Penn Badgley
Birth Name: Penn Dayton Badgley
Place of Birth: Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Date of Birth: November 1, 1986
Ethnicity: Irish, English, smaller amounts of French-Canadian, German, Scottish, likely around 1/16th or 1/32 African-Jamaican, and remote Dutch, Welsh, and French Huguenot
Penn Badgley is an American actor and musician. He has starred on the shows Gossip Girl and You, and in the films John Tucker Must Die, Forever Strong, The Stepfather (2009), Easy A, Margin Call, Greetings from Tim Buckley, Parts per Billion, Cymbeline, The Paper Store, Here Today, and The Birthday Cake.
Penn is the son of Lynne Murphy and Duff Badgley. His father, a newspaper reporter and carpenter, was the Green Party candidate for governor of Washington in 2008. A picture of Penn’s father can be seen here. He was raised partly in Richmond, Virginia, and Tacoma, Washington.
One of Penn’s paternal great-grandfathers was a Jamaican immigrant, and was almost certainly of at least part African-Jamaican descent. The rest of Penn’s roots are Irish, English, smaller amounts of French-Canadian, German, and Scottish, and remote Dutch, Welsh, and French Huguenot. Penn is of the Baha’i faith.
Penn is married to British-born singer, songwriter, and doula Domino Kirke, with whom he has a son. Domino is the sister of actress and artist Jemima Kirke and actress Lola Kirke.
Penn’s patrilineal ancestry can be traced to George Badgley, who was born, c. 1616, in Bakewell, Derby, England.
Penn’s paternal grandfather was Eugene Doty Badgley (the son of William Gervaise Badgley and Florence LeRoy Mulford). Eugene was born in New Jersey. William was also born in New Jersey, the son of Eugene Doty Badgley and Anna/Annie J./M. Johnson. Florence was born in New Jersey as well, the daughter of William V. Mulford and Emma Susan Morehouse.
Penn’s paternal grandmother was Janet Adair Duff (the daughter of Howard Duff and Edna May Murphey). Janet was born in New York. Howard was born in Saint Ann, Jamaica, to John Duff and Emily James Facey. Emily’s parents were James Malcolm Facey and Emily. A James Malcolm Facey is listed as having been born into slavery, in 1815, in St. Catherine, Jamaica, the son of George Samuel Facey and Eleanor Halkett/Hackett. Thus, Penn’s great-grandfather, Howard Duff, was almost certainly of at least part African-Jamaican ancestry, though Howard listed himself as “white” in United States records. Penn’s great-grandmother, Edna May Murphey, was born in Pennsylvania, to Edward Biddle Murphey (the son of The Rev. Thomas Charles Murphey and Emily Renshaw Rhoads) and Mary Louisa Perry (the daughter of Charles P. Perry and Louisa Supplee).
Penn’s maternal grandfather was Stewart Francis Murphy (the son of Charles Stewart Parnell Murphy and Eva Josephine Seguin/Sawyer). Penn’s grandfather Stewart was born in Brooklyn, New York. Charles was born in Sprague, Connecticut, the son of Irish parents, James Murphy and Mary Tighe. Eva was born in Rutland, Vermont, of French-Canadian, and one fourth Scottish, descent, and was the daughter of Canadian parents, Leander Seguin/Sawyer, whose mother was Scottish, and Emma Vondette/Voudette/Vandette/Vendette.
Penn’s maternal grandmother was Mary Loretta (Abernathy) Pughilli (the daughter of Cleveland Levi Abernathy and Lillian McGee). Mary was born in Virginia. Cleveland was the son of Thomas William Abernathy and Mary Elizabeth Davis. Lillian was the daughter of John J. McGee and Annie E. O’Neil, who were of Irish origin.
Sources: Genealogy of Penn Badgley – https://www.geni.com
Penn’s paternal grandfather, Eugene Doty Badgley, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Penn’s paternal grandmother, Janet Adair Duff, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Penn’s paternal great-grandparents, Howard Duff and Edna May Murphey, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Birth record of Penn’s paternal great-grandfather, Howard Duff – https://familysearch.org
Christening record of Penn’s paternal great-great-great-grandfather, James Malcolm Facey – https://familysearch.org
Penn’s paternal great-grandmother, Edna May Murphey, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Penn’s maternal grandfather, Stewart Francis Murphy, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Obituary of Penn’s maternal grandfather, Stewart Francis Murphy – http://www.genealogybuff.com
Marriage record of Penn’s maternal great-grandparents, Charles Stewart Parnell Murphy and Eva Josephine Seguin/Sawyer – https://www.familysearch.org
Birth records of Penn’s maternal great-grandmother, Eva Josephine Seguin/Sawyer – https://www.familysearch.org
https://www.familysearch.org
Penn’s maternal great-grandmother, Eva Josephine Seguin/Sawyer, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Penn’s maternal grandmother, Mary Loretta Abernathy, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Marriage record of Penn’s maternal great-grandparents, Cleveland Levi Abernathy and Lillian McGee – https://www.familysearch.org
I have to say he’s white even if he is truly 1/32th black.
His Jamaican ancestors could have been White Jamaicans. Yes, most Jamaicans are black, but back in the day Jamaica had a large white population and was white before it was black.
The white population decreased and a lot of the White Jamaicans emigrated to America. His Jamaican ancestor could be possibly one of European ancestry.
He looks fully white regardless.
One of his Jamaican ancestors was born into slavery, which is written up there.
Are you aware of the Irish slaves in Jamaica?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_people_in_Jamaica
It’s very possible his ancestor was an Irish slave. I would appreciate it if you could fix his ethnicity with Jamaican (of unknown ancestry) until it is more clear, thanks.
I don’t think that there were whole families of white slaves born in Jamaica, c. the 1810s, to white slave mothers, as would be the case here.
Besides, it already says, “was almost certainly of at least part Afro-Jamaican descent”.
Actually the Caribbean is the area where there were an abundant of Irish slavery but they assimilated really quickly with the African slaves. I would still go with Penn’s ancestry as partly Afro-Jamaican.
I thought he was 1/32th black? No?
He probably is. I don’t understand the question, though. The text about this hasn’t changed at all.
this is one hot black man.
What happened to his black heritage?
I don’t understand the question. His Jamaican or Afro-Jamaican ancestry is still discussed in the text.
Well, he used to have confirmed black heritage.