Jane Wyatt

Birth Name: Jane Waddington Wyatt

Date of Birth: August 12, 1910

Place of Birth: Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, U.S.

Date of Death: October 20, 2006

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

Ethnicity: English, some Dutch, Scottish, smaller amounts of Irish, Welsh, Scots-Irish/Northern Irish, French Huguenot, German, and Belgian Flemish, distant Cornish

Jane Wyatt was an American actress. Her roles included the films Lost Horizon (1937), Kisses for Breakfast, Hurricane Smith, Gentleman’s Agreement, None but the Lonely Heart, Boomerang, Our Very Own, and House by the River, and the series Father Knows Best and Star Trek.

She was the daughter of Euphemia Van Rensselaer (Waddington) and Christopher Billopp Wyatt, a broker. She was from an upper-class family, with deep Colonial American roots, particularly in New England, New York, and Pennsylvania. She was married to Edgar Bethune Ward, until his death, with whom she had three children.

Jane’s paternal grandfather was William Edward Wyatt (the son of The Rev. Christopher Billopp Wyatt and Mary Angelica Crogan). William was born in New York. Christopher was the son of The Rev. William Edward Wyatt, who was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, to an English father and American mother; and of Frances Billopp. Mary was the daughter of Col. George Croghan, whose father was from Dublin, Ireland; and of Serena Eliza Livingston.

Jane’s paternal grandmother was Jane/Jennie Kirby (the daughter of Jacob Brown Kirby and Jane Trimble). Jane’s grandmother Jane was born in Brownville, Jefferson, New York. Jacob was the son of Edmund Kirby and Eliza A. Brown. Jane’s great-grandmother Jane was the daughter of George Thomas Trimble and Cornelia Merritt.

Jane’s maternal grandfather was George Waddington (the son of William D. Waddington and Mary Elizabeth Ogden). George was born in New York. William and Mary Elizabeth were first cousins. William was the son of Joshua Waddington, who was English, and of Gertrude G. Ogden. Mary Elizabeth was the daughter of Abraham Ogden, Jr. and Mary L. Barnwell.

Jane’s maternal grandmother was Elizabeth Van Rensselaer (the daughter of Henry Bell Van Rensselaer and Elizabeth Ray King). Jane’s grandmother Elizabeth was born in New York. Henry was born in Manor House, Albany, Albany Co., New York, and was Inspector General of the U.S. Army during the Civil War, and a U.S. Congressman from New York, from March 4, 1841 to March 3, 1843. He was the son of politician and landowner Stephen Van Rensselaer, who founded the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and was also a U.S. Congressman from New York, from March 12, 1822 to March 3, 1829; and of Cornelia Paterson. Stephen’s grandfather, Jane’s great-great-great-great-grandfather, was merchant and statesman Philip Livingston, who signed the Declaration of Independence; Cornelia’s father was Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the U.S., Governor of New Jersey, and U.S. Senator from New Jersey, William Paterson, who was born in County Antrim, Ireland. Jane’s great-grandmother Elizabeth was the daughter of John Alsop King, who was Governor of New York, from January 1, 1857 to December 31, 1858, and of Mary Ray. John was the son of lawyer, politician, and diplomat Rufus King, who signed the U.S. Constitution; he was a U.S. Senator from New York, from July 25, 1789 to May 23, 1796, and again, from March 4, 1813 to March 4, 1825, and was a Whig Party presidential candidate.

Jane was a second cousin, once removed, of singer and musician David Crosby. Jane’s maternal great-grandparents, Henry Bell Van Rensselaer and Elizabeth Ray King, were also David’s paternal great-great-grandparents.

Sources: Genealogies of Jane Wyatt – https://famouskin.com
https://www.geni.com
https://www.findagrave.com