Taylor Lautner
08/08/2016 – Taylor Lautner – 2016 Summer TCA Tour – Fox Press Tour – Arrivals – The Beverly Hilton Hotel, 9876 Wilshire Boulevard – Los Angeles, CA, USA -Photo Credit: PRPhotos.com
Birth Name: Taylor Daniel Lautner
Place of Birth: Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.
Date of Birth: February 11, 1992
Ethnicity: English, Dutch, German, Austrian, Swiss-German, Scottish, distant French, Irish, and Welsh, likely 1/128th African-American
Taylor Lautner is an American actor, model, and martial artist. He is known for his starring role in the Twilight films, playing Jacob Black, a Native American werewolf of the Quileute tribe. On the show Scream Queens, he played the son of a black father and a white mother. He has also featured in the films The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D, Cheaper by the Dozen 2, Valentine’s Day, Abduction, Grown Ups 2, Tracers, The Ridiculous 6, Run the Tide, and Home Team, and the show Cuckoo.
Taylor’s documented ancestry includes English, Dutch, Swiss-German, German, including Sudeten German; Austrian, Scottish, distant French, Irish, and Welsh, and likely 1/128th African-American, the latter through his maternal great-great-great-great-grandfather James Siscoe/Sisco, who appears to have been black/mixed-race black. He has Canadian-born ancestors. At least three of his grandparents are Mayflower descendants, his paternal grandmother and maternal grandparents. A picture of Taylor with his parents and sister can be seen here. Taylor was raised in Hudsonville, near Grand Rapids, and later Santa Clarita, California.
On June 24, 2005, Taylor stated of his ancestry:
I am only French, Dutch and German. I get my skin color from the French side of my family.
Then, in an interview published on May 20, 2008, he stated:
…actually, I am part Native American. We learned that through [preparing to play a Native American in the Twilight films]. I’m French, Dutch and German, and on my mother’s side, she has some Potawatomi and Ottawa Indian in her.
Later that year, in July 2008, in reply to a question about him having Native American ancestry, Taylor stated:
I have some Native American in my distant background.
It is not clear if this Native American ancestry has been verified/documented. All of Taylor’s maternal grandparents, great-grandparents, and great-great-grandparents are listed as “White” on United States Censuses. No Native American ancestry appears in publicly available family trees of Taylor’s mother.
Taylor is a half-second cousin, three times removed, of prominent architect John Lautner. He is married to Taylor (Dome). Taylor (Dome) Lautner is a nurse, who is of half Ashkenazi Jewish and half Greek descent.
Taylor’s patrilineal line traces to his great-great-great-grandfather, Edward Lautner, who was born, c. 1848, in Austria, the son of Wenzel Lautner and Helen Quiezer/Queiser. The Lautner line originates with ethnic Germans from the town of Engelsberg, now Andělská Hora, Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic.
Taylor’s paternal grandfather is Loren Joseph Lautner (the son of LaVern Francis Lautner and Maxine Wave Draper). Loren was born in Michigan, and has Sudeten German, English, German, and Swiss-German ancestry. LaVern was the son of Joseph S. Lautner and Florence E. Courtade, who had partial roots in Altenstadt, Wissembourg, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, now France. Maxine was the daughter of Lorn James Draper and Maryetta Mosher.
Taylor’s paternal grandmother is Sandra Jean Pickard (the daughter of Howard John Pickard and Bernetta/Betty J. Akers). Sandra was born in Michigan. Howard was the son of Sherman I. Pickard, who had at least two Canadian-born grandparents; and of Viola M. Duell. Bernetta was the daughter of John Giles/Gile/Guil Akers, whose maternal grandparents were German; and of Ruth French.
Lautner in 2011
Taylor’s maternal grandfather is David Andrew Bos (the son of Andrew J. Bos and Helen Elizabeth Soules). David was born in Michigan. Taylor’s great-grandfather Andrew was the son of John Arend Bos, who was born in Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo Co., Michigan, to Dutch parents, from Groningen, his father from Sint-Annen and his mother from Uituizen; and of Barbara Dykehouse, who was born in Middelstum, Groningen, Netherlands. Taylor’s great-grandmother Helen was the daughter of Cleon B. Soules, whose paternal grandparents were Canadian, with family from Ontario; and of Emily Jane Himebaugh.
Taylor’s maternal grandmother is Patricia Anne Nichols (the daughter of Keith Francis Nichols and Wanda J. Yount). Patricia was born in Michigan. Keith was the son of Frank James Nichols and Olive F. Allen. Wanda was the daughter of Carl Charles Yount and Pina/Fannie S. Oatley/Vatley, whose own mother was from Cobourg, Ontario, Canada.
Taylor’s matrilineal line can be traced to his great-great-great-great-great-grandmother Eliza, who was born, c. 1808, in England.
Through Taylor’s maternal grandmother, Taylor is a descendant of William Brewster (c. 1566-1644), a Mayflower passenger and noted Pilgrim. Among many of William’s other descendants are actors Jordana Brewster, Paget Brewster, Austin Butler, Chevy Chase, Seth MacFarlane, and Elisabeth Shue, actors and models Noah Mills and Brandon Routh, director, producer, screenwriter, and cinematographer Zack Snyder, singer Buffy Sainte-Marie, soccer player Clint Dempsey, Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld, U.S. Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, and Governor of Arkansas Winthrop Rockefeller.
Sources: Genealogy of Taylor Lautner – https://famouskin.com
Genealogy of Taylor Lautner (focusing on his father’s side) – https://www.geni.com
Genealogy of Taylor’s paternal great-grandfather, LaVern Francis Lautner – http://www.findagrave.com
Death record of Taylor’s paternal great-great-grandmother, Maryetta (Mosher) Draper – https://www.findagrave.com
Taylor’s paternal great-grandfather, Howard John Pickard, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Genealogy of Taylor’s paternal great-great-great-grandfather, Isaac Ladd Pickard – http://www.familycentral.net
Genealogy of Taylor’s paternal great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather, William Henry Pickard – http://familypedia.wikia.com
Genealogy of Taylor’s paternal great-great-great-grandmother, Nellie Elnora Swaney – https://www.wikitree.com
Obituary of Taylor’s paternal great-grandmother, Bernetta J. “Betty” (Akers) Pickard – http://www.legacy.com
Taylor’s paternal great-great-grandfather, John Guil Akers, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Genealogy of Taylor’s paternal great-great-grandmother, Ruth French (focusing on her father’s side) – http://www.frenchfamilyassoc.com
Marriage record of Taylor’s maternal great-grandparents, Andrew John Bos and Helen Elizabeth Soules – https://www.familysearch.org
Taylor’s maternal great-grandfather, Andrew John Bos, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Andrew John Bos on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Obituary of Taylor’s maternal great-grandfather, Andrew John Bos – http://www.legacy.com
Taylor’s maternal great-grandmother, Helen Elizabeth Soules, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Genealogy of Taylor’s maternal great-great-grandfather, Cleon/Leon Benjamin Soules – https://www.findagrave.com
Genealogies of Taylor’s maternal great-great-great-great-grandfather, Howard Soule – https://www.wikitree.com
https://www.geni.com
Genealogy of Taylor’s maternal great-great-grandmother, Emily Jane Himebaugh – https://www.wikitree.com
Genealogies of Taylor’s maternal great-grandparents, Keith Francis Nichols and Wanda J. Yount – https://www.findagrave.com
Taylor’s maternal great-grandfather, Keith Francis Nichols, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Marriage record of Taylor’s maternal great-great-grandparents, Frank James Nichols and Olive F. Allen – https://www.familysearch.org
Genealogy of Taylor’s maternal great-great-grandfather, Frank James Nichols (focusing on his own mother’s side) – https://www.wikitree.com
Taylor’s maternal great-great-great-grandparents, Wayland Albert Nichols and Fannie Blanche Sisco, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Taylor’s maternal great-great-great-grandmother, Fannie Blanche Sisco, on the 1880 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Likely Taylor’s maternal great-great-great-great-grandfather, James Siscoe/Sisco, on the 1860 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Taylor’s maternal great-grandmother, Wanda J. Yount, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Wanda J. Yount on the 1940 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Marriage record of Taylor’s maternal great-great-grandparents, Carl Charles Yount and Pina/Fannie S. Oatley/Vatley – https://www.familysearch.org
Lol another American claiming to be indigenous. I have a friend who looks like this dude and he’s Serbian, German, and a small amount of Italian. Doesn’t matter. Americans of all complexions and eye shapes claim up and down they are indigenous
He said at first, his dark complexion is from his French father’s side, then he had Ottawa/Odawa Indian ancestry from his white mother’s side (I’ve seen his family portrait online). So, he may be African American, although 1% is low, that’s the case with Johnny Depp and Steven Tyler, we don’t even use the “1 drop rule” for declaring anyone “Black” or even Indigenous anymore. A person can have a Black, Indigenous or a Turkish ancestor (that’s former UK PM Boris Johnson), but as far as I know, most wouldn’t consider Lautner black, nor Sherri Rollins-the Winnipeg city councilor who is “English, French, Jewish and Huron-Miami-Wyandot” until she admitted 10-12 generations ago doesn’t make her legally or culturally indigenous.
@ashash
It turns out he is.