Cissy Houston RIP
Houston in 2007, photo by prphotos
Birth Name: Emily Lee Drinkard
Date of Birth: September 30, 1933
Place of Birth: Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Date of Death: October 7, 2024
Place of Death: Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Ethnicity: African-American, with small amounts of English, Irish, and Scottish
Cissy Houston was an American soul and gospel singer. Her family formed a family gospel group, The Drinkard Jubilairs, later The Drinkard Singers, who recorded the first gospel album on a major label. She was a founding member of R&B group The Sweet Inspirations.
She was the daughter of Adelia/Delia Mae (McCaskill) and Nitcholas/Nicholas “Nitch” Drinkard. Her father was born in Hilton, Early, Georgia. Her mother was born in Florida. She was a cousin of spinto soprano Leontyne Price (Mary Violet Leontyne Price). Cissy had a son, professional basketball player Gary Garland, with her former husband Freddie Garland; and two children, including singer and actress Whitney Houston, with her former husband, administrator and entertainment executive John Russell Houston, Jr. She was the maternal grandmother of reality television personality and singer Bobbi Kristina Brown. Cissy was the aunt of singer, actress, and television show host Dionne Warwick and singer Dee Dee Warwick.
Cissy’s parents were both African-American, and she also had a small amount of English, Irish, and Scottish ancestry. Cissy stated in an interview that she also had Dutch and Native American ancestry. It is not clear if this Native American ancestry has been verified/documented.
Cissy’s paternal grandfather was John Drinkard, Jr. (the son of John Drinkard, Sr. and Victoria Hansom). Cissy’s grandfather John was born in Early County, Georgia. Cissy’s great-grandfather John was born in Mississippi, and was a landowner near the border of Georgia and Alabama.
Cissy’s paternal grandmother was named Susie/Susan Belle/Bell “Delia” Fuller. Susan was born in Georgia.
Cissy’s maternal grandfather was named Stephen McCaskill (the son of Annie/Ann Hogan). Stephen was born in Florida. His biological father likely was John Jett McCaskill, who was white.
Cissy’s maternal grandmother was Emma L. Houston (the daughter of Oliver Houston and Rachel/Rachael Hill). Emma was born in Florida.
A DNA test of Cissy’s niece Dionne whose results were displayed on the show Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2024) stated that Dionne’s genetic ancestry consists of:
*80% African
——–*24% Nigeria
——–*23% Benin & Togo
——–*14% Cameroon, Congo, & Western Bantu Peoples
——–*9% Mali
——–*6% Ivory Coast & Ghana
——–*4% Senegal
*19% European
——–*9% England & NW Europe
——–*5% Ireland
——–*3% Scotland
——–*2% Germanic Europe
*1% Asian
——–*1% Southern Philippines
Sources: Genealogies of Cissy Houston – http://www.geni.com
https://famouskin.com
Cissy speaks of their ancestors – http://www.youtube.com
Cissy’s paternal grandparents, John Drinkard, Jr. and Susie/Susan Belle/Bell Fuller, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Cissy’s mother on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Cissy’s maternal grandparents, Stephen McCaskill and Emma L. Houston, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
City’s maternal grandfather, Stephen McCaskill, on the 1880 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Would not say “small amount”, 19% is quite substancial actually. It’s like having a grandparent whos at least 90% of one ethnicity.
That’s Dionne Warwick, not Cissy.
In any case, I’d say, for an African-American with a white great-grandparent/great-great-grandparent, 19% European DNA actually is pretty small.
why does it say “distant English, Irish, and Scottish” when it refers to her grandfather?
Shouldn’t it say “*English, Irish, and Scottish (maternal grandfather)” or something?
Stephen McCaskill was black or part black.
the article says “Stephen was white, of English, Irish, and Scottish descent.”
Corrected. Stephen had a black mother, and probably a white father.
*John Jette/Jett McCaskill’s wife was Sarah Elizabeth Flournoy, according to: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=84378842
* Kenneth McCaskill’s parents, Peter McCaskill and Isabelle Lauder, were Scottish http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=PED&db=dowfam3&id=I436444