Jan Berry

Birth Name: William Jan Berry

Date of Birth: April 3, 1941

Place of Birth: Los Angeles, California, United States

Date of Death: March 26, 2006

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

Ethnicity:
*50% Norwegian, with distant Danish
*25% English, possibly other
*12.5% Scottish
*12.5% Ashkenazi Jewish

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

Jan was the son of Clara Lorentze and William Ladew Berry, an aeronautical engineer, who was the project manager on Howard Hughes’ Spruce Goose. His mother was a Norwegian emigrant, from Bergen.

Jan’s paternal grandfather was Hiram Hyatt Berry, Jr. (the son of Hiram Hyatt Berry and Annie C. Platts). Jan’s grandfather Hiram was born in New York. Jan’s great-grandfather Hiram was born in Morristown, New Jersey, the son of Aaron D. Berry and Emily C. Hyatt.

Jan’s paternal grandmother was Mabel Elder (the daughter of John Elder and Bertha Arndt). Mabel was born in New York. John was Scottish, from Aberdeen, the son John Henry Elder and Fannie Pennington. Bertha was Jewish, born in Prussia, Germany, the daughter of Solomon Arndt and Minna Lachman.

Jan’s maternal grandfather was Ole Stein Kristiansen Mustad (the son of Christian Maurits Olsen Mustad and Maren Marie Haugsrud). Ole was born in Torke Nedre, Vardal, Oppland, Norway. Christian was the son of Ole Haavelsen/Haavelssøn Mustad and Anne Marie Hansdatter Skikkelstad. Maren was the daughter of Steingrim Eriksen Haugsrud and Hanna Lovise Skougstad.

Jan’s maternal grandmother was Klara/Clara Lærum (the daughter of Ole Didrik Zacharias Severin Ottesen Lærum and Aurora Olava Mathilde Hovind). Klara was born in Gjøvik, Oppland, Norway. Ole was the son of John Lærum and Birgitte Christiane Lorck Schive, whose mother was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. Aurora was the daughter of Ole Larsen Hovind and Berthe Cathrine Sørensdatter Loftstuequern.

Sources: Genealogy of Jan Berry – https://www.familysearch.org

Genealogy of Jan Berry (focusing on his mother’s side) – https://www.geni.com