Nancy Lee Grahn

Grahn in 2012, photo by kathclick/www.bigstockphoto.com

Place of Birth: Skokie, Illinois, U.S.

Date of Birth: April 28, 1956

Ethnicity:
*father – German, some English
*mother – Ashkenazi Jewish

Nancy Lee Grahn is an American actress. She is known for her roles on the soap operas Santa Barbara and General Hospital, and in the film Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest. She has also been billed as Nancy Grahn.

Her parents were involved in community theatre. She has one daughter. Nancy had stated:

My mom’s Jewish, but my dad is Lutheran, but I grew up in Skokie. I don’t know what I am. One sister is raising her kids Jewish, my other sister is raising her baby Catholic. And my mother said that if I ever have children I’ll be taking them to a mountaintop to meditate.

Nancy’s paternal grandfather was named Charles Grahn (the son of Raymond Grahn and Minnie). Charles was born in Wisconsin, to German parents.

Nancy’s paternal grandmother was Mabel Lawson (the daughter of Albert Lawson and Hattie/Henrietta Grahn). Mabel was born in Wisconsin. Albert was the son of Emory Lawson, Sr. and Augusta Winslaw. Hattie was born in Germany.

Nancy’s maternal grandmother was Harry Louis Ascher (the son of Fred Ascher and Bella Levy). Harry was born in Illinois. Fred was born in New York, to German Jewish parents, from Hamburg, Julius Ascher and Hagar Schlesinger. Bella was born in Illinois, also to German Jewish parents, Wolff Levy and Henrietta Yetta Frank.

Nancy’s maternal grandmother was Eleanor Simon (the daughter of Abraham Herbert Simon and Edna F. Kohn). Eleanor was born in Kentucky, to a Jewish family. Herbert was born in Pennsylvania, the son of Herman Simon, who was from Oppenheim, Darmstadt, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, and of Bertha Bernheimer, from Illinois, whose own parents were from Germany. Nancy’s great-grandmother Edna was the daughter of Aaron Kohn and Jennie/Jenny Buchen, who were born in Kentucky and Ohio, respectively, both of them to parents from Germany, with roots in Frankfurt, Darmstadt, Hesse on at least Jennie’s side.

Sources: Genealogy of Nancy Lee Grahn – http://www.geni.com

Obituary of Nancy’s father – http://www.legacy.com

Nancy’s paternal grandfather, Charles Grahn, on the 1900 U.S. Census – http://www.familysearch.org

Nancy’s paternal grandmother, Mabel Lawson, on the 1910 U.S. Census – http://www.familysearch.org

Nancy’s maternal grandfather, Harry Louis Ascher, on the 1920 U.S. Census – http://www.familysearch.org

Nancy’s maternal great-grandfather, Abraham Herbert Simon, on the 1880 U.S. Census – http://www.familysearch.org

Nancy’s maternal great-great-grandparents, Aaron Kohn and Jennie/Jenny Buchen, on the 1910 U.S. Census – http://www.familysearch.org