Brandon Routh

Routh in 2008, photo by Prphotos

Birth Name: Brandon James Routh

Place of Birth: Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.

Date of Birth: October 9, 1979

Ethnicity: English, some Scottish, German, Irish, and Scots-Irish/Northern Irish, more distant Welsh and Dutch

Brandon Routh is an American actor and model. He played Clark Kent/Superman in the 2006 film Superman Returns, and has also had leading roles in the films Fling, Life Is Hot in Cracktown, Table for Three, Unthinkable, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Dylan Dog: Dead of Night, Crooked Arrows, 400 Days, and Lost in the Pacific, and on television’s One Life to Live, Chuck, The Nine Lives of Christmas, Arrow/The Flash/DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, and The Nine Kittens of Christmas.

He is the son of Catherine, a teacher, and Ronald Routh, a carpenter. Brandon is of English, some Scottish, German, Irish, and Scots-Irish/Northern Irish, and more distant Welsh and Dutch, ancestry. He has also stated:

I’m Chickapoo [Kickapoo, a Native American tribe], watered down quite a bit, on my father’s side.

It is not clear if this Native American ancestry has been verified/documented. All of Brandon’s paternal grandparents, great-grandparents, and great-great-grandparents are listed as “White” on United States Censuses.

He was raised in Norwalk, Iowa. Brandon is married to actress Courtney Ford, with whom he has a son.

Brandon’s patrilineal line can be traced to Lawrence Routh, who was born, c. 1660, in Yorkshire, England, and to Lawrence’s wife, Anne Metcalfe, who was born, c. 1665, also in Yorkshire.

Brandon’s paternal grandfather was Amor Ellis Routh (the son of Pearl V. Routh and Ruth Estelle Congar/Conger). Amor was born in Des Moines, Polk, Iowa, and was fire chief of Earlham, Iowa. Pearl was the son of Joshua S. Routh/Ruth and Emma Lula Etta Neely/Neeley, who had Irish grandparents. Brandon’s great-grandmother Ruth was the daughter of Revillo/Reville Spencer Congar, whose parents were from New York, and of Emma Sarah Whitaker, who was born in New York.

Brandon’s paternal grandmother was Velma Mae/May Junkin (the daughter of Joy McQuie Junkin and Ada/Addie Lowdema Morgan). Velma was born in Redfield, Dallas, Iowa. Joy was the son of George Thompson Junkin and Mary McQuie; Mary’s parents, Peter McQuie and Isabella McCullough/McCulloch, were Scottish, with Peter being from Kirkcudbrightshire. Brandon’s great-grandmother Ada was the daughter of Alexander/Alex L. Morgan, whose paternal grandparents were Welsh; and of Viola Jane Clearwater, whose grandmother was Scottish.

Brandon’s maternal grandfather was John Junior Lear (the son of John Lear and Madge Luvena Phipps). Brandon’s grandfather John was born in Osceola, Clarke, Iowa. Brandon’s great-grandfather John was the son of Peter Lear, a German emigrant, from Baden-Württemberg, and of Elizabeth/Lizzie A. Henderson, whose parents, Thomas Henderson and May Henry, were from Ireland. Brandon’s great-grandmother Madge was the daughter of Charles Rush Phipps and Alice May Campbell.

Brandon’s maternal grandmother was Viola Lorraine Brown (the daughter of Leigh Alfred Brown and Edith Bell Brandon). Viola was born in Prescott, Adams, Iowa. Leigh’s father, Daniel Ephraim Brown/Braun, was the son of George Christian Braun/Brown and Anna Catherine Wilhelmina Jenss, who were German. Leigh’s mother, Brandon’s great-great-grandmother, was Viola Adelphia/Adelpha Ballou. Her Ballou line originates with an English emigrant, William Ballou, from Devonshire. Brandon’s great-grandmother Edith was the daughter of William Martin Brandon and Elizabeth Caroline Van Winkle; Brandon’s great-great-grandmother Elizabeth was the daughter of Oliver Perry Van Winkle and Irene Cox.

One of Brandon’s direct matrilineal ancestors is a woman named Hannah Brewster, who was born, c. 1688, in Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts, to Wrestling Brewster and Mary Holland. Hannah’s paternal great-grandfather was William Brewster (c. 1566-1644), a Mayflower passenger and noted Pilgrim. Among many of William’s other descendants are actors Jordana Brewster, Paget Brewster, Austin Butler, Chevy Chase, Taylor Lautner, Seth MacFarlane, and Elisabeth Shue, actor and model Noah Mills, director, producer, screenwriter, and cinematographer Zack Snyder, singer Buffy Sainte-Marie, soccer player Clint Dempsey, Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld, U.S. Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, and Governor of Arkansas Winthrop Rockefeller.

Sources: Genealogies of Brandon Routh – https://famouskin.com
https://www.geni.com

Brandon’s paternal grandfather, Amor Ellis Routh, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Genealogy of Brandon’s paternal great-grandparents, Pearl V. Routh and Ruth Estelle Congar/Conger – http://www.schueths.com

Brandon’s paternal great-grandfather, Pearl V. Routh, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Pearl V. Routh on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Brandon’s paternal great-great-grandparents, Revillo/Reville Spencer Congar and Emma Sarah Whitaker, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Genealogy of Brandon’s father (focusing on his own mother’s side) – http://www.frontierfamilies.net

Obituary of Brandon’s paternal grandmother, Velma Mae/May (Junkin) Routh – http://iagenweb.org

Brandon’s paternal great-grandfather, Joy McQuie Junkin, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Joy McQuie Junkin on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Brandon’s paternal great-grandmother, Ada/Addie Lowdema Morgan, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Ada/Addie Lowdema Morgan on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Marriage record of Brandon’s paternal great-great-great-great-grandparents, Lawson A. Mingus and Sarah/Salley Brice – https://www.familysearch.org

Brandon’s maternal grandfather, John Junior Lear, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Brandon’s maternal grandmother, Viola Lorraine Brown, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Genealogy of Brandon’s maternal great-great-grandmother, Elizabeth Caroline Van Winkle (focusing on her mother’s side) – http://www.findagrave.com