Prince
Prince in 2007, photo by prphotos
Birth Name: Prince Rogers Nelson
Date of Birth: June 7, 1958
Place of Birth: Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota, United States
Date of Death: April 21, 2016
Place of Death: Chanhassen, Minnesota, U.S.
Ethnicity: African-American
Prince, also known as Ƭ̵̬̊, was an American singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, actor, and director. He is remembered for his amazing vocal range and ability to play multiple instruments proficiently. His songwriting is also highly acclaimed. He wrote some of the best hits for many other artists.
Prince was the son of Mattie Della (Shaw), a jazz singer, and John L. Nelson (John Lewis/Louis Nelson), a lyricist and pianist. His father performed with the jazz group the Prince Rogers Trio, under the stage name Prince Rogers. Prince was formerly married to actress and dancer Mayte Garcia. They had a son, Ahmir, who died a week after birth.
Prince’s parents were both black, as were all of his grandparents and great-grandparents. A picture of Prince’s father can be seen here. A picture of Prince’s mother can be seen here.
Genealogist Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak, writing for The Huffington Post, traced Prince’s roots on both sides of his family. Among her findings are that six of Prince’s eight great-grandparents were born into slavery, and one of his great-grandmothers was possibly the daughter of her owner.
Early in his career, Prince stated that he had Italian ancestry, sometimes from his father, and sometimes from his mother. This is not accurate. In the autobiographical film Purple Rain, Prince’s character’s father is played by an African-American actor and Prince’s character’s mother is played by a Greek actress. This was not reflective of his real life heritage.
Prince’s paternal grandfather was Clarence Allen Nelson (the son of The Rev. Edward/Ed Nelson and Emma Hardy). Clarence was born in Louisiana, and was a minister. His sister, Mittie, known as “Madame Gordon,” was a political activist and street speaker in Chicago, Illinois. The Rev. Edward was a minister in the Colored Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church. He was said to have been the son of John Nelson, a white slave owner, and of a Cherokee Native American woman slave. However, he is listed on the 1880 U.S. Census as “mulatto” and the 1900 U.S. Census as “black.”
Prince’s paternal grandmother was Carrie Jenkins (the daughter of Handy Jenkins and Dina/Lina Ann Phillips). Carrie was born in Louisiana. Dina was the daughter of Ashley Phillips and Martha.
Prince’s maternal grandfather was Frank/Franklin Shaw (the son of Preston/Presley Shaw and Eliza/Liza Britt/Brett). Frank was born in Louisiana.
Prince’s maternal grandmother was Lucille Bonnell (the daughter of Sam W. Bonnell and Katy/Kate F. Hale/Head). Lucille was born in Louisiana.
Sources: Family history of Prince – https://www.ktalnews.com
Genealogies of Prince – http://www.geni.com
http://www.wikitree.com
http://www.findagrave.com
Prince’s paternal grandfather, Clarence Allen Nelson, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Prince’s paternal great-grandparents, Edward/Ed Nelson and Emma Hardy, on the 1880 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Prince’s paternal grandmother, Carrie Jenkins, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Prince’s maternal grandfather, Frank/Franklin Shaw, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Prince’s maternal grandmother, Lucille Bonnell, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Prince was African American but to say he only had African DNA is not true. This article from yesterday revealed the Prince had recent Native American and European ancestry. https://www.ktalnews.com/entertainment-news/princes-family-lived-in-cotton-valley-louisiana-for-generations-heres-their-story/
The article says that The Rev. Edward Nelson was the son of a white father and Cherokee mother, but the 1880 U.S. Census lists him as “mulatto” and the 1900 U.S. Census lists him as “black.” Is there any document that lists him as anything other than black or mixed-race black?
For one thing, The Rev. Edward was a minister in the Colored Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church, so him not being black is extremely unlikely.
exactly, he was mixed-race so therefore Prince has mixed heritage so he was not just black. here’s a photo of Rev. Edward Nelson.
https://media.geni.com/p13/59/47/65/5f/5344483b71026610/xut47kiv_large.jpg?hash=fd64e037607406d8119ad7eaa6500fa82b4399aa03c320746fc91f2e3fdf7d19.1722581999
Just about every African-American has ancestors listed as “mulatto” on the census. It’s not unusual. I only mention it when we know the exact white or Native American ancestor by name. In this case, the claim of Prince’s great-grandfather being a mix of white and Cherokee is clearly false.
Its not false. I’m pretty sure professionals did their research before mentioning Clarence’s mixed background in this article https://www.ktalnews.com/entertainment-news/princes-family-lived-in-cotton-valley-louisiana-for-generations-heres-their-story/
Its clearly false to claim Prince was only black when it’s obviously not the case.
They were probably relying on family stories and the like. The statement that Edward Nelson was the son of a father of European descent and a Cherokee mother is almost certainly false, given census records that list him as black or biracial black, and the fact that he was a minister at a black church.
P.S., just about all African-Americans are of mixed race at some level. The term doesn’t refer to, and rarely conotates, full African ancestry.
https://globalnation.inquirer.net/138863/138863