Vanessa L. Williams

Williams in 2011, kathclick/bigstock.com

Birth Name: Vanessa Lynn Williams

Place of Birth: Tarrytown, New York, U.S.

Date of Birth: March 18, 1963

Ethnicity: African-American, along with some English and Welsh

Vanessa L. Williams is an American actress, singer, songwriter, producer, model, and television personality. She was the first African-American to win the Miss America Pageant, in 1983. Her roles include the films Eraser, Soul Food, Hoodlum, Dance with Me, Light It Up, Shaft (2000), Batman: Hush, and Bad Hair, and the series Ugly Betty.

Vanessa is the daughter of Helen L. (Tinch) and Milton Augustine Williams, Jr. Her parents were both black. Her brother is actor and comedian Chris Williams. Vanessa grew up in the mainly white middle-class suburb of Millwood, New York. Vanessa is married to businessperson Jim Skrip. She has three children, including dancer and singer Jillian Hervey, with her former husband, public relations specialist Ramon Hervey II; and a daughter with her former husband, Canadian basketball player and actor Rick Fox.

An AncestryDNA test taken by Vanessa stated that her genetic ancestry is:

*56% African
——–*23% Ghana
——–*15% Cameroon/Congo
——–*7% Togo
——–*6% Benin
——–*5% Senegal
*44% European
——–*17% British Isles
——–*12% Finnish/Ural/Volga
——–*11% Southern European
——–*4% Spain/Portugal

In an interview, a journalist stated that Vanessa’s mixed heritage includes African-American, Welsh, and Native American. No Native American markers appear on her DNA test. Vanessa appeared on the program Who Do You Think You Are? (2011), where she discovered that her great-great-grandfather, David Carll, was a “mulatto” (mixed race) man who avoided slavery and married a white woman (her great-great-grandmother).

Vanessa’s ancestry is at least 1/32nd English. One of her maternal great-great-great-grandfathers, George Appleford, was born in Surrey, England, in 1802.

Vanessa’s paternal grandfather was Milton Augustine/Abner Williams (the son of John Hill Williams and Mary L. Fields). Milton was born in Tennessee. John was the son of George Williams and Mollie/Molly Turner. Mary L. was the daughter of William A. Fields and Elizabeth “Lizzie” Fields.

Vanessa’s paternal grandmother was Iris Agnes Carl/Carll (the daughter of Frank S. Carl/Carll and Imogene Jackson). Iris was born in New York. Frank was the son of David Carll and Mary Louisa Appleford, who was white, and whose own father was English. Imogene was the daughter of Henry Titus Jackson and Emiline/Emmaline G. Russell.

Vanessa’s maternal grandfather was Edward James Tinch (the son of John Wilbur Tinch and Helen Elizabeth Fitzgerald). Edward was born in New Jersey. John was the son of John Tinch. Helen was the daughter of William Fitzgerald and Margaret.

Vanessa’s maternal grandmother was Doris Catherine Griffen/Griffin (the daughter of Moses George Wilson and Elvira Viola Johnson). Doris was born in New York. Moses George was the son of George Wilson and Frances Duson. Elvira was the daughter of Waldo/Walter Johnson and Fannie/Fanny Cavel/Calvin.

Regarding her DNA test, Vanessa has said:

Now, I can’t wait to go to Ghana and Cameroon and Togo and Senegal — it’s a great opportunity to see why the customs resonate with you. I love to travel and I love to explore, and I have to admit that I was always jealous of people who knew their cultural background. Both my family and myself came out with light eyes, so obviously there is a recessive gene here. Not knowing what that was just made me very curious.

Sources: Genealogy of Vanessa L. Williams – http://www.geni.com

Genealogy of Vanessa’s father (focusing on his mother’s side) – https://www.findagrave.com

Vanessa’s paternal grandmother, Iris Agnes Carl/Carll, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

ethnic

Curious about ethnicity

343 Responses

  1. Bow Down Bitches says:

    i bet she’s more white than black. i don’t get why blacks stick to that stupid one drop rule, this isn’t the segregated days anymore.

    • fuzzybear44 says:

      (i bet she’s more white than black)

      Her DNA results says she more black by 56%

      • cwm85 says:

        My great-great-great grand father was English too. John Williamson was his name. He was a solider in the civil war. Maybe me and Vanessa are related? Lol

    • Surreal says:

      She’s 56% Sub-Saharan African, 44% European.
      And she’s a Multi-generational mixed person, meaning her admixture isn’t recent and carried down from her parents who were both African American as well.

    • SB.K says:

      If mixed people like or not they are black, if you do not believe me go ask a white racist what colour is this mixed person. They would tell you, society views mixed people as blacks.

      • fuzzybear44 says:

        @sb.k

        You’re. Right., the other day my brother and his afro-cuban/Salvadoran girlfriend (both brighter than Vanessa),got into an argument. With this white man. The first thing he started was with the spic this and nig that

      • andrew says:

        SB.K.

        I don’t consider mixed people as black. I guess it happens only in North America, where there are a few pure West Africans to spot the difference.

        • fuzzybear44 says:

          @Andrew

          you might not consider mixed people as black. However I’ve seen to many examples of your fellow Europeans calling a biracial person black. Also there are many pure West and East Africans here. However it would do any good , seeing how AA’s come all kind of ways

          • andrew says:

            it’s because biracial people alwais look closer to their black side, European genes are weak. A biracial person (50 SSA/50 Euro) hardly passes for white.

          • andrew says:

            I said “hardly” because if I said “impossible” you would have found some examples to challenge my statement

          • fuzzybear44 says:

            @Andrew

            Quote(it’s because biracial people alwais look closer to their black side, European genes are weak. A biracial person (50 SSA/50 Euro) hardly passes for white.)

            I think it’s more to it, than just weak genes. When a bi looks more black, I think it has to do with the European not being pure(IMO). No one every questions if the European is pure or not( except me) Now a 50/50 looking white, how would you know if they were half black?

        • midori29 says:

          @Andrew, All blacks are mixed . Southern white Europeans in Spain, Portugal and Greece are mixed too so I guess theyre not white.
          Some whites loke calling certain blacks “mixed” only when they are attractive and famous. Puhlease, they love to divide.

      • cwm85 says:

        But its not biologically possible for someone to be mixed with black and white or more and be just African. I’m African, english, scottish, native American and have full whites and natives and other mixed raced family members. Its not possible for us or Vanessa Williams to just be “black’ A Mexican is majority a mestizo. Meaning Spanish and native. They are who they are. Not just one race. I think society should respect we multi racial people more. That is who we are. Multi racial no matter what society says.

        • fuzzybear44 says:

          @cwm

          Quote;(But its not biologically possible for someone to be mixed with black and white or more and be just African)

          No one called anybody just African. Every black person I know, is aware that they have other ancestry besides African. However the black part is what they know. It’s how they grew up, it’s what they take pride in

          Quote;(Its not possible for us or Vanessa Williams to just be “black’ )

          Well who are you or anyone to tell Vanessa what she can call herself. She says she a black woman. Just like you want the right to be called mixed, We call ourselves black. Just like I told an African on here once, I don’t need or want anybody’s permission

          Quote( I think society should respect we multi racial people more)

          You want society to respect your right to be called mixed, but you don’t want give the same respect to a person who want to called black

          Also that mestizo is on the avg also part black, you keep leaving that part out

          • cwm85 says:

            Yo dsdu’re an idiot fuzzybear44. Complete bias ass who has a problem with anyone identifying as mixed even if we are mixed. You have a problem with like me who are multiraical and acknowledge it. Well tough tits! My dad is white and native and I am proud of that along with my African-American mom. I’m multiethnic, multi racial. Am proud. Bye.

          • fuzzybear44 says:

            @cwm

            quote(Yo dsdu’re)

            Wow, I made you so nervous you can’t even spell right.

            Quote(Complete bias ass who has a problem with anyone identifying as mixed even if we are mixed. )

            You’re one who is proven to be a hypocrite. you’re on Zoe Saldana,alicia keys etc. pages moaning about embracing all that you are, however when it comes to Carol Channing or troian bellisario who are proven to be at least 15-25 % black, you ignore that and say they’re just basically white.

            Quote(You have a problem with like me who are multiraical and acknowledge it. Well tough tits! My dad is white and native and I am proud of that along with my African-American mom. I’m multiethnic, multi racial. Am proud.)

            I could care less about what you or anyone else wants to ID themselves as. You can be proud all you want, you can’t find a comment where I said you shouldn’t be

          • fuzzybear44 says:

            correction-You’re the one

    • midori29 says:

      @Bowdown Bitches, she is 60% African black in majority

    • midori29 says:

      Why do people just look at skin tone? Vanessa’s blood brother is dark skin black so would you say theyre not related? Darker blacks can be just as mixed as the lighter blacks.
      Link to her family
      http://www.arogundade.com/Resources/family-vanessa-w.jpeg

  2. cwm85 says:

    She definitely fits the term Multiracial… Parts of Africa and Europe.

  3. Boog says:

    “Ethnicity: African-American, along with some English, Welsh, possibly Native American”
    what is that “some” or “possibly” If you not sure it’s no such imaginary things, either you are or either you not, plain and simple
    African-American has West Africa countries
    Native American has also many ethnic groups and nations

  4. theropod says:

    Although she’s pretty but dat widow’s peak!!

    Anyway I thought she was Anglo-Celtic mixed with Mestizo Mexican.

    Never knew about her African ancestry…

  5. Betta Franka says:

    The only mixed woman with two black parents.

    • This proves that the world ‘black’ is kind of out of balance. I still can’t believe people still follow the one drop rule. If you’re mixed than your mixed. Calling someone ‘black’ knowing it is one race, like America would say and still have white ancestry in them is heinous to the identity of one’s ethnicity.

      • Zatm81 says:

        She’s Black with heavy admixture. She’d be mixed if one parent was white.

      • ashleymw1981 says:

        She is not mixed . Her white ancestors are from great great ancestors . FROM there everyone are black. I don’t understand where is issue with mixed people that are half black . I mean no one cares that Enrique Iglesias consider himself Hispanic but he is not he is mixed , No on cares that Carmen Diaz consider herself white but have Hispanic blood. I mean but when you have a black person that parent is of another race and they say they are black is a issue.

    • M says:

      Her “black” parents are mixed.

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