Joe Strummer
photo by Prphotos.com
Birth Name: John Graham Mellor
Date of Birth: 21 August, 1952
Place of Birth: Ankara, Turkey
Date of Death: 22 December, 2002
Place of Death: Broomfield, Somerset, England, U.K.
Ethnicity:
*father – English, as well as Ashkenazi Jewish, Armenian, and Indian
*mother – Scottish
Joe Strummer was a British musician, singer, actor, and songwriter. He was the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of punk band The Clash. Other members of the band included Topper Headon, Mick Jones, and Paul Simonon.
Joe was the son of Anna (Mackenzie) and Ronald Ralph Mellor. His father was born in Lucknow, India, and had English, Ashkenazi Jewish, Armenian, and at least 3/128th Indian, ancestry. His mother was born in Bonar Bridge, Scotland.
In Chris Salewicz’s book Redemption Song: The Definitive Biography of Joe Strummer, 2012, Salewicz wrote:
[Joe’s father] had been born in Lucknow on 8 December 1916… His father was Frederick Adolph Mellor, who had married Muriel St Editha Johannes; half-Armenian and half-English, she was a governess to a wealthy Indian family. There was a large population of Armenians in Lucknow. Frederick Adolph Mellor was one of five sons of Frederick William Mellor and Eugenie Daniels, [a German Jew], who had married during the Boer War when his father lived in East Budleigh in Devon… Muriel Johannes was one of three daughters of Agnes Eleanor Greenway and a Mr Johannes… After the early death of her Armenian father, Muriel’s mother Agnes remarried, to a Mr Spiers.
Joe was married to Lucinda Tait, until his death. He had two children with his former partner Gaby Salter.
Joe’s paternal grandfather was Frederick Adolph Mellor (the son of Frederick William Mellor and Eugenie Daniels). Joe’s grandfather Frederick was born in India, as were his parents. Joe’s great-grandfather Frederick was the son of Frederick Mellor and Cecilia Bryant, and was of English origin. Eugenie was the daughter of Adolph Joseph Daniels, and possibly of Charlotte. Eugenie is described as being of German Jewish origin.
Joe’s paternal grandmother was Muriel St. Editha Johannes (the daughter of John Joseph Jacob Johannes and Agnes Eleanor/Ellena Greenway). Muriel was born in Lucknow, India. John was the son of John Joseph Johannes, whose father was of Armenian origin; and of Helen Short, who was of one quarter Armenian descent. Helen’s aunt was married to Ghazi-ud-Din Haidar Shah, the last nawab wazir of Oudh. Joe’s great-grandmother Agnes was born in Bengal, India, the daughter of Thomas Samuel David Greenway and Amelia Maria Shearin. She was of at least part English ancestry. Joe’s great-great-great-great-grandmother, Rose Anne (Anderson) Greenway, was the daughter of a Muslim Indian mother, and of a father, Lt. Samuel Anderson, who was the son of a British East Indian officer and a Muslim Indian mother. Rose was killed in the Cawnpore Massacre, along with several members of her family. A court case after her death investigated whether her will was valid on the basis of her being raised as a Muslim, and having married and lived most of her life as a Christian.
Joe’s maternal grandfather was David Mackenzie (the son of Donald Mackenzie and Catherine Ross). David was born in Carnmhor, Bonar Bridge, Parish of Creich, Sutherland, Scotland. Donald was the son of Alexander Mackenzie and Margaret Murray. Catherine was the daughter of David Ross and Catherine MacKay.
Joe’s maternal grandmother was Jane Gillies (the daughter of Alexander Gillies and Anne MacLeod). Catherine was born in Umachan/Iomichan, Isle of Raasay, Scotland. Alexander was born on the Isle of Raasay, the son of John Gillies and Isabella MacLennan. Anne was born on Rona, Isle of Raasay, the daughter of Donald MacLeod and Mary MacLennan.
Sources: Genealogies of Joe Strummer (focusing on his father’s side) – http://www.geni.com
https://www.wikitree.com
John was the son of Joseph Johannes, and was likely of Armenian origin.
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John was the son of John Joseph Johannes and Helen Short.
John’s father was of Armenian ancestry. Helen was one quarter Armenian. The rest is a bit unclear, but there is very likely British Isles ancestry on Helen’s mother’s side.
Helen’s uncle, Mary Short, was married to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghazi-ud-Din_Haidar_Shah
I’ll note, however, that Helen was not the granddaughter of Dr. James Short (who was Scottish) as her father’s other siblings were.
I found evidence that Joe had (distant) Indian ancestry.
Joe’s 4x-great-grandmother, Rose Anne (Anderson) Greenway, was killed in the Cawnpore Massacre along with several members of her family. A court case after her death investigated whether her will was valid on the basis of her being raised as a Muslim (“Mohamedan”) but having married and lived most of her life as a Christian. It seems that Rose’s mother was a Muslim and that Rose’s father, Lt. Samuel Anderson, was himself the son of a British East Indian officer and a Muslim mother. So, she was 3/4ths native Indian and 1/4th British. She was educated at the Kidderpore girls’ school and married in Calcutta, so it seems likely she was born there as well so in all likelihood at least her mother was probably Bengali and maybe her paternal grandmother, too.
See: Reports of Cases Argued & Determined … in the High Court of Judicature at Fort William in Bengal, in Its Ordinary Original Jurisdiction & on Appeal Therefrom, with Tables of the Names of the Cases Argued and the Principal Matters: 1862-1863
Some adjustments:
Joe’s paternal grandfather was Frederick Adolph Mellor (the son of Frederick William Mellor and Eugenie Daniels). Joe’s grandfather Frederick was born in India, as were both his parents. Joe’s great-grandfather Frederick was the son of Frederick Mellor and Cecilia Bryant. Eugenie was the daughter of Adolph Joseph Daniels, and possibly of Charlotte.
Joe’s paternal grandmother was named Muriel St. Editha Johannes (the daughter of John Joseph Jacob Johannes and Agnes Ellena/Eleanor Greenway). Muriel was born in Lucknow, India. John was the son of Joseph Johannes. Agnes was born in Bengal, India, the daughter of Thomas Samuel David Greenway and Amelia Maria Shearin.
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Mellor-633
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/pedigree/landscape/9V4Z-RLW
From both trees, I only included what I could verify using the sources.
I think both Jewish and Armenian could be removed for now. There’s little information about Eugenie, other than that she was born in India and that her father’s name was Adolph Joseph Daniels, not really a German Jewish-sounding name. John Johannes doesn’t have a particularly Armenian-sounding last name either, and he was also a Roman Catholic while Armenians are mostly Orthodox. The FamilySearch tree goes further back in his genealogy, and if it correct, he didn’t have any Armenian ancestry (but possibly Portuguese and Scottish roots further back).
Armenian is something he has claimed himself though.
https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Interview%3A+Joe+Strummer+-+CLASH+ON+DELIVERY%3B+Joe+Strummer%2C+47%2C+is…-a060333207
Shearin could point towards Irish ancestry.
Armenians in India were largely Catholic.
Do you think John Johannes could’ve been of Armenian descent?
Yes. I’ve found other Armenians in India with that last name.
I suspect Johannes was originally Hovhannes, the Armenian version of that name, but more research would need to be done.
Hovanessian? Since it’s a surname. Maybe he actually was of Armenian descent.
John Strummer —> Joe Strummer