Shailene Woodley
Woodley in 2010, image via kathclick/Bigstock.com
Birth Name: Shailene Diann Woodley
Place of Birth: San Bernardino, California, United States
Date of Birth: November 15, 1991
Ethnicity:
*father – English
*mother – African-American, Louisiana Creole [African, French, Spanish, German], English, Swiss-German
Shailene Woodley is an American actress and activist. Her roles include The Descendants, The Spectacular Now, White Bird in a Blizzard, The Fault in Our Stars, and The Secret Life of the American Teenager.
Shailene is the daughter of Lori and Lonnie Woodley. Her father, whose family is from the U.S. South, has English ancestry. Shailene’s maternal grandfather had African-American and Creole ancestry, and Shailene’s maternal grandmother has Louisiana Creole [including African, French, Spanish, and German] ancestry on one side of her family, and English and Swiss-German ancestry on the other side of her family.
Shailene’s paternal grandfather was Virgil James Woodley (the son of James Franklin Woodley and Velma L. Howard). Virgil was born in Oklahoma. Shailene’s great-grandfather James was the son of James Samuel Woodley and Julia Ann Arnold.
Shailene’s paternal grandmother was Dovie Oralee Sims (the daughter of Omer Epsy Sims and Eva Ellen Payne). Dovie was born in Texas. Omer was the son of Denton Otto Sims and Clara Florence Allen. Eva was the daughter of Hiram Walker Payne and Verdenia Maude Ellis.
Shailene’s maternal grandfather was Stephen David Victor (the son of Harold Joseph Victor and Bessie M. Harrold). Stephen was born in California. According to most censuses, both Harold and Bessie were Black and/or biracial (censuses list Harold and Bessie as black, and one census lists them as “Mulatto”). Harold was born in Louisiana, the son of Joseph Victor and Leila/Lelia Prudhomme, who were described as “colored” on his sister’s birth record, and “Black” on the U.S. Census and other records. Leila’s parents, Joseph Prudhomme and Lelia/Lilia Pope/Poper Lewis, were Louisiana Creole. Shailene’s great-grandmother Bessie was born in California, to Texas-born parents, William John/S./T. Harrold and Bessie Hutchins, who were both described as “colored” on her birth record and on censuses. Shailene’s great-great-grandmother Bessie’s parents were Lee Hutchins, who was said to have been born in England, of unclear background, and Georgia Walker, who was a black woman born in Texas.
Shailene’s maternal grandmother is Diane Lynn Fauria (the daughter of Vernon Louis Fauria and Marguerite Lois Davis). Diane was born in California. Vernon was a Louisiana Creole. Marguerite was caucasian. A picture of Vernon and Marguerite can be seen here.
Shailene’s great-grandfather Vernon Fauria was born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada and raised in Los Angeles. He was the son of Creole parents from Louisiana, who both had black ancestry, mixed with caucasian. Vernon’s father, Joseph Mathews/Matthews Fauria, was of African, Spanish, French, and German descent. Vernon’s mother, Louise Aline Martinez, had Spanish, African, and possibly French, ancestry. A picture of Vernon with his siblings can be seen here. A picture of Vernon’s parents, Shailene’s great-great-grandparents Joseph and Aline, can be seen here. A picture of Shailene’s great-great-grandfather, Joseph Mathews Fauria (top left), with his own parents, Victor Nicholas/M. Fauria and Agnes Cora Zipple (seated), can be seen here.
Shailene’s great-grandmother Marguerite Davis’s father, Norman Edward Davis, was of British Isles/English ancestry. Maguerite’s mother, Shailene’s maternal great-great-grandmother, Evangeline/Evangelia/Perrengere/Berengere Perrin/Perrine, was Swiss, of Swiss-German descent, and was the daughter of Lewis O. Perrin and Berthe C. Hague. This makes Shailene Woodley of 1/16th Swiss ancestry.
Shailene’s mother Lori Woodley – 4th Annual Kailand Obasi Hoop-Life Basketball Tournament Fundraiser – Arrivals – USC Galen Center, 3400 S Figueroa Street – Los Angeles, CA, USA, 2016 – Photo Credit: Guillermo Proano / PR Photos
Sources: Genealogies of Shailene Woodley – http://gw.geneanet.org
https://www.geni.com
Genealogy of Shailene Woodley (focusing on her father’s side) – http://www.wikitree.com
Genealogies of Shailene’s paternal grandparents, Virgil James Woodley and Dovie Oralee (Sims) Woodley – http://www.findagrave.com
Shailene’s maternal great-grandfather, Harold Joseph Victor, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Harold Joseph Victor on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Birth record of Shailene’s maternal great-great-aunt (her great-grandfather Harold’s sister) – https://www.familysearch.org
Shailene’s maternal great-great-grandmother, Leila/Lelia Prudhomme, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Re-marriage record of Shailene’s maternal great-great-grandmother, Leila/Lelia Prudhomme, to William H. Harris – https://www.familysearch.org
Shailene’s maternal great-great-grandmother, Leila/Lelia (Prudhomme) Harris, and Shailene’s step-great-great-grandfather, William H. Harris, on the 1940 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Shailene’s maternal great-great-great-grandparents, Joseph Prudhomme and Lelia/Lilia Pope/Poper Lewis, on the 1880 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Birth record of Shailene’s maternal great-grandmother, Bessie M. Harrold (Bessie Herald) – https://www.familysearch.org
Shailene’s maternal great-grandmother, Bessie M. Harrold (Bessie Herald), on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Bessie M. Harrold on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Death record of Shailene’s maternal great-great-grandfather, William John/S./T. Harrold – https://www.familysearch.org
Death records of Shailene’s maternal great-great-grandmother, Bessie (Hutchins) Harrold – https://www.familysearch.org
https://www.familysearch.org
Genealogy of Shailene’s maternal grandmother, Diane Lynn Fauria – http://bayoubohemia.net
Marriage record of Shailene’s maternal great-great-grandparents, Joseph Mathews/Matthews Fauria and Louise Aline Martinez – https://www.familysearch.org
Pictures and genealogy of Shailene’s maternal great-great-grandfather, Joseph Mathews/Matthews Fauria – http://www.findagrave.com
Shailene’s maternal great-great-grandfather, Joseph Mathews/Matthews Fauria, on the 1880 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Joseph Mathews/Matthews Fauria on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Death record of Shailene’s maternal great-great-grandfather, Joseph Mathews/Matthews Fauria – https://www.familysearch.org
Birth record of Shailene’s maternal great-great-grandmother, Louise Aline Martinez – https://www.familysearch.org
Shailene’s maternal great-great-grandmother, Louise Aline Martinez, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Shailene’s maternal great-grandmother, Marguerite Lois Davis, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Marriage record of Shailene’s maternal great-great-grandparents, Norman Edward Davis and Evangeline/Evangelia/Perrengere/Berengere Perrin/Perrine – https://www.familysearch.org
Shailene’s maternal great-great-grandmother, Evangeline/Evangelia/Perrengere/Berengere Perrin/Perrine, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
I’ve seen her mother, grandmother, and photos of all sides of the family and not one of them looks black. AT ALL.
1/64 African was legally “black” on the census, and frankly I think that’s all they have. My great-grandparents were listed as “colored” on the census but they were only like, 1/8 black. I would be surprised if Shailene’s mother had any substantial African ancestry.
Even her relative born in Ibiza, Spain if you follow their genealogy was listed as “black”. What does that tell you?
Often, when someone was married to a person who was black, they would be listed as black on the census as well. So that would explain the ancestor from Ibiza, Spain being listed as black.
@follers
(Often, when someone was married to a person who was black, they would be listed as black on the census as well.)
I’ve never heard of this before.
@mmessina92
Quote:
(Even her relative born in Ibiza, Spain if you follow their genealogy was listed as “black”. What does that tell you?)
Did you even consider that relative might have actually being black. There were black people peppered all over Spain back in the day. Slavery didn’t end in Spain until 1870. Where do you think all those black people went afterwards. well naturally they went into the larger population.Many of those black people indeed left Spain to seek a better life, and that might be why that ancestor was listed as black.
meant to say (been black
But there are no people in her family photos who even look slightly mixed, let alone black. They all look white.
I can easily show you photos from 1900 with relatives who are nonwhite, mixed looking. I even have a branch of the family today that still show faint traces of our African ancestry. The same should be true for Shailene Woodley, and it’s not.
I think this is a severe case of the One Drop Rule. Her mom looks Northwest European. Her grandmother who is supposedly Creole looks the same way. Moreover, her “African American” side, there was a census they were listed as white, so very clearly they were able to pass, and were listed “black” other years because anyone with ANY black ancestry was considered such.
In 1930, I’d have been considered “black”, but I look white and no more than a tiny part of my ancestry is African.
It is ridiculous, utterly ridiculous, to consider Woodley to be mixed race. She has one drop of African ancestry, like many white Americans.
She looks White. I’m Mexican and I look Blacker than her. Race must be irrelevant.
I think it’s getting to be irrelevant, look at the Lucy and Maria Aylmer( twin sisters)
http://www.quotidiano.net/polopoly_fs/1.726954.1425397315!/httpImage/image.JPG_gen/derivatives/gallery_800/image.JPG
Looks full English and maybe an admixture of Italian if you want to get more technical…
@Dogg, its a false belief that you can always see the African some mixed people don’t exactly show blackness but black people can always tell, most of the time and racist whites. hey may have thicker hair, plumper lips, deep voice, almond eyes, etc. there is always something there. If you want to know who is black ask a racist white, they are skilled at it. Its funny whites claim and defend white looking biracials/multiracials but if blacks claim black looking biracials with their African features blacks are accused of “using the one drop rule”. Or the whites will say that person is good looking because of their white side.
Just how much African would she have in her because I’ve seen pictures of her mother and I can hardly see the African.