Josh Hutcherson

Hutcherson in 2010, image via DFree/Bigstock

Birth Name: Joshua Ryan Hutcherson

Place of Birth: Union, Boone, Kentucky, United States

Date of Birth: October 12, 1992

Ethnicity: English, some Scottish, Scots-Irish/Northern Irish, and German, remote Irish and French

Josh Hutcherson is an American actor, director, and producer. He has starred in the films The Polar Express, in motion capture; Kicking & Screaming (2005), Howl’s Moving Castle, in voice role; Little Manhattan, Zathura: A Space Adventure, RV, Bridge to Terabithia, Firehouse Dog, Winged Creatures, Journey to the Center of the Earth 3-D (2008), Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant, The Kids Are All Right, Detention (2011), Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, The Hunger Games, and its sequels; 7 Days in Havana, The Forger, Red Dawn (2012), the animated Epic, Escobar: Paradise Lost, In Dubious Battle, The Disaster Artist, Tragedy Girls, Elliot the Littlest Reindeer, in voice performance; Burn (2019), 57 Seconds, and Five Nights at Freddy’s; on the show Future Man, and in the made-for-tv movie Miracle Dogs. He is one of the leading activists of gay–straight alliance campaign “Straight But Not Narrow.”

Josh is the son of Michelle (Fightmaster), who worked for an airline, and Christopher Hutcherson, an EPA analyst. His brother, Connor Hutcherson, has also acted. His family moved to Los Angeles, California, in 2002, for his acting career.

Much of his ancestry is English, with some Scottish and Scots-Irish/Northern Irish. His mother’s maiden name, Fightmaster, is an English transcription of the identically-pronounced German surname Veith, and Josh has fairly distant German ancestry from that line, as well as some other German ancestry on both sides of his family. Josh also has remote Irish and French ancestry. Most of his recent forebears have lived in the American South for many generations, especially in Kentucky. He is descended from many soldiers in the American Revolutionary War.

Josh’s paternal grandfather was Howard Dennis Hutcherson (the son of John Overton Hutcherson and Mary Katherine/Kathern Johnson). Howard was born in Kentucky. John was the son of Ben/Benjamin F. Hutcherson and Laura Thomas Ferrell.

Josh’s paternal grandmother is Donna Sue Kearns (the daughter of Charles William “Bobby” Kearns and Doris B. Chipman). Donna was born in Kentucky. Charles was the son of Thomas Henry Kearns and Virginia/Virgie Wright. Doris was the daughter of Omer Sales Chipman and Anna Belle Mulllins.

Josh’s maternal grandfather is William Michael Fightmaster (the son of Jack Donald Fightmaster and Helen Marie Donaldson). William was born in Kentucky. Jack was the son of John Weber Lee Fightmaster and Garnet F. Ramsey. Helen was the daughter of James Millard Donaldson and Julia May Hedrick.

Josh’s maternal grandmother is Faye B. Floyd (the daughter of James Albert Floyd and Alpha Parrett/Parrott/Parrot). Faye was born in Kentucky. James was the son of William Bradford Floyd and Lucy L. Setser. Alpha was the daughter of George W. Parrett and Nancy Dianna Branstetter; Nancy was the daughter of Matilda Parker, who was the daughter of Margaret “Peggy” Forbes/Faubus (Josh’s matrilineal great-great-great-great-grandmother).

Sources: Family histories of Josh Hutcherson – https://www.hollywoodancestry.com
https://www.hollywoodancestry.com

Obituary of Josh’s paternal grandfather, Howard Dennis Hutcherson – http://www.legacy.com

Josh’s maternal great-great-grandparents, George W. Parrett and Nancy Dianna Branstetter, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org