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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 [African, French/Acadian/French-Canadian], as well as distant Irish, Breton, and Belgian Walloon, remote Penobscot First Nations
Tina Knowles is an American businessperson, fashion designer, author, 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. Her granddaughter is singer and dancer Blue Ivy Carter . She spearheaded ready-to-wear fashion line House of Deréon, with Beyoncé; and the brand Miss Tina. She has also been known as Tina Lawson and Tina Knowles-Lawson.
Tina is the daughter of Agnès/Agnèz (DeRouen/Deréon) and Lumis/Lumas Albert Beyincé/Buyincé, who were from Louisiana. A picture of Tina’s parents can be seen here . Her father was born in Delcambre, Vermilion, and was a longshoreman. Her mother was a prominent seamstress.
Tina is the youngest of seven children. Her parents were French-speaking 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, who led French-speaking Catholics from Nova Scotia, Canada to Louisiana in 1765. He was among the first 200 Acadians to arrive in Louisiana that year. 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. Through Marie Mathilde, Tina is of 1/512th Indigenous descent. She also has Irish, Breton, and Belgian Flemish roots, the latter including her ancestor Albert de Cuir, from Hainaut Province, Wallonia. Her family roots are from Boutte, Louisiana. Through her Broussard line, she is a second cousin, once removed, of gospel singer and graphic artist Karen Showell.
Tina was raised Catholic. She 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 2024. 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 niece is songwriter, actress, and music executive Angela Beyincé.
Tina’s paternal grandfather was Alexon/Alexandre Beyincé/Buyincé/Boyance (the son of Jean Boyancé II and Angéline Élisabeth Green). Alexon was born in Louisiana. Jean was born in Noaillac, Gironde, Aquitaine, France. Angéline was a slave.
Tina’s paternal grandmother was Mary/Marie Olevia/Olivier (the daughter of Raphaël Joseph Olivier and Agathe Solange Préférée). Mary was born in Louisiana. Raphael was the son of Joseph Olivier and Marie Louise Boutte. Agathe was the daughter of Martin Preferé and Marie-Josephe Vincent.
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 Petite-Anse, Louisiana. A picture of Eugène-Gustave can be seen here . Eloi was the son of Jacques Derouen and Marie Charlotte Leleu.
Tina’s maternal grandmother was Odelia/Odilia Broussard (the daughter of Éloi/Éloy-René Rosemond Broussard and Célestine Joséphine “Tine” Lessee/Lesse/Lesser/Lacy/Lacey/Lessassier). Odelia was born in Petite-Anse, Louisiana, to parents who were also born in the state. 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. Tina’s great-grandfather Éloi was the son of Rosémond Broussard and Adéline/Adelania-Joséphine “Adèle” Broussard. Tina’s great-grandmother Célestine was the daughter of Joseph Lacey/Lessee, a white merchant, and Rosalie Jean-Louis, a slave.
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
Genealogy of Tina Knowles – http://www.geni.com
Birth record of Tina Knowles – https://www.familysearch.org
Genealogy of Tina Knowles (through her daughter Beyoncé) – https://famouskin.com
Family histories of Tina Knowles – https://www.hollywoodancestry.com https://www.dailymail.co.uk https://jack.canalplus.com https://www.mylhcv.com
Family history of Tina Knowles (through her daughter Beyoncé), by Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak – http://www.huffingtonpost.com
Birth record of Tina’s paternal grandmother, Mary/Marie Olevia/Olivier – https://www.familysearch.org
Marriage record of Tina’s paternal great-grandparents,Raphaël Joseph Olivier and Agathe Solange Préférée – https://www.familysearch.org
Tina’s mother on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Article about Tina’s maternal great-great-great-great-great-grandfather, Joseph Broussard – http://www.biographi.ca