Pam Grier
Grier in 2012, photo by Prphotos.com
Birth Name: Pamela Suzette Grier
Place of Birth: Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S.
Date of Birth: May 26, 1949
Ethnicity: African-American, likely small amounts of Filipino and Puerto Rican
Pam Grier is an American actress. Her roles include the films Coffy, Black Mama White Mama, Foxy Brown, Jackie Brown, Jawbreaker, John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars, and Bones.
She is the daughter of Gwendolyn Sylvia (Samuels) and Clarence Ransom Grier, Jr. Her parents are/were both black.
Pam has said:
People see me as a strong black figure, and I’m proud of that… But I’m a mix of several races: Hispanic, Chinese, Filipino. My dad was black, and my mom was Cheyenne Indian.
Pam’s paternal grandfather was Clarence Ransom Grier (the son of Dock Anderson/Alexander Grier and Martha Jane Grier). Clarence was born in North Carolina. Dock was the son of Thomas Grier and Susan E. Neel/Neely. Martha was the daughter of Maurice Arthur Grier and Mollie.
Pam’s paternal grandmother was named Myrtle Hutchinson (the daughter of Julia Hutchinson). Myrtle was born in South Carolina. Julia was the daughter of Jasper Hutchinson and Malasee/Mallisa/Lissie Callahan.
Pam’s maternal grandfather was named Ray Benjamin/Ben Davis (also known as Raymond J. Pariwle). Ray was born in the Philippines, and evidently had Filipino, Puerto Rican, and African ancestry. Pam has stated that her maternal grandfather was a Filipino named Raymundo Parrilla. Ray was raised by a black couple in the U.S., Benjamin/Ben F. Davis, from Kansas, and Lucie/Lucy M. Blondette, who was from Martinique, an island in the Caribbean, which is a single territorial collectivity of France.
Pam’s maternal grandmother was Marguerite Turner (the daughter of Emmet/Emmett Turner and Mahala/Mahalia “Halie” Scoggins). Marguerite was born in Arkansas. Mahala was the daughter of Marshall A. Scoggins and Silvia Ann “Seline” Walton.
Sources: Partial family history of Pam Grier – https://www.theroot.com
Genealogy of Pam Grier – https://www.geni.com
Pam’s father on the 1940 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Marriage record of Pam’s paternal grandparents, Clarence Ransom Grier and Myrtle Hutchinson – https://familysearch.org
Death record of Pam’s paternal grandfather, Clarence Ransom Grier – https://familysearch.org
Pam’s paternal great-grandparents, Dock Anderson/Alexander Grier and Martha Jane Grier, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Dock Anderson/Alexander Grier and Martha Jane Grier on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Pam’s maternal grandfather, Ray Benjamin Davis/Raymond J. Pariwle, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Obituary of Pam’s maternal grandmother, Marguerite (Turner) Davis – https://www.legacy.com
On Ben/Raymundo’s death record, his father is listed as “Juan Parrilla”, and his mother is listed as “Lucy Parrilla” with the maiden name “Blondette”. The French name would track with Lucie Davis’s statement of being born in Guadeloupe/France. (I did some digging, she was actually born in Martinique). But it seems unlikely that she was Ben/Raymundo’s biological mother. I guess whoever gave the info gave their best guess. I think even “Juan” could have been a guess.:
https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/7493588?mark=7b22746f6b656e223a225245647166746d693161633243356234634a7279314366754335673837667152586b4f596d706165556b4d3d222c22746f6b656e5f76657273696f6e223a225632227d