Janet Jackson

Jackson in 2008, Entertainment Press / Shutterstock.com

Birth Name: Janet Damita Jo Jackson

Place of Birth: Gary, Indiana, U.S.

Date of Birth: May 16, 1966

Ethnicity: African-American

Janet Jackson is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Having sold over 100 million records worldwide, Janet is ranked as one of the best-selling artists in the history of contemporary music.

Born in Gary, Indiana, and raised in Encino, Los Angeles, she is the youngest child of the Jackson family of musicians, and is the daughter of Katherine/Kattie Esther/B. (Scruse), who had played clarinet and piano, and aspired to be a country-and-western musician, and Joseph Walter Jackson, who played guitar with a rhythm and blues band, the Falcons. Among her many siblings are musicians La Toya Jackson and Michael Jackson. She is the aunt of Paris Jackson and musicians 3T (Tariano Jackson, Taryll Jackson, and Tito Jackson), among others.

Janet is African-American.

Janet has a son with her husband, Qatari business magnate Wissam Al Mana.

Janet’s father had stated that he has Native American ancestry. Janet’s brother Jermaine has said this also. It is not clear if this ancestry has been verified/documented. Joseph also stated that he had some European roots. It has also been said that Janet’s mother has Blackfoot Native American ancestry, also as yet unverified, at least publicly.

Janet’s paternal grandfather was Samuel Joseph Jackson (the son of Israel Nero Jackson and Emeline Williams). Samuel was born in Mississippi, and was said to be of partial Choctaw Native American descent (as well as having black ancestry). It is not clear if this has been verified. Israel and Emeline are listed only as “Black” on United States censuses. Israel was the son of Jack July Gayle/Milam and Mary Freeman or Gina Gale.

Janet’s paternal grandmother was Crystal Lee King (the daughter of Samuel King and Gertrude Daniel). Crystal was born in Arkansas. Samuel was the son of William King and Nellie. Gertrude was the daughter of Thomas “Tom” Daniel and Martha “Mattie” Cason. Mattie was said to be the daughter of a white woman and a black slave man.

Janet’s maternal grandfather was Prince Albert Screws/Scruse (the son of Prince Scruse and Julia Belle Jordan). Janet’s grandfather Prince was born in Alabama. Janet’s great-grandfather Prince was the son of Prince Screws and Mary Etta. Julia was the daughter of Julius Willis Jordan and Rosetta Hall.

Janet’s maternal grandmother was Martha “Mattie” Upshaw (the daughter of Daniel Upshaw and Jeanette Brown). Martha was born in Alabama. Daniel was the son of Jonas Upshaw and Minerva Grant. Jeanette was the daughter of Columbus Brown and Henrietta Peterson.

Sources: Genealogies of Janet Jackson – http://www.wargs.com
http://www.geni.com

Information (some potentially unverified) on Janet’s family history – http://www.truemichaeljackson.com
http://i845.photobucket.com

Janet’s paternal great-grandparents, Israel Nero Jackson and Emeline Williams, on the 1880 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Israel Nero Jackson and Emeline Williams on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Israel Nero Jackson and Emeline Williams on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Israel Nero Jackson and Emeline Williams on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Likely Janet’s great-grandfather, Israel Nero Jackson, on the 1870 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Janet’s maternal grandparents, Prince Albert Screws/Scruse and Martha “Mattie” Upshaw, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org

ethnic

Curious about ethnicity

46 Responses

  1. kary says:

    they all should of left their noses alone

  2. Lisette says:

    People on these sites just make themselves look stupid by claim our black people yall no nothing about us. Like the person in the previous comment said mixed is when your parents are in different categories not “my mom is black, my dad is black also but he has a little bit of this,that and the third in him yep he mixed yall” Noooo

  3. Daisuke says:

    I’m 1/32 Norwegian, and 31/32 black and I’m mixed so there

  4. Amastara says:

    I’m glad that they’re not trying to say that shes mixed, just like all the rest of the black celebrities, who are black and happen to have 1 white or native american ancestor somewhere down the line…….. it starts to get silly after people start counting anything that the person is less than 1/4 of…when a person is african american its IMPLIED that theres at least 1 white guy/native in the mix. Its part of our history. it would be like a person claiming to be puerto rican and 1/8th spanish…..silly? Exactly.

    • levangelista36 says:

      I actually agree with you.

    • rajaredhilu says:

      1/8th counts but barely and remotly

    • Samiiraa says:

      A lot of AA’s have 20 to 25% European blood.
      AA’s are of west African descent and west Africans are DARK, they are the darkest Africans because they are not mixed, at least not a lot because west African countries face the ocean or share frontiers with other African countries unlike East Africans who are mixed with Arab or Persian or North Africans who are mixed with European and Arab.
      So basically, AA’s ancestors were very dark skinned and most AA’s are not that dark. When people think BeyoncĂ© is 100% black it makes me laugh because her African ancestors were probably 10 shades darker than her. The Jacksons are black but not 100%.

      • fuzzybear44 says:

        @Samiiraa

        If you’re the Samiiraa from before, then you have East African ancestry. So I understand your loyalty to that heritage. However West Africans on the avg are no darker than East Africans. Igbo were actually known for their red and yellowish skin color,(“red eboe”) which was purposely bred out of them during slavery. Also AA’s are actually made up of Africans from all over the continent(Different people have come in over the 400yr period). Also only a small percentage of East Africans have any recent Arab heritage, the rest is from back migration

      • fuzzybear44 says:

        @Samiiraa

        Quote(west Africans are DARK, they are the darkest Africans because they are not mixed, )

        West Africans the darkest? I don’t think any group holds that title. I’ve seen just as many extremely dark people in East Africa as I’ve seen in the West. examples

        Nuba:
        http://esphoto980x880noname.mnstatic.com/c423b7774f293868533eba397c3e0a26

        Dinka:
        https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/ee/fb/6e/eefb6ec4c88cf3932ca88616bb4eadc8.jpg

        Quote(at least not a lot because west African countries face the ocean or share frontiers with other African countries unlike East Africans who are mixed with Arab or Persian or North Africans who are mixed with European and Arab.)

        Where do you think the Cape Verde people came from? The Portuguese married their way into some of the tribes setting up small colonies or forts and produce children that were loyal to them. So there has been mixing, put you have to remember, they took a lot of black people out of West Africa . Many of those people shipped away were mulattoes(slavery Logbooks) show this.

        Quote(, AA’s ancestors were very dark skinned and most AA’s are not that dark. When people think Beyoncé is 100% black it makes me laugh because her African ancestors were probably 10 shades darker than her. The Jacksons are black but not 100%.)

        Well you weren’t actually there, so you can’t know exactly how dark they were. Also as you stated yourself, the avg AA is not 100% black, so why would they see BeyoncĂ© as being different from them?

  5. sashafierce564 says:

    African American I mean

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