One of my favorite "fun" television shows premieres for the season on FOX this week -- "Bones" starring Emily Deschanel as Dr. Temperance Brennan and David Boreanaz as FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth, based on the Kathy Reich's novels that I also enjoy. I love Emily Deschanel's acting, and I can't resist digging into French ancestry when presented with the opportunity, so here goes...
The Deschanel surname, as it sounds, is French. Emily and Zooey's grandfather, Paul Jules Deschanel, was born in Oullins, Rhône, France on 5 November 1906 and immigrated to the U.S. in 1930. Paul's parents, Joseph Marcelin Eugène Deschanel and Marie Josephine Favre, married in Vienne, Isère, Rhône-Alpes, France on 20 April 1901. They both remained in France, although Marie did make several trips to the U.S. to visit her children. The two died in Lyon in 1947 and 1950, respectively. From there the Deschanel line stretches back through several generations of weavers from Planzolles, a tiny commune in the department of Ardèche, France.
Planzolles, Ardèche, France, naissance, Jean Joseph Augustin Deschanel, 26 Mai 1844;
Les Archives départementales de l'Ardèche - Consultation en ligne.
Additional French surnames in the Deschanel family include Amyot, Borde, Duval, Sautel, Boissin and Delenne, and the records of many of Emily Deschanel's French ancestors can be viewed online.
Emily's paternal grandmother, Anna Ward Orr, descends from a family of Quakers from Lancaster and Chester counties in Pennsylvania. Several, including her great-grandparents Adrian Van Bracklin Orr and Beulah (Lamb) Orr, and great-great-grandparents Joseph M. Orr and Martha E. (Pownall) Orr, are buried in the Sadsbury Meeting Cemetery. Beulah Lamb, also from a Quaker family, was born in Perquimans County, North Carolina to Caleb W. Lamb and Anna Matilda Ward. Both the Lamb and Ward families were in Perquimans County for generations.
Ohio roots run deep on the maternal side of Emily Deschanel's family tree. The Weir immigrant ancestor, William Weir, emigrated from Lifford, Donegal, Ireland to America in 1819 aboard the Conestoga, and eventually settled in Brown, Carroll, Ohio.
Emily Deschanel descends from William's youngest son, Addison Mohallan Weir, through his second wife, Elizabeth Gurney. Interestingly, this takes us back to France, as Elizabeth's father, George William Guerney was born in France -- Belfort (possibly Belfort or another commune in the department of Territoire-de-Belfort) according to the death certificate of his eldest daughter, Jenny (Guerney) Knepper, which also stated that her mother, Anna Hanney, was born in Bern, Switzerland.
Another Ohio ancestor of Emily Deschanel is Henry Anson Lamar, a steamer pilot on the Great Lakes. Henry's wife, Nancy Vrooman, was born in Schoharie, New York, a descendant of Hendrick Vrooman who emigrated from the Netherlands with two brothers to settle in New Netherland (New York) during the 17th century. He sadly was one of 60 people killed at the Schenectady Massacre of 1690.
Six generations back in the family tree of Emily and Zooey Deschanel is an interesting New York farmer named Caleb Manchester, descendant of an early Rhode Island family. He and his wife, Lydia Chichester, settled on a farm near Scipioville, Cayuga, New York where they lived for 48 years and raised 4 sons and 7 daughters, only two of whom survived them. Newspaper accounts tell the story of Caleb's sudden death on 5 October 1868 at his home in Scipioville.
"Central New York News," The (Syracuse) Journal, 9 October 1868, page 2, col. 1;
New York State Historical Newspapers - Old Fulton NY Post Cards
Biographies of Emily Deschanel also often mention her Irish ancestry, which she does have -- her maternal great-great grandmother, Mary B. Sullivan, was born in Painesville, Lake County, Ohio to Irish immigrants John Sullivan and Honora Burke.
I,too, am an ardent fan of Emily Deschanel ( I love “Bones” and Emily has my granddaughter’s crooked smile,like the Mona Lisa).This article was very interesting to me. Thanks.
Emily is one of my favorite actresses. I love the show and try never to miss an episode. Really interesting to know her ancestry. Thanks for sharing.
Is Emily really pg. or just for the program? She looks like she has gained some weight.
Interesting that Emily named her son, Henry Lamar Hornsby, perhaps name came from her steamboat captain ansestor.
First, thank you for your interesting posts.
I have also done some research on Emily’s French ancestry (she was said to descend from former French president Paul Deschanel…). I got a little bit confused when it came to Joseph Marcelin Eugène Deschanel’s father. I think that he may well be Jean Joseph Deschanel, born in 1839 in Planzolles, from Jean Joseph and Marie Rose Dupuy.
All the details in my article on the blog Entre nous et nos ancêtres : “En généalogie, un Paul DESCHANEL peut en cacher un autre“.
Hello
Looking for Emily Deschanel find that some say Paul Deschanel (11 French President) is the great-grandparent.
Jean Deschanel (Senator) would be the grandfather of Emily.
It may be because in Wikipedia is a picture of Paul and is similar to the actress Deschanel Emiily face.
Paul Deschanel 11 President of France Born in February 13, 1855 – April 28, Died 1922 President of France from February 18, 1920 to September 21 ,son of Emile Deschanel (19 November 1819 Paris – 26 January 1904 was a French author and politician)
Children of Paul Deschanel
* Renee-Antoinette 1902-1977 Deschanel
* Jean DESCHANEL 1904-1963 ¿Grandpa of Emily and Zoe?
* Paul Deschanel 1909-1939
Caleb was born in 1944 or is the only one who could be the father is Jean Deschanel
Mini Bio Of Jean Deschanel
Jean Deschanel is a French politician born on 1 September 1904 in Paris and died January 24, 1963 in his hometown.
Son of former President Paul Deschanel, he leads a career as a senior official before starting to turn in the policy.
Candidate in the old riding his father in 1932, he was elected to the parliamentary group and is part of the Independents left, center-right group close to the Democratic Alliance. He was reelected in 1936, appearing this time as an independent radical, that is to say, as a centrist. He joined the caucus of the Democratic Left and radical independent.
On July 10, 1940, he voted for the delivery of full powers to Marshal Petain. He did not find any parliamentary mandate after World War II.
Have resided in the U.S. during the decade of 40 and 50?
Looking for Paul Deschanel, caught my attention the similarities to actress emily Deschanel.
Emily Deschanel is an excellent actress!
French President Paul Deschanel comes from a long-established Parisan line of Deschanels. This line has no recent connection to the Deschanels of Planzolles. (If any connection exists, it would have been many centuries earlier.)
So the rumor is completely untrue.
I am related to Zooie and Emily Deschanel.
My Grandmother Martha Orr Daily is there Grandmother’s sister.
My Aunt Ann who is there Grandmother is still living and just celebrated her 96 birthday. There Grandmother Ann Deschanel lived in Swarthmore, Pa
most of her life.