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
Shouldn’t her South European and Spanish/Portuguese ancestry and other African ancestry be added as well? You added her English and Welsh so why not include her other ancestries in the mix?
Because DNA tests get wildly unpredictative right below the continental level. I’ve done three different ones, myself, and while they generally all agree on the amount of European and African ancestry, they are all over the place when you get down to the regional level. My European background is very heavily English, but MyGHeritage, for instance, shows 0% English.
It’s simply not all that reliable unless they show you leaning very heavily to one or two regions. In here case, it seems like they can genealogically trace her British ancestry and it’s corroborated in the DNA test so it gets added. Until they can do the same with the Southern European, I don’t see why it should be added.
The British and the South European ancestry are almost close in percentages (according to her DNA test results posted). That’s why I asked why isn’t her South European ancestry isn’t posted? Other celebs have theirs as well as even regions on this site and she’s 23% Ghananian (which could be added as well). but then again DNA tests aren’t always 100% accurate.
or maybe she could have some ancestors that came from the Caribbean possibly?
She’s mixed raced, as is obvious, but she could pull an Ava DuverNay and deny her white ancestry
She can deny her white ancestry all she wants but its forever encoded in her genetics.
No, she isn’t mixed race. She has NO recent white ancestors just like most multigenerational mix African-Americans.
@Ethnicity37
you’re beyond delusional lmao, she literalyl a white chick with “African” skin complaxion, she even has blue yes lol
Their post doesn’t make sense anyway “She isn’t mixed race, she is MIX African-American”. Anyone with eyes can tell she’s mixed with european. I understand why she identifies as black and I respect that but biologically she is a mixed woman.
lmao You dum-dums never do want to learn what African American means. Most African Americans are “mixed” but that doesn’t change their ethnicity. You’re arguments are always like if I offered you a chocolate-chip cookie and you were like, ” That’s not REALLY a chocolate-chip cookie! There’s also baking soda, baking powder, flour, sugar, brown sugar(which has molasses in it), butter, egg and milk!”
She’s a Finnish-American: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Finnish_Americans
Also her DNA Test is consistent with family oral stories about an Italian ancestor.
What oral history?
I remember my mother told me that when my brother was a baby, they identified some blood issue with him, and they asked her if she had any relatives from Italy because this particular blood characteristic was consistent with someone from Italy. My mother said, “No, no, nothing like that.” Well, now come to find out 45 years later and obviously we have the same genetic makeup that Southern European is 11% of our makeup.
That’s oral non-history. Her mother explicitly did ”not” think she had any Italian ancestors (and she may not have any).
Many pictures of pure 100% black Africans with blue, green and grey eyes are on the internet ,
Links : http://afritorial.com/black-people-with-blue-eyes/
Well it was confirmed in 2017 that Africans have their own versions of the light eye genes. Also apparently one of the gene responsible for light skin actually developed in Africa go by the study . Which make sense, seeing how Asians have their own version of pale skin
https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=43312869