Profile Text
Birth Name: Anne Swain
Date of Birth: February 6, 1926
Place of Birth: Port Washington, New York, U.S.
Date of Death: April 5, 2009
Place of Death: Blairstown, New Jersey, U.S.
Ethnicity: * father – English, German * mother – Scots-Irish/Northern Irish, English, Scottish, remote Welsh
Nancy Overton was an American pop singer and songwriter. She was a member of The Chordettes, a female pop music quartet founded in 1946 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and known for their songs “Mr. Sandman” and “Lollipop.” Other members of the group were, at various points, Carol Buschmann , Janet Ertel , Lynn Evans Mand , Margie Needham, Jinny Osborn , Dorothy Schwartz , and Alice Mae Spielvogel.
Nancy was the daughter of Edith F. and Philip William Swain. Her sister, Jean Swain, was also a well-known singer. Nancy was married to composer, jazz pianist, and music teacher Hall Overton, until his death. The couple had two children, including actor, screenwriter, and comedian Rick Overton.
Nancy’s paternal grandfather was Richard L. Swain, Jr. (the son of Richard L. Swain and Sarah Elizabeth Carr). Nancy’s grandfather Richard was born in Jefferson, Iowa, the son of English parents. Nancy’s great-grandfather Richard was from Long Clawson, Leicestershire, the son of Richard Swain and Mary. Sarah was the daughter of John Carr and Amelia Goodacre, who were from Great Dalby, Leicestershire.
Nancy’s paternal grandmother was Anna E. Shuey (the daughter of Col. William Henry Shuey and Catharine Y./Virginia Baker). Anna was born in Shueyville, Iowa, and was of at least mostly German descent. William was born in Swoope, Virginia, the son of Jacob A. Shuey, whose paternal grandparents were German; and of Elizabeth Lowman, whose paternal grandmother was an ethnic German from Bischwiller, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France, and whose maternal grandfather was from Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany. Nancy’s great-grandmother Catharine was born in Boonsboro, Maryland, the daughter of Frederick A. Baker, whose father was from Reinheim, Darmstadt-Dieburg, Hessen, Germany; and of Catherine Glover Deaner, whose father was German, with roots in Prussia, and whose maternal grandparents were from Rotterdam, Netherlands and Copenhagen, Denmark, resepctively. Both appeared to have been of German descent.
Nancy’s maternal grandfather was William Alexander Adair, Jr. (the son of William Alexander Adair and Mary Irwin). Nancy’s grandfather William was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Nancy’s great-grandfather William was born in Big Springs, Ohio, the son of James Adair, Jr., whose parents were from County Down, Ireland; and Mary “Polly” McCord, whose father was from Belfast, Ireland. Nancy’s great-grandmother Mary was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, the daughter of John Irwin III and Hannah Taylor, who were the children of Irish-born parents, with John’s roots in County Tyrone and Hannah’s roots in County Armagh and County Antrim, respectively.
Nancy’s maternal grandmother was Helen Fanning Mackintosh (the daughter of Angus James Lenox Cummings Bruce Mackintosh and Catharine Antoinette Boyd). Helen was born in Brooklyn, New York. Angus was born in England. Catharine was born in New York, New York, the daughter of Robert Rushton Boyd, who was born in New York, and of Anne Eliza Fanning, who was born in South Carolina.
Source: Genealogy of Nancy Overton – https://www.familysearch.org