Penn Badgley

Badgley in 2010, photo by PRPhotos

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