LOS ANGELES – FEB 21: Knowles arrives for the Essence Celebrates Black Women in Hollywood on February 21, 2019 in Beverly Hills, CA, photo by DFree/Bigstock.com
Birth Name: Celestine Ann Beyoncé
Place of Birth: Galveston, Texas, United States
Date of Birth: January 4, 1954
Ethnicity: Louisiana Creole, including African, French, Acadian/French-Canadian, distant Irish and Breton as well as remote Penobscot First Nations
Tina Knowles is an American fashion designer, businessperson, and philanthropist. She is the mother of singers, songwriters, and actresses Beyoncé and Solange Knowles, with her former husband, Mathew C. Knowles, a salesman and manager.
She is the daughter of Agnès/Agnèz (DeRouen/Deréon) and Lumis/Lumas Albert Beyincé/Buyincé. A picture of Tina’s parents can be seen here. Her father was born in Delcambre, Vermilion, Louisiana, and was a longshoreman. Her mother was born in Louisiana, and was a prominent seamstress.
Tina is the youngest of seven children. Her parents were Francophone Louisiana Creoles, with roots in New Iberia; their ancestry was mostly African and French, including French ancestors who lived in Canada. Tina is a great-great-great-great-great-granddaughter of Acadian leader Joseph Broussard. Broussard led French-speaking Catholics from Nova Scotia, Canada to Louisiana in 1765. He was among the first 200 Acadians to arrive in Louisiana in 1765. She is a descendant of French military officer Jean-Vincent d’Abbadie de Saint-Castin (born c. 1652 in Escout, France), and of his wife, Marie Mathilde Pidianske/Penobscot (born c. 1658), who was the daughter of Madockawando Abenaki, a chief of the Penobscot (Panawahpskek) people. She also has Irish and Breton ancestry. Her family roots are from Boutte, Louisiana. She was raised Catholic.
Tina married Mathew Knowles in 1980. He quit his job to manage girl group Destiny’s Child, of which Beyoncé was a member. Tina later filed for divorce and started dating actor Richard Lawson, to whom she was married until 2023. Through her marriage to Richard, Tina became a stepmother to his daughter, actress Bianca Lawson. Her daughter’s name, Beyoncé, is a tribute to her maiden name Beyincé, which was spelled Beyoncé due to a clerical error on her birth certificate.
Tina’s paternal grandfather was named Alexandre/Alexon Beyincé/Buyincé. Alexandre was born in Louisiana.
Tina’s paternal grandmother was named Mary Olevia. Mary was born in Louisiana.
Tina’s maternal grandfather was named Eugène-Gustave DeRouen/Deréon/Derezen (who likely was the son of Eloi Jacques DeRouen). Eugène-Gustave was born in Louisiana. A picture of Eugène-Gustave can be seen here.
Tina’s maternal grandmother was Odelia/Odilia Broussard (the daughter of Éloi/Éloy-René Rosemond Broussard and Celestine Joséphine Lessee/Lesse/Lesser/Lacy/Lacey/Lessassier). Odelia was born in Louisiana. Éloi was white, of French descent. Joséphine was black/mixed-race black, and the daughter of a slave mother. Éloi and Joséphine had many children together, and possibly married. Éloi was the son of Rosemond Broussard and Joséphine-Adelania Broussard.
Knowles with then-husband Mathew Knowles in 2007, photo by bigstock.com
Sources: Biography of Tina Knowles – https://www.nytimes.com
Article about Tina’s elder sisters – https://www.essence.com
Genealogies of Tina Knowles (through her daughter Beyoncé) – http://www.geni.com
https://famouskin.com
Family histories of Tina Knowles (through her daughter Beyoncé) – https://www.hollywoodancestry.com
https://www.dailymail.co.uk
https://jack.canalplus.com
Family history of Tina Knowles (through her daughter Beyoncé), by Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak – http://www.huffingtonpost.com
Tina’s mother on 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Article about Tina’s maternal great-great-great-great-great-grandfather, Joseph Broussard – http://www.biographi.ca
The post Tina Knowles appeared first on Ethnicity of Celebs | EthniCelebs.com.