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, 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

ethnic

Curious about ethnicity

896 Responses

  1. andrew says:

    James Siscoe/Sisco, who appears to have been “black/mixed-race black”.Oh…you like that stuff so much. He is listed as mulatto or colored. So, why?

  2. tlvierha says:

    https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGJ4AkJjM/

    James Sisco was described as «Colored».

  3. tlvierha says:

    https://www.geni.com/people/James-Rogers/6000000004594562966

    This is supposed to be Delilah’s father. Which is what is supposed to connect them to Native American ancestry, but Delilah is not referenced as a daughter of theirs anywhere I can find. It is also strange that they would be talking about having Potawatomi and Ottawa Indian ancestry if it really was Cherokee. I don’r understand these family trees of theirs.

    • Oaken05 says:

      He’d be talking about those tribes, because they are two of the three largest in his home state of Michigan. And, generally, when you don’t know much about your ancestry or done any real genealogy and have no idea how far the stuff is supposed to be back in the line, all kinds of details change or just made up whole cloth. My family used to tell us we had Chickasaw & Choctaw ancestry all the time. Turns out we had absolutely none on that line, and that that likely came from where the grandparents had grown up and those were the dominate tribes at the time in the area.

    • andrew says:

      @tlvierha

      Wanda definitely had sort of non-European ancestry to marry with Keith Nichols, who descended to the ‘Sisco” family (free people of color).

  4. andrew says:

    According to familysearch.org, on his maternal grandma “Yount” line, he descends to the noted “Rogers” family who lived in Cherokee Nation, and was part Indian.

    https://www.familysearch.org/tree/pedigree/landscape/LRRK-JHR

  5. indo says:

    He’s weird looking

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