Leighton Meester
Meester in 2011, Featureflash / Shutterstock.com
Birth Name: Leighton Marissa Meester
Place of Birth: Fort Worth, Tarrant, Texas, U.S.
Date of Birth: April 9, 1986
Ethnicity: German, Dutch, English, Irish, along with Scottish and Welsh
Leighton Meester is an American actress, singer, songwriter, and fashion model. She is known for her role as Blair Waldorf on the series Gossip Girl.
Her surname, Meester, means master or teacher in Dutch. Her father is of approximately one quarter German, one quarter Dutch, one quarter Irish, and one quarter English, ancestry. Her mother is of half German descent, with her other roots being English, Scottish, Irish, and Welsh.
She is married to actor Adam Brody, with whom she has two children.
Leighton’s patrilineal ancestry can be traced to Jacob Harms Meester, who was born, c. 1788, in Ostfriesland, Germany, to Harmen Roelfs Janssen Meester and Sophie Jacobs. It is possible that the Meester family in Germany has Dutch ancestry of some kind.
Leighton’s paternal grandfather was Jacob Meester, Jr., later Jay Meester (the son of Jacob/Jake Aneus/Ernest Meester and Mae Kathryn Jacobs). Jacob, Jr. was born in Bannon, Arizona. Jacob was born in Iowa, to Harm M. Meester, who was born in Illinois, of German descent, and Maria Koenig, who was a German immigrant. Mae was born in Iowa, to Abraham Jacobs and Wilhelmina “Minnie” Van Neuren, who were both Dutch immigrants.
Leighton’s paternal grandmother was Helen Joy Morrissey (the daughter of Leonidas “Lee” Francis Morrissey and Olive Frances Stone). Helen was born in Long Beach, California. Lee was born in Nebraska, to Edward Francis Morrissey, who had Irish ancestry, and Louise Genevieve Fahey, whose parents were Irish immigrants. Olive was born in Vernal, Utah, to Henry John Stone, who was born in England, and Susan Louisa Stratton, who was born in Utah, to English parents, James E. Stratton, from Hertfordshire, and Frances Clark, from Cambridgeshire.
Leighton’s maternal grandfather was Robert Henry Haas (the son of Michael Haas and Marie/Mary Helen Niebling). Robert was born in Arizona, to German parents.
Leighton’s maternal grandmother was Violet Marie Reed (the daughter of John Logan Reed and Daucie Katherine “Dossie” Kerley). Violet was born in Tennessee. Violet’s ancestry included English, Scottish, Irish, and Welsh. Many branches of Violet’s family tree had lived in the United States since the 1600s. John was the son of James Reed and Martha. Daucie was the daughter of Green Berry Kerley and Margaret Ann Sherrell/Sherrill.
Sources: Genealogies of Leighton Meester – http://gw.geneanet.org
https://www.geni.com
Leighton’s paternal grandfather, Jacob Meester, Jr., on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Leighton’s paternal great-grandmother, Mae Kathryn Jacobs, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Leighton’s paternal grandmother, Helen Joy Morrissey, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Leighton’s paternal great-grandfather, Leonidas “Lee” Francis Morrissey, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Leighton’s paternal great-grandmother, Olive Frances Stone, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Leighton’s maternal grandfather, Robert Henry Haas, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Leighton’s maternal great-grandparents, Michael Haas and Marie/Mary Helen Niebling, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Leighton’s maternal grandmother, Violet Marie Reed, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Genealogy of Leighton’s maternal great-grandmother, Daucie “Dossie” Katherine (Kerley) Reed (focusing on her own father’s side) – https://findagrave.com
Genealogy of Leighton’s maternal great-great-great-great-grandmother, Jemima (Oxsheer) Kerley – https://www.geni.com
Meester in 2008, photo by David Shankbone
genealogy of Daucie Kerley Reed: https://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi/http%22//trees.ancestry.com/tree/19807769/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=57711112
genealogy of Leighton maternal 4th great-grandmother, Jemima Kerley (Oxsheer): https://www.geni.com/people/Jemima-Kerley/6000000007464185766?through=6000000007464361653
She doesnt look southern european
She looks a bit Charlotte Crosby who is british. And, She is tanned gere.
you can see it here http://keyassets-p2.timeincuk.net/wp/prod/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2016/04/Charlotte-Crosby-Leighton-Meester-Blair-Waldorf-630×473.jpg
She got dark eyes from caucasian race and she looks european.
Um, they are also Caucasian. However, Leighton is does not have any of those ethnicities and they are not the only ones with brown eyes.
That’s not true. There are many people of English, Irish and German descent that have brown eyes. I knew of a student of mine who had brown eyes, dark brown hair and a swarthy complexion and she was mostly Irish, with some French and German thrown in. Also, look at Joan Jett. She’s Irish, English and Scottish and she has brown eyes.
Looks like a typical Balkan woman.
She looks like Natalie Portman who in turn looks like Keira Knightly. However she has very dark eyes.