maternal great-grandmother, Ruth Brown, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Ruth Brown on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
You’re right about Ellalu. Ancestry tree has her as daughter of William Randolph Green and Antoinette Virginia VanZandt.
For what it’s worth, Maurice had Harry Flynn as his father on his social security application.
https://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-detail.jsp?dt=3061&mtch=1&cat=all&tf=F&q=267485528&bc=&rpp=10&pg=1&rid=3030104
Harold and Gertrude divorced when Gertrude was either already many months pregnant, or after she had given birth. She would have conceived around September 1934. The same middle name thing is possibly a big tell for me. Also that Harry and Gertrude had another child right away in 1936, possibly as a “seal the deal” kind of thing.
It’s probably something we couldn’t ever know unless someone from the family told us.
Oh, I see Harold Rainess re-married in the same year, 1935, in December. This all must have been very interesting.
Brandon’s paternal grandfather was Maurice Arthur Flynn (the son of Harry Wiseman Flynn and Gertrude Delinski). Maurice was born in Florida. Gertrude was the daghter of Abraham Samuel Dzialynski and Ellalu Lee Green.
Brandon’s maternal grandmother was Elaine Fuller (the daughter of Paul Albert Fuller and Regina Theresa Hope). Elaine was born in Ohio. Paul was the son of Albert B. Fuller and Orlene Money/Morey. Regina was the daughter of Edward C. Hope and Mary Anne Walsh.
As far as ethnicity goes, Gertrude was Ashkenazi Jewish , and Regina was Irish.
Harry is a bit of a mistery. I can’t find him on a census prior to 1945 Florida census. He’s supposed to be from Danville, Va, born in 1902, and has a brother Ben (per his obituary). Albert Fuller was English and Scottish.
I think these are Orlena’s parents
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/pedigree/landscape/KLQP-BJV
Ha, found Harry’s parents.
They were Alexander Flynn and Nannie Mustaine.
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/pedigree/landscape/L2PV-KD1
Thank you, bablah.
One interesting thing is that Gertrude Delinski was first married to Harold Arthur Rainess, who was Jewish. They married in November 1933. Gertrude married Harry Flynn in September 1935. Brandon’s grandfather Maurice was born in June 1935.
Gertrude and Harold divorced at some point in 1935. Maurice had the middle name Arthur, and Harold’s middle name was also Arthur. Given that and the presumed month of the pregnancy, I’m leaning to Harold being Maurice’s biological father.
Another thing, Gertrude’s mother may have been a convert to Judaism, but was she born to a Jewish family? I think her parents were William R. Green and Antoinette Vanzant.