Toni Braxton

Braxton in 2011, photo by PrPhotos

Birth Name: Toni Michele Braxton

Place of Birth: Severn, Maryland, U.S.

Date of Birth: October 7, c. late 1960s

Ethnicity: African-American

Toni Braxton is an American singer, songwriter, pianist, record producer, actress, television personality, and philanthropist.

Both of her parents are African-American. Her father, Michael Conrad Braxton, a Protestant minister, is from Maryland, and her mother, Evelyn Jackson, whose own father was a Protestant minister, is from South Carolina. Her siblings, Traci, Towanda, Trina, and Tamar, were/are also entertainers. Toni has two children with her former husband, musician Keri Lewis.

A DNA test whose results were displayed on the show The Real (2016) stated that Toni’s sister, Tamar Braxton’s, genetic ancestry is:

*84% African
——–*22% Benin/Togo
——–*18% Ivory Coast/Ghana
——–*17% Cameroon/Congo
——–*12% Nigeria
——–*9% Senegal
——–*6% other Africa
*14% European
——–7% Europe West [including French, British, Irish, Finnish, Scandinavian]
——–7% other Europe

Toni’s paternal grandfather was Francis/Frances Collins Braxton (the son of Oscar Braxton and Mary Robinson). Francis was born in Virginia. Oscar was the son of Delaware Braxton and Malvina. Mary was the daughter of Richard Watts and Harriette/Harriet Robinson.

Toni’s paternal grandmother was named Eva Estine Waters (the daughter of Olive/Ollie Bourne). Eva was born in New York. Olive was the daughter of William Thomas Bourne and Maude A. Hutchens.

Toni’s maternal grandfather was named The Rev. John Jackson. John was born in South Carolina.

Toni’s maternal grandmother was named Beulah Given/Givens/Rumph (the daughter of Catherine Rumph). Beulah was born in South Carolina.

Toni has stated that one of her grandmothers was Jewish (and caucasian). Given the information above, it does not appear that this statement is accurate.

In her 2014 autobiography, Unbreak My Heart: A Memoir, Toni writes:

Dad’s mom, Eva, was nearly 90 percent Caucasian, yet she was considered black in this country, thanks to the one-drop rule… my grandfather, Frances Braxton – a descendant of Carter Braxton, the Virginia Delegate who signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776… My grandfather Frances… was half African American and half Native American.

It is not clear if this descent from Carter Braxton, or Toni’s Native American ancestry, have been verified/documented.

Sources: Genealogy of Toni Braxton – https://www.geni.com

Toni’s paternal great-great-grandfather, Delaware Braxton, on a Hanover Co. list of colored voters in 1869 – https://imgur.com

Toni’s paternal grandmother, Eva Estine Waters, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Obituary of Toni’s paternal grandmother, Eva Estine (Waters) Braxton – http://articles.baltimoresun.com

Toni’s statements about her claimed Jewish ancestry – http://www.accesshollywood.com
http://www.nytimes.com