Jello Biafra
Biafra in 2013, photo by Prphotos
Birth Name: Eric Reed Boucher
Place of Birth: Boulder, Colorado, U.S.
Date of Birth: June 17, 1958
Ethnicity: English, Scots-Irish/Northern Irish, German, smaller amounts of Irish and Swiss-German
Jello Biafra is an American singer, songwriter, musician, record label director, speaker, and politician. He was lead singer of punk rock band Dead Kennedys. He was also a member of one-shot punk rock band The No WTO Combo, with Krist Novoselic and Kim Thayil.
He was a candidate for the Green Party’s nomination for President of the United States in 2000.
Jello is the son of Virginia Isabelle (Parker), a librarian, and Stanley Wayne Boucher, a psychiatric social worker and poet.
Jello’s paternal grandfather was Paul Edward Boucher (the son of John Norman Boucher and Margaret Ellen “Maggie” Sterrett). Paul was born in Iowa. John was the son of English immigrants, Edward Boucher and Mary Norman. Margaret was the daughter of Samuel Montgomery Sterrett, who was of Scots-Irish/Northern Irish descent, and of Mary Jane Dawkins.
Jello’s paternal grandmother was Edythe/Edith M. Bloom (the daughter of Carey/Cary Clinton Bloom and Maude/Maud May Riffle/Riffel). Edythe was born in Colorado. Carey was the son of George Bloom/Blum, who was born in Ohio, to parents from Württemberg, Germany, and of Mary Elizabeth Mahaffey Baird. Maude was the daughter of George W. Riffle and Rebecca Jane McClanahan.
Jello’s maternal grandfather was Curtis Reed Parker (the son of Olin Curtis Parker and Isabelle Reed). Jello’s grandfather Curtis was born in Wisconsin. Olin was the son of Joseph Parker and Alice Ella/Ellen White. Isabelle was the daughter of Charles Mason Reed and Emily Sophia Phelps.
Jello’s maternal grandmother was Virginia Elizabeth Ogan (the daughter of George Benjamin Ogan and Effie Isabel Keefer). Virginia was born in Missouri. George was the son of Simon Peter Ogan and Emily Jane Studyvin. Effie was the daughter of Mary Harriet.
Sources: Genealogy of Jello Biafra (focusing on his father’s side) – https://www.geni.com
Jello’s paternal grandfather, Paul Edward Boucher, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Obituary of Jello’s paternal great-great-grandfather, Samuel Montgomery Sterrett – http://iagenweb.org
Jello’s paternal grandmother, Edythe/Edith M. Bloom, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Edythe/Edith M. Bloom on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Jello’s paternal great-grandfather, Carey/Cary Clinton Bloom, on the 1880 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Jello’s paternal great-great-grandfather, George Bloom/Blum, on the 1850 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
George Bloom/Blum on the 1860 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Marriage record of Jello’s paternal great-great-great-grandparents, Johannes/John Bloom and Christiana/Christine Magdalena/Magdalene Ludwig – https://familysearch.org
Jello’s mother on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
What makes you think that George Bloom was Jewish? His parents were Johannes/John Bloom and Christiana/Christine Magdalena/Magdalene Ludwig, who were clearly not Jewish.
http://heebnvegan.blogspot.se/2008/08/non-jewish-side-of-my-jewish-punk.html
This person read that Jello Biafra was Jewish and emailed him to ask if it was true. He got the following reply:
“I am not really Jewish. I found out recently I’m 1/8th, but I was not raised in a religious or ethnically conscious home.”
When I researched his father’s ancestry, George Bloom/Blum seemed like the only probable person who could’ve been Jewish (even if it makes Jello 1/16th Jewish and not 1/8th, but he could’ve made a mistake when writing 1/8th). “Bloom” and “Jung” can be Jewish surnames.
Are you sure non of his great-grandparents were Jewish? The way he wrote his reply seemed genuine, and why would he lie in a private conversation like that?
Johannes was the son of Jakob Blum and Anna Maria Jenner. Christiana was the daughter of Peter Jung/Young and Christine Magdalena Ludwig.
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NZ26-MT5
I doubt anyone in this family was Jewish. Johannes’ brother, Alexander Blum, married another non-Jewish woman in Germany around the same time, by the way, one also surnamed “Jenner”.
For the record, I’ve never heard of a Jewish “Jung”, but they may well exist.
I don’t know why Biafra thinks he has Jewish ancestry, or what particular ancestor he is referring to. But this family line of his were clearly typical non-Jewish German immigrants.
I did fill in his mother’s side of the family.
The Follese-brothers have some “De Jong”s among their Jewish ancestors.
Thanks for filling in his mother’s ancestors. Strange that he doesn’t seem to have any Jewish ancestry, it seemed like he had actually researched his family background. Too bad also, it would’ve made his ethnicity more interesting.
“De Jong” is a Dutch surname that a lot of Dutch Jews have. Dutch Jews often have non-Jewish Dutch names in general.
I really don’t understand this obsession with finding any amount of Jewish heritage in someone. Why would having any Jewish ancestry make him inherently more interesting?
Having an unusual ancestry a bit back in your family tree is intriguing to me. And I’ve never tried to find any Jewish ancestry anywhere. As I wrote above, he himself stated that he’s 1/8th Jewish, which turned out to be wrong.
Serbian ballerina Aja Jung is Jewish, so they definitely exist. Blum is also a common Jewish last name.
@Kurious, just to let you know it isn’t Madman who is the goy with the fetish for Jewish culture, people, history, etc on this website.
Sounds German only.