Veronica Lake
MGM studio promo portrait of Veronica Lake c. 1952
Birth Name: Constance Frances Marie Ockelman
Date of Birth: November 14, 1922
Place of Birth: Brooklyn, New York, New York City, U.S.
Date of Death: July 7, 1973
Place of Death: Burlington, Vermont, U.S.
Ethnicity:
*75% Irish
*25% German
Veronica Lake was an American actress.
She was the daughter of Constance Charlotta (Trimble) and Harry Eugene Ockelman. Her father was of half German and half Irish ancestry. Her mother was of Irish descent. She had two children with her former husband, art director John S. Detlie; and two children with her former husband, film director Andre DeToth.
Veronica’s paternal grandfather was named Harry Ockelman. Harry was German, from Hamburg.
Veronica’s paternal grandmother was Alice Marie Collins (the daughter of Michael Collins and Anne Burns). Alice was Irish, from County Westmeath.
Veronica’s maternal grandfather was James F. Trimble (the son of Joseph/Michael Trimble and Ellen/Helen Donovan). James was born in New York, to Irish parents.
Veronica’s maternal grandmother was Frances Comer (the daughter of Michael J. Comer and Elizabeth E. Hall). Frances was born in New York, to Irish parents. Michael was the son of Michael Comer and Mary Murphy.
Sources: Genealogy of Veronica Lake – https://www.geni.com
Veronica Lake on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Veronica’s father on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Veronica’s mother on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
She was so beautiful.
Her hair gave me trypophobia.
Her mother was Scots-Irish (which is Scottish). She was not Irish. Her mothers name was Constance Charlotta Trimble. Trimble is a Scottish surname.
Hotdog,
This is a source from wiki
Veronica’s maternal grandmother and maternal grandfather were the children of Irish immigrants. U.S. Census, January 1, 1920, State of New York, County of Kings, enumeration district 290, p. 8-A, family 189. U.S. Census, April 15, 1910, State of New York, County of Kings, enumeration district 655, p. 5-A, family 125.
As I said they were Scots-Irish. Which is not Irish in the manner use have stated. Scots-Irish are people of Scottish descent who lived in Ireland. So she would be ethnically Scottish not Irish, hence her mothers Scottish surname.
Kings County is present day Offaly obviously not Scots-Irish.
In the book written by Jeff Lenburg called ‘Peekaboo: The Story of Veronica Lake’, it says and I quote;
‘Her Father was Harry Ockleman, a Seaman by trade who worked for the Sun Oil Company. Harry had met Veronica’s mother, the former Constance Charlotte Trimble, in Brooklyn and it was there that Connie was concieved. Harry was of Dutch-German ancestry, and his wife was of Irish extraction.’
So I guess Veronica is of Dutch, German and Irish origin.
According to census data her grandfather was born in Denmark.
U.S. Census, Jan. 1, 1920, State of Pennsylvania, County of Delaware, enumeration district 188, p. 9-B, family 186.
It’s like saying “I’m not from New York; I’m from New Jersey.” People there moved around. A LOT. Denmark, Germany and Holland are all related historically and are like going from Massachusetts to Pennsylvania. Got a horse? No problem. They called Holland “The Netherlands” in a derogatory way back then, although that is not how we think of it now. It was a place they would send all troublemakers, Jews, most especially, because it was a very difficult place to live, to get rid of them. Kind of like what the English did with Australia.
The 1920 census does say that. But in 1910, Veronica’s grandfather and his parents are listed as born in Germany.
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MG8H-R9F
I think perhaps they said “Denmark” instead of “Germany” because of anti-German sentiment that arose in the U.S. during World War I. “Ockelman” is also a German surname.