Emma Roberts
Roberts in 2011, s_bukley / Shutterstock.com
Birth Name: Emma Rose Roberts
Place of Birth: Rhinebeck, New York, U.S.
Date of Birth: February 10, 1991
Ethnicity: English, German, Swedish, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, distant Dutch, remote French
Emma Roberts is an American actress and singer.
She is the daughter of actor Eric Roberts (Eric Anthony Roberts) and Kelly Cunningham, and the niece of actresses Julia Roberts and Lisa Roberts Gillan. Emma has a son with her former partner, actor and model Garrett Hedlund.
Emma’s paternal grandfather was Walter Grady Roberts (the son of Walter Thomas “Tom” Roberts and Beatrice M. Beal). Emma’s grandfather Walter was born in Georgia, and was an actor and playwright. Emma’s great-grandfather Walter was the son of John Pendleton Roberts and Jimmie Glen Corbitt. Beatrice was the daughter of William Edward Beal and Pearl F. Dooley.
Emma’s paternal grandmother was Betty Lou Bredemus (the daughter of Wendell John Bredemus and Elizabeth Ellen Billingsley). Betty was born in Minnesota, and was an actor and playwright. Wendell was the son of John Math/Mathias/Matheus/Mathews Bredemus, who was of German descent, and of Elin Maria “Eleanor” Johansdotter/Johnson, who was born in Sundstorp, By, Värmland, Sweden. Elizabeth was the daughter of James Henry Billingsley and Nellie Hutchings.
Emma’s maternal grandfather is named Raymond R. Cunningham.
Emma’s maternal grandmother is Emma Elizabeth Gailie (the daughter of Anthony/Antone Joseph Gailie and Minnie Van Sickle). Emma’s grandmother Emma was born in New York. Anthony was the son of emigrants from Galicia, Poland, Jan/John Gajli/Gaili/Gailie, from Bochnia, and Elizabeth Rhein, who likely was of German descent. Minnie was the daughter of Harrison Britton Van Sickle and Lillian May Cassidy, and had deep roots in the U.S. She was of Irish, English, German, and Dutch descent.
A DNA test whose results were displayed on the show Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2023) stated that Emma’s aunt Julia’s genetic ancestry consists of:
*32% England & North Western Europe
*32% Scotland
*26% Norway
*7% Sweden & Denmark
*2% Wales
*1% Ireland
Sources: Genealogies of Emma Roberts (focusing on her father’s side) – http://www.geni.com
https://www.wikitree.com
Family history of Emma’s father, Eric Roberts (through Eric’s sister, Julia Roberts), at The Huffington Post, by Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak – http://www.huffingtonpost.com
Genealogy of Emma’s father (through his own sister, Julia Roberts) – http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com
Genealogies of Emma’s paternal grandparents, Walter Grady Roberts and Betty Lou (Bredemus) Roberts – https://www.findagrave.com
Genealogy of Emma’s paternal great-great-grandfather, John Pendleton Roberts – http://www.findagrave.com
Marriage record of Emma’s paternal great-great-grandparents, James Henry Billingsley and Nellie Hutchings – https://familysearch.org
What I meant to say in my submission was that Elizabeth Rhein was likely of German descent. Jan/John Gajli/Gaili/Gailie was likely of Polish descent, or maybe some other Slavic ethnicity.
Emma’s maternal grandparents, Emma Elizabeth and Raymond R. Cunningham, are both still alive. He was born on 4 July 1932, and her on 21 February 1934. Now:
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/recordonline/name/helen-rudy-obituary?id=14151006
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/recordonline/name/margaret-gailie-obituary?id=14815699
,these two obituaries mention an Emma Cunningham, wife of Raymond, who is the same age as Emma Robert’s grandmother.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KQYZ-6YT
So it is very likely that they are the same Emma. In that case:
Emma’s maternal grandmother is Emma Elizabeth Gailie (the daughter of Anthony Joseph Gailie and Minnie Van Sickle). Anthony was the son of immigrants from Galicia, Poland, Jan/John Gajli/Gaili/Gailie, from Bochnia, and Elizabeth Rhein, who was likely of entierly German descent. Minnie was the daughter of Harrison Britton Van Sickle and Lillian May Cassidy, and had deep lines in America.
As far as I could see, Lillian’s ethnicity was English, German and Dutch.
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/pedigree/landscape/LL73-7S7
As far as I could see, *Minnie’s* ethnicity was English, German and Dutch.
On the other hand, I believe this may be the family of Raymond R. Cunningham in a 1940 census (Elizabeth and Raymond J. Cunningham):
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KQRY-C3W
And in addition to that, that Elizabeth may be Elizabeth “Bessie” M. Rendich, the daughter of Richard A. Rendich, an Austrian emigrant, and Elizabeth T. Sweeney, an Irish emigrant.
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/pedigree/landscape/GFQB-QSG
¿Can anyone verify any of these relationships?