Norman Rockwell

Birth Name: Norman Perceval Rockwell

Date of Birth: February 3, 1894

Place of Birth: Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States

Date of Death: November 8, 1978

Place of Death: Stockbridge, Massachusetts, U.S.

Ethnicity: English, around one eighth Dutch, as well as remote Welsh, Scottish, and Cornish

Norman Rockwell was an American painter, artist, and illustrator. He created about 4,000 paintings, and is known for his depictions of everyday American life and culture, with often idealistic or sentimentalized imagery. His works most famously appeared on the covers of The Saturday Evening Post, during five decades. Among his other paintings are the Willie Gillis series, the Four Freedoms series, Rosie the Riveter, Saying Grace, for Thanksgiving; and The Problem We All Live With, which highlighted school integration. He also illustrated Brown & Bigelow’s Four Seasons series; more than 40 books, including covers for Mark Twain novels; portraits of the U.S. Presidents of the 1950s and 1960s, and other political and entertainment figures, including Colonel Sanders; the calendar for the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), with whom he was closely associated, as well as Scouts paintings The Scoutmaster, A Scout Is Reverent, and A Guiding Hand and covers for the Boys’ Life, later Scout Life publications; his series on racism for Look magazine; advertisements, including for Jell-O, General Motors, Coca-Cola, and Scott Tissue; and also booklets, catalogs, stamps, playing cards, posters, and murals, including Yankee Doodle Dandy and God Bless the Hills. His style has become known as “Rockwellesque.”

He was the son of Anne Mary “Nancy” (Hill) and Jarvis Waring Rockwell, who managed the New York office of George Wood, Sons & Company, a Philadelphia textile firm. His father was born in Yonkers, Westchester, New York, of Colonial American descent, roughly three quarters English and one quarter Dutch, with more distant Welsh, Scottish, and Cornish roots. His father’s lineage traced deeply into Massachusetts and Connecticut of the 1600s. Norman’s mother was born in Hoboken, Hudson, New Jersey, to English parents. Norman was raised an Episcopalian.

Norman was married to schoolteacher Mary Barstow, until her death, and then to English teacher, Mary Leete “Mollie” Punderson, until his death. He had three children, including author Thomas Rockwell, who wrote How to Eat Fried Worms, and sculptor and author Peter Rockwell; with Mary Barstow.

Norman’s paternal grandfather was John William Rockwell (the son of Samuel Darling Rockwell and Orilla/Oril Janes Sherman). John was born in New York, New York. Samuel was born in Ridgebury, Fairfield, Connecticut, the son of Runa Rockwell and Rachel Darling. Orilla was born in Brimfield, Hampden, Massachusetts, the daughter of Jacob Sherman and Cafira/Caphira Janes.

Norman’s paternal grandmother was Phebe Boyce Waring (the daughter of Jarvis Augustus Waring and Nancy Odell Boyce). Phebe was born in Greenburgh, Westchester, New York. Jarvis was born in Dutchess County, New York, the son of Peter Waring and Esther Crosby, whose grandfathers fought in the Revolutionary War. Nancy was the daughter of Thomas Boyce and Rachel Odell, and had primarily or entirely Dutch ancestry.

Norman’s maternal grandfather was named Howard Hill (the son of Thomas Hill and Susannah). Howard was born in London.

Norman’s maternal grandmother was named Anne Elizabeth Patmore (the daughter of James Patmore).

Sources: Genealogy of Norman Rockwell – https://famouskin.com

Norman Rockwell on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Norman Rockwell on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org

Genealogies of Norman Rockwell (focusing on his father’s side) – https://www.geni.com
https://www.findagrave.com