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 would never, to save my life, guess a girl with this look can have a black mother.
her mother is the blackest person you can ever meet:
http://www1.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Summit+Entertainment+Allittakes+Org+Private+4FmCbM6Y2Xsx.jpg
My fellow Serbs are predominantly white Caucasian, so I guess yeah, the “you can ever meet” part is true enough.
http://www.wikitree.com/genealogy/Woodley-Family-Tree-213
this comment wasn’t directed to fatmonkey.
Additional material:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=109769815
http://www.wikitree.com/genealogy/Zipple-Family-Tree-1
I think it’s funny how everyone is talking about how “I don’t think she’s really black” or “I’d like to see how much she really is”. People can look one thing and be another.
I look white but I’m mixed. I have friends that look white, but are Hispanic and speak fluent Spanish. It’s stupid that everyone wants to know race/ethnicity. We’re human…we’re part of the human race.
Yes, people have different heritage/culture/spoken language. It’s cool to know what someone’s culture is, but skin color is stupid and it shouldn’t matter.
worst comment on the history of this site, which is called ETHNICELEBS
biology isn’t “stupid”
and spanish is a white language by the way.
You literally just proved my whole comment.
She was a victim of the damn one drop rule as all of her relatives and ancestors as far as I see show no signs of admixture.
Lol black? I didn’t see that coming.
She made have little black ancestry but in no way can she be considered anything other than white. Pictures of her greatgrandparents is not clear how mixed they are… anyone who says she is anything other than white is a troll.
First off, I am not trying to start anything with. However I’m trying to understand what you’re saying. In your past comments, you have stated that your father is 12% native and that you’re 1/16(6%), and you’re very proud of that. However to a lot of people 12% would be irrelevant. You on the other hand have been very clear that you father isn’t all the way white nor is he all the way native. So I’m trying to understand how you could be so one-sided with Shailene Woodley. She is known to be part Black, with her percentages unknown to anyone. However you say if anyone who says she is anything other than white is a troll. Why the double standard?
@fuzzybear44 Couldn’t have put it better myself
Her mother’s African ancestry must be distant or remote. There’s no way that she has a recent ancestry (say a grandparent) who is African. I think her English and Swiss ancestry are more recent.
How wrong you are! There is every possibility it could be as recent as one of her grandparents.
People can have can have a fully Black grandparent and still look completely white, just look at…Mariah Carey.
Mariah doesn’t look completely white. Faye Reagan looks completely white.
Mariah looks almost white.
Wait….Faye Reagan isn’t completely white? What is she? She looks pretty white to me…Is she like white Cuban like Cameron Diaz or something…
All of her grandparents don’t look admired at all or very little. And Mariah’s “black” father was also mgm and not fgm as most new worlders.