David Foster Wallace

Date of Birth: February 21, 1962

Place of Birth: Ithaca, New York, U.S.

Date of Death: September 12, 2008

Place of Death: Claremont, California, U.S.

Ethnicity: English, some Scottish, Welsh, and Irish

David Foster Wallace was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and university professor. He is known for his novels The Broom of the System, Infinite Jest, and the posthumous, unfinished, The Pale King; short story collections Girl with Curious Hair, Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, and Oblivion: Stories; non-fiction collections A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again, Consider the Lobster and Other Essays, and the posthumous Both Flesh and Not; as well as the non-fiction book Everything and More: A Compact History of Infinity and the novella Something to Do with Paying Attention. He taught English and creative writing.

David was the son of Sally Jean (Foster) and James Donald Wallace, who were professors. He was partly raised in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, where his father was a philosophy professor at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and his mother an English professor at Parkland College. He had considerable ancestry in New England and New Brunswick, Canada.

He was a regionally ranked junior tennis player. David was married to artist Karen Green, until his death.

David’s paternal grandfather was Donald Foote Wallace (the son of Rollin Lee Wallace and Annie Murdock). Donald was born in Port Henry, New York. Rollin was the son of Hugh Wallace, whose father was born in Alston, Cumbria, England; and of Elizabeth Walton. Annie was the daughter of Samuel Foote Murdock, Jr. and Martha Rachel “Mattie” Howe.

David’s paternal grandmother was Jane Elizabeth Powell (the daughter of John Franklin Powell and Elizabeth Donegan). Elizabeth was born in Standish, New York. John was the son of George Powell and Isabella P. Thompson. David’s great-grandmother Elizabeth was the daughter of William Donegan and Jane Welsh.

David’s maternal grandfather was Fenton Plummer Foster (the son of The Rev. Frederick William Foster and Belle Sarah Plummer). Fenton was born in Fort Fairfield, Maine, to parents from Carleton County, New Brunswick, Canada. He was a potato farmer. The Rev. was the son of James Foster and Jane J. Carvell. Belle was the daughter of George Frederick Plummer and Chorenia/Corenia Louise Kimball.

David’s maternal grandmother was Nellie L. Nixon (the daughter of George Berton Nixon and Lena Percival Shaw). Nellie was born in Canada. George was the son of Darius Hamilton Nixon and Annie Emma Stickney. Lena was the daughter of Samuel H. Shaw and Phoebe.

Sources: Genealogy of David Foster Wallace – https://www.findagrave.com

Genealogy of David Foster Wallace (focusing on his father’s side) – https://www.geni.com

David’s maternal grandparents, Fenton Plummer Foster and Nellie L. Nixon, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org

Marriage record of David’s maternal great-grandparents, George Berton Nixon and Lena Percival Shaw – https://www.familysearch.org