Penn Jillette
Jillette in 2014, photo by Prphotos.com
Birth Name: Penn Fraser Jillette
Place of Birth: Greenfield, Massachusetts, U.S.
Date of Birth: March 5, 1955
Ethnicity: English, as well as Scottish, 1/32 Guernsey [Channel Islander], distant Irish
Penn Jillette is an American magician, actor, musician, inventor, television presenter, and author. He forms the magician duo Penn & Teller, together with Teller.
Penn is the son of Valda Ruth, a secretary, and Samuel Herbert Jillette, who worked at Greenfield’s Franklin County Jail. He is married to Emily, with whom he has two children.
Penn’s paternal grandparents were born in Newfoundland, Canada, and Penn’s father had English, Scottish, and 1/16th Guernsey [Channel Islander], ancestry. The surnames Jillett/Jillette in Newfoundland originally come from England. Penn’s mother, whose family has lived in New England for many generations, had English ancestry.
Penn’s paternal grandfather was Samuel Edgar Jillett/Jillette (the son of John Samuel Jillett/Jillette and Ann Gillespie). Penn’s grandfather Samuel was born in Carbonear, Newfoundland. John was the son of Samuel Jillett/Gillett and Mary Penney. Ann was the daughter of Car William Gillespie and Susannah Clarke.
Penn’s paternal grandmother was Caroline F. Penney/Penny (the daughter of Edward Sparkes Penney and Emma Teresa Noftal). Caroline was born in Carbonear, Newfoundland. Edward was the son of William Penney and Mary Parsons. Emma was the daughter of William Noftal and Emma Thistle; William’s father, Peter Noftal, was born on St. Saviour, Guernsey, Channel Islands.
Penn’s maternal grandfather was Robert Henry Parks (the son of James W. Parks and Ellen/Ella R. Cook). Penn’s grandfather Robert was born in Greenfield, Massachusetts. James was born in Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada, the son of William Parks and Jane. Ellen was born in Reading, Vermont, the daughter of L. Cook, who was Canadian, and of Ellen. Penn’s great-grandmother Ellen was a descendant of Captain James Cook.
Penn’s maternal grandmother was Elizabeth Jenkins (the daughter of Marshall I. Jenkins and Ellen Lucina Rhoades). Elizabeth was born in Cummington, Massachusetts. Marshall was the son of Malachi Jenkins and Susanna/Susan Dawes. Ellen was the daughter of Arnsford Rhoades and Nancy Miller.
In Penn’s book Every Day is an Atheist Holiday! (2012), Penn wrote:
After she read Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, my mom claimed that we had some aboriginal American relatives, and some TV show recently did some genealogy research in our family background and proved she might have been telling the truth… My dad told me that I have at least one African-American ancestor. I’m a pretty direct descendant of Captain Cook, who brought syphilis to Hawaii and gave the English the name “limeys.” Statistically, the long line of sailors must have brought in most other nationalities I can think of and some I can’t.
It is not clear if Penn’s Native American and/or African-American ancestry has been verified/documented.
Penn’s ancestor Captain James Cook (1728-1779) was a British explorer who mapped parts of Canada’s east coast, prior to the British conquest of Canada, and founded New South Wales, the first British colony in Australia. James was of half Scottish and half English descent.
Sources: Genealogy of Penn Jillette – http://www.andrewkolstee.com
Penn’s father on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Penn’s paternal grandparents, Samuel Edgar Jillett/Jillette and Caroline F. Penney/Penny, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Penn’s mother on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Penn’s mother on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Penn’s maternal grandfather, Robert Henry Parks, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Genealogy of Penn’s ancestor, James Cook – http://www.geni.com
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