Birth Name: Peter Halsten Thorkelson
Place of Birth: Washington, D.C.
Date of Birth: February 13, 1942
Ethnicity:
*Norwegian (paternal grandfather)
*English, some German, Dutch, distant French, 1/128 Scottish, remote Belgian (Walloon) and Norwegian (paternal grandmother)
*Ashkenazi Jewish, Irish (mother)
Peter Tork is an American singer, musician, actor, and activist. He is the keyboardist and bass guitarist of the rock band The Monkees. Peter is the son of Virginia Hope (Straus) and Halsten John Thorkelson, an economics professor at the University of Connecticut.
Peter’s mother was of half Ashkenazi Jewish and half Irish ancestry. Peter’s father was of a little over half Norwegian descent, with the rest being English, German, Dutch, French, Scottish, and Belgian (Walloon).
Peter’s paternal grandfather was Halsten Joseph Berford Thorkelson (the son of Mathias Thorkelson and Marit Eggen). Mathias and Marit were Norwegian immigrants.
Peter’s paternal grandmother was Mary Schuyler Carver (the daughter of Horace Peck Carver and Elizabeth Manning Seymour). Horace was the son of James Herman Carver and Mary Elizabeth Sagendorf/Sagendorph, who was born in Binghamton, New York. Elizabeth was the daughter of John Belden Seymour and Elizabeth Thompson, who were born in Lisle, New York.
Peter’s maternal grandfather was Albert Joseph Straus (the son of Gustav/Gustave Carl Straus and Clementine Kupfer). Albert was from a German Jewish family. Gustav was the son of Michael Straus and Rosa/Roeschen Goetz. Clementine was the daughter of Simon Kupfer and Bincher/Pholoppine Straus.
Peter’s maternal grandmother was Catherine A. McGuire (the daughter of Thomas McGuire and Catherine O’Connor). Peter’s great-grandparents Thomas and Catherine were Irish immigrants.
Sources: Genealogy of Peter Tork – http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com
Genealogy of Peter’s paternal great-great-grandmother, Mary Elizabeth Sagendorf/Sagendorph – https://familysearch.org
Peter’s mother on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Marriage record of Peter’s maternal grandparents, Albert Joseph Straus and Catherine A. McGuire – https://familysearch.org
Marriage record of Peter’s maternal great-grandparents, Gustav/Gustave Carl Straus and Clementine Kupfer – https://familysearch.org
Peter’s maternal great-grandparents, Gustav/Gustave Carl Straus and Clementine Kupfer, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Photo by Prphotos.com