Dean Torrence

Birth Name: Dean Ormsby Torrence

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

Date of Birth: March 10, 1940

Ethnicity: English, Irish, smaller amounts of Scottish and German

Dean Torrence is an American singer and musician. He was part of rock duo Jan and Dean, with Jan Berry. They were pioneers of the California Sound and vocal surf.

Dean is the son of Natalie and Dean Maurice Torrence, who worked for the Wilshire Oil Company.

Dean’s paternal grandfather was Chester Clark Torrence (the son of Adam Clark Torrence and Almira Jean Rooney). Chester was born in Iowa. Adam was born in Ohio, the son of David Edward Torrence and Sarah Ann Smith. Almira’s surname Rooney is of Irish orgin.

Dean’s paternal grandmother was Harriet Emma Cooley (the daughter of James K. Polk Cooley and Mary Ellen McCollum). Harriet was born in South Dakota. James was born in Maryland, the son of Corbin Cooley and Olive Mary Stewart Shaw, who was born in England, of English and Irish ancestry. Dean’s great-grandmother Mary Ellen was born in Iowa, the daughter of John Jasper McCollum and Lavina Riggs.

Dean’s maternal grandfather was Edgar Lionel Ormsby (the son of Lawrence Ormsby and Ann Sophia Brown). Edgar was born in Randolph, Massachusetts, to Irish parents. Lawrence was born in County Galway, the son of William Frederick Ormsby and Katherine M. Smith. Ann was the daughter of George Brown.

Dean’s maternal grandmother was named Georgia C. Rutan (the daughter of a mother surnamed Wilcox). Georgia was born in Iowa.

Source: Genealogy of Dean Torrence – https://www.familysearch.org