Birth Name: Summer Joy Bottom
Place of Birth: Winter Park, Florida, U.S.
Date of Birth: December 10, 1978
Ethnicity:
*English, along with German, distant French Huguenot (father)
*Ashkenazi Jewish (mother)
Summer Phoenix is an American actress, model, and designer. She is the the sister of actors River Phoenix, Rain Phoenix, Joaquin Phoenix, and Liberty Phoenix. Summer is married to actor Casey Affleck, with whom she has two children.
Summer is the daughter of Arlyn Phoenix (born Arlyn Dunetz), a social activist, and John Phoenix (born Johnny Lee Bottom). Summer’s mother is Jewish; half of her family are Russian Jews and the other half are Hungarian Jews. Summer’s father is of mostly English descent, along with at least 1/128th German, from his ancestor, Johan Jacob Peter Kimberlin, and French Huguenot roots from another, distant, ancestor, Francis Posey, from Cambray, France.
Summer was raised in Florida and California. At one point, before her birth, Summer’s parents joined the religious group Children of God, which they later left.
Summer’s paternal grandfather was Robert Merrill Bottom (the son of William Dell Bottom and Cordelia Pearl Matherly). Robert was born in Kentucky, as weere all of his grandparents. William was the son of Fidellar/Phidellar Sharp Bottom and Rachel Ann Bolling/Bowling. Cordelia was the daughter of David Houston Matherly and Sarah Frances Purdom.
Summer’s paternal grandmother was Beulah Ernestine Ingram (the daughter of Robert Lee Ingram and Mary Elizabeth Leach or Leidy). Beulah was born in Missouri, and Beulah’s grandparents were born in Tennessee (two), Illinois, and Iowa. Mary Elizabeth was the daughter of William John Leidy and Sarah Clarissa Dyer.
Summer’s maternal grandfather was Meyer Dunetz (the son of Samuel Dunetz and Libbe Grodenzik). Meyer was born in New York. Samuel and Libbe were Russian Jewish immigrants. Samuel was the son of Moses/Moshe Idel Dunetz and Shifra. Libbe was the daughter of Simon Gordon and Menucha.
Summer’s maternal grandmother was Margaret Lefkowitz (the daughter of Ignatz Lefkowitz and Mary Beck). Margaret was born in New York, the daughter of Hungarian Jewish immigrants. Ignatz was the son of Herman Lefkowitz and Rose Greenwald. Mary was the daughter of Ignatz Beck and Maly Frankel.
Sources: Genealogies of Summer Phoenix – http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com
http://www.geni.com
Genealogy of Summer’s paternal grandfather, Robert Merrill Bottom – http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com
Summer’s uncle (father’s brother), Phillip Bottom, on the 1940 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Summer’s paternal grandmother, Beulah Ernestine Ingram, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Summer’s great-uncle (maternal grandfather’s brother), Bernard Dunetz, on the 1940 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Summer’s maternal grandmother, Margaret Lefkowitz, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Photo: kathclick/bigstock.com