Solange Knowles
Knowles in 2011, Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com
Birth Name: Solange Piaget Knowles
Place of Birth: Houston, Harris, Texas, U.S.
Date of Birth: June 24, 1986
Ethnicity:
*father – African-American
*mother – Louisiana Creole, including African, French, Acadian/French-Canadian, as well as distant Irish, Breton, and Belgian Walloon, remote Penobscot First Nations
Solange Knowles is an American actress, singer, songwriter, and model.
She is the daughter of Tina Knowles (born Célestine Ann Beyoncé), a fashion designer, and Mathew C. Knowles, a businessperson and talent manager. She is the sister of actress and singer Beyoncé. They are the first sisters to have each had No. 1 albums. Her niece, Beyoncé’s daughter, is singer and dancer Blue Ivy Carter. Solange is a step-sister of actress Bianca Lawson. Her mother is married to Bianca’s father, actor Richard Lawson. Solange is married to music video director Alan Ferguson. She has a son with her former husband Daniel Smith.
Solange’s father is African-American. Solange’s maternal grandparents were French-speaking Louisiana Creoles, with roots in New Iberia; their ancestry was mostly African and French (including French ancestors who lived in Canada). Through her mother’s line, Solange is a great-great-great-great-great-great-granddaughter of Acadian leader Joseph Broussard, who led French-speaking Catholics from Nova Scotia, Canada to Louisiana in 1765. He was among the first 200 Acadians to arrive in Louisiana that year. She is also a descendant of French military officer Jean-Vincent d’Abbadie de Saint-Castin (born c. 1652 in Escout, France), and of his wife, Marie Mathilde Pidianske/Penobscot (born c. 1658), who was the daughter of Madockawando Abenaki, a chief of the Penobscot (Panawahpskek) people. Through Marie Mathilde, Solange is of 1/1024 Indigenous descent. Solange is also of approximately 1/32 Irish ancestry, and has distant Breton and Belgian Flemish roots on her mother’s side, the latter including her ancestor Albert de Cuir, from Hainaut Province, Wallonia. Her sister’s name, Beyoncé, is a tribute to their mother’s family name, Beyincé. Through her Broussard line, she is a third cousin of gospel singer and graphic artist Karen Showell.
Solange’s sister Beyoncé has said that she has Nigerian ancestry. She may have discovered this through a DNA test.
Solange’s mother has also been described as having Cherokee and/or Choctaw Native American ancestry. It is not clear if this ancestry has been verified/documented. No Cherokee or Choctaw Native American ancestors appear on publicly available family trees of Solange’s mother. One book biography of Solange’s sister, Crazy in Love: The Beyoncé Knowles Biography, also refers to their mother having Spanish, Jewish, Chinese, and Indonesian ancestry. It is also not clear if this is accurate.
A picture of Solange’s maternal grandparents can be seen here.
Solange’s paternal grandfather was Matthew/Mathew Q. Knowles (the son of Taylor Knowles and Girlie/Gurlie/Gerlie Mae Miller). Matthew was born in Alabama. Taylor was the son of James Isaac Knowles and Sarah Elizabeth Dixon. Girlie was the daughter of Prophet Miller and Jane Hall.
Solange’s paternal grandmother is Lou Helen Hogue (the daughter of Davis/Dave Hogue and Hester Moore). Lou was born in Alabama. Davis was the son of Jim Hogue and Rosetta Moore. Hester was the daughter of Pinkney Madison Moore and Arenia Goree.
Solange’s maternal grandfather was Lumis/Lumas Albert Beyincé/Buyincé (the son of Alexandre/Alexon Beyincé/Buyincé and Mary Olevia). Lumis was born in Delcambre, Vermilion, Louisiana.
Solange’s maternal grandmother was Agnès/Agnèz DeRouen/Deréon (the daughter of Eugène-Gustave DeRouen/Deréon/Derezen and Odelia/Odilia Broussard). Agnès was born in Louisiana, and was a prominent seamstress. Eugène-Gustave likely was the son of Eloi Jacques DeRouen. Odelia was the daughter of Éloi/Éloy-René Rosemond Broussard, who was white, of French descent, and of Celestine Joséphine Lessee/Lesse/Lesser/Lacy/Lacey/Lessassier, who was black/mixed-race black, and the daughter of a slave mother. Éloi and Joséphine had many children together, and possibly married. A picture of Solange’s great-grandfather Eugène-Gustave can be seen here.
Solange’s parents Mathew and Tina, 2007, photo by bigstock.com
Sources: Genealogies of Solange Knowles – http://www.geni.com
https://famouskin.com
Family history of Solange – https://www.hollywoodancestry.com
https://www.dailymail.co.uk
https://jack.canalplus.com
Family history of Solange, by Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak – http://www.huffingtonpost.com
Solange’s paternal grandfather, Matthew/Mathew Q. Knowles, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Solange’s paternal grandmother, Lou Helen Hogue, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Article about Solange’s maternal great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather, Joseph Broussard – http://www.biographi.ca
Solange’s maternal grandmother, Agnès/Agnèz DeRouen/Deréon, on 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Is her father of Bahamian origin? I see some sources listing this.
I don’t understand the drama with the Knowles family genealogy. Beyonce and Solange both identify as black women. Why are some people so desperately wanting them to be anything but black? I’m aware that African Americans have distant european admixture but I’m pretty damn sure Beyonce and Solange would still be somewhere around 70% to 80% SSA.
Does anyone know what region in Spain their Spanish ancestry come from? Cuz I know this site likes to include Spanish and Italian regions for some reason.