Tori Amos

Amos in 2002, photo by Prphotos

Birth Name: Myra Ellen Amos

Place of Birth: Catawba, North Carolina, U.S.

Date of Birth: August 22, 1963

Ethnicity: English and Scottish/Irish/Scots-Irish/Northern Irish, remote French

Tori Amos is an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and composer.

She is the daughter of Mary Ellen (Copeland) and The Rev. Dr. Edison McKinley Amos. She has English and Scottish/Irish/Scots-Irish/Northern Irish, and remote French, ancestry. Tori is married to English sound engineer Mark Hawley, with whom she has a daughter.

Tori has stated that both of her maternal grandparents had a “full-blooded Cherokee” Native American grandparent of their own (i.e. Tori has stated that two of her maternal great-great-grandparents were Cherokee). It is not clear if there is any genealogical evidence that Tori has Cherokee Native American ancestry.

The first of Tori’s great-great-grandparents cited as Cherokee was a woman named Margaret Loraine Little. Margaret is listed as “White” on United States Censuses. Margaret’s mother’s name is sometimes cited as Elizabeth J. McAllister.

The second of Tori’s great-great-grandparents cited as Cherokee was a man named John Akins. John’s son, Tori’s great-grandfather, John Calhoun Akins, is listed as “White” on United States Censuses.

Tori’s paternal grandfather was James Washington Amos (the son of James Pleasant/Pleasants Amos and Elizabeth Jones Slayden). Tori’s grandfather James was born in Virginia. Tori’s great-grandfather James was the son of William Franklin Amos and Frances/Fannie Jane Faudree. Elizabeth was the daughter of George Washington Slayden and Sarah Wood Clark.

Tori’s paternal grandmother was Addie Brown Allen (the daughter of Charles Peter Allen and Martha Ida Carter). Addie was born in Virginia. Charles was the son of James M. Allen and Nancy M. Gilley. Martha was the daughter of James Craig Carter and Rhoda Sophia Allison.

Tori’s maternal grandfather was Calvin Clinton Copeland (the son of James Monroe Copeland and Mary Lenida Rice). Calvin was born in Tennessee. James was the son of Anderson Jackson Copeland and Dorcas Isabella Hammontree. Mary was the daughter of Calvin Harper Rice and Margaret Loraine Little.

Tori’s maternal grandmother was Bertie Marie Akins (the daughter of John Calhoun Akins and Ellen Ida Johnson). Bertie was born in Tennessee. John was the son of John Akins and Sallie. Ellen was the daughter of Andrew McRobert Johnson and Sarah Boyd.

Sources: History of the Amos family – http://familytree.itowler.com

Genealogy of Tori Amos – https://www.geni.com

Genealogy of Tori’s paternal great-grandfather, James Pleasant/Pleasants Amos (focusing on his own father’s side) – http://www.findagrave.com

Tori’s maternal great-great-grandparents, Calvin Harper Rice and Margaret Loraine Little, on the 1870 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Calvin Harper Rice and Margaret Loraine Little on the 1880 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Calvin Harper Rice and Margaret Loraine Little on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Tori’s maternal great-grandparents, John Calhoun Akins and Ellen Ida Johnson, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
John Calhoun Akins and Ellen Ida Johnson on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
John Calhoun Akins and Ellen Ida Johnson on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Tori’s maternal great-grandfather, John Calhoun Akins (“John Aiken”), on the 1880 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org