Question

actress Cicely Tyson has died @96

https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/cicely-tyson-dead-dies-1234895188/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicely_Tyson

I can find no wikitree profile for her under the surname Tyson.

Comments

I see no profile for her at all - someone should create one.

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Scott, is there not a Notables project/team that would handle this?

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There are probably 30 Notable deaths per day, so typically when one dies, someone will create the profile. However, the team does not create all the profiles of all the deaths, as we try to rely on quality not quantity - and so usually most of us are tied up in other projects and don't want to pick up another.

However for the sake of argument, I'll create a starter profile for her.

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An initial profile has been created and the original question updated with the link.

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Her mother may have been born in Nevis, British West Indies, going by a 1974 obituary.  Two siblings were named - a Samuel Huggins, and a Constantia Huggins.  That's presuming the obit is for Cicely's mother.  (Husband was correct, and Wikipedia does say her parents emigrated from Nevis.)

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First marriage to Franklin --

Cicely Tyson in the New York, New York, Index to Marriage Licenses, 1908-1910, 1938-1940
Name: Cicely Tyson
Gender: Female
Race: Colored (Black)
Age: 18
Birth Date: Dec 1924
Birth Place: New York City
Marriage Date: 27 Dec 1942
Marriage Place: New York, Manhattan, New York, New York, USA
Residence Street Address: 311 E. 102 St.
Residence Place: New York, Manhattan
Occupation: None
Father: Wm. Tyson
Mother : Fredricka Tyson
Spouse: Kenneth Franklin
Certificate Number: 26644
Current Marriage Number: 0
Witness 1: Emily Tyson
Witness 2: William Shepherd
Source Citation
New York City Department of Records & Information Services; New York City, New York; New York City Marriage Licenses
Original data: New York City Department of Records & Information Services. New York City Marriage Licenses.

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This one I cannot look up --

Fredericka TYSON Theodoshia in the U.S., Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current
Name: Fredericka TYSON Theodoshia
Gender: Female
Death Age: 80
Birth Date: abt 1894
Birth Place: Nevis, British West Indies
Residence Place: N.Y.C.
Death Date: 15 Nov 1974
Burial Date: 19 Nov
Obituary Date: 19 Nov 1974
Obituary Place: New York, New York, United States of America
Spouse: William Augustus Tyson
Child: Melrose Tyson   Emily Henry   Cicely Tyson
Siblings: Samuel Huggins   sipter Constantia Huggins
Source Citation
Daily News; Publication Date: 19 Nov 1974; Publication Place: New York, New York, United States of America; URL: https://www.newspapers.com/image/464431456/?article=4bb0f081-3229-46c2-b4b9-057a457c6cf3&focus=0.7910082,0.5383612,0.9714276,0.60978585&xid=3355
Source Information
Ancestry.com. U.S., Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2019.
Original data: See newspaper information provided with each entry.
 

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1 June 1925
Cicely Tyson in the New York, U.S., State Census, 1925
Name: Cicely Tyson
Gender: Female
Color or Race: Black
Birth Place: USA
Residence Date: 1925
House Number: 820
Residence Place: New York, Bronx
Relationship: Dau
Assembly District: 04
Line Number: 46
Page number: 16
Household Members Age Relationship
William Tyson 27 Head
Fredrick Tyson 27 Wife
Melrose Tyson 3 Son
Cicely Tyson  5/12 Dau
Aubyn Tyson 23 Brother
Source Citation
New York State Archives; Albany, New York; State Population Census Schedules, 1925; Election District: 04; Assembly District: 04; City: New York; County: Bronx; Page: 16
Original data: State population census schedules, 1925. Albany, New York: New York State Archives.
 

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Marriage to Davis --

Cicely Tyson in the U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999
Name: Cicely Tyson
Gender: Female
Marriage License Place: Angeles
Marriage Date: Aug 1981
Marriage Place: Greenfield , Mass.
Spouse: Miles Davis
Source Citation
Publication Date: 28/ Nov/ 1981; Publication Place: Saint Cloud, Minnesota, USA; URL: https://www.newspapers.com/image/225342369/?article=f685dd1b-b269-43a4-83bd-b1b164af4b09&focus=0.21295571,0.47726783,0.36551967,0.71260995&xid=3398

Source Information
Ancestry.com. U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2020.

Original data: See newspaper information provided with each entry.

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i am busy with something else right now but you can add these sources to her profile yourself. Thanks

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Find a Grave, database and images (accessed 28 January 2021), memorial page for Cicely L. Tyson (19 Dec 1924–28 Jan 2021), {{FindAGrave|214058060}}, ; Maintained by John P. Bell (contributor 46808380) Burial Details Unknown.

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i am busy with something else right now but you can add these sources to her profile yourself. Thanks

commented by N Gauthier

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I would have done so, but my "style" may not suit, which is why I've been posting them here. 

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well I am just letting you know that I don't mind collaborating on the profile together. When I have more time (in the next few days), I will go over her profile to join all the pieces that others might add, and fill out her bio more.

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Ok if I just stick 'em at the bottom under Sources, then?  (Normally I do inline, unless I'm pushed for time and plan to go back later.)

I have the divorce as well -- and an image (of the divorce decree) if I'm allowed to upload it.

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yes any way you prefer is fine. Thanks for your help!

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Ok, all transferred to profile.  Added the wikidata item, as well.

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I've added profiles for her parents.

Now we can work on getting her Connected.

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Of potential interest is -- when Fredericka emigrated, her mother was named as Eliza Huggins (presumably her married name). Fredericka was going TO her sister, Mrs Miriam Hanley, 58 Fleet Place, Brooklyn. 

On the same ship (which looks to be the same one William Tyson travelled on 2 years later (spelling difference could be different ship, or bad spelling)) was a Lilian Hendrickson, from Nevis, whose mother was given as Anna Huggins, of Gingerland, Nevis. Lilian was travelling TO her sister, one Sarah Huggins, of 58 Fleet Place, Brooklyn. 

As the two mothers are different, but the last name is the same, I cannot help but wonder if Lilian and Fredericka might not have been cousins. 

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Difference in Fredericka's mother's name -- Eliza on the immigration form, but Mary Sergeant on the marriage documents (according to family search, anyway .. ancestry library isn't giving me an image).

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This would be an awesome time to work on her husband Miles Davis' profile while you're working on hers.

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Davis-7197

Thanks everyone for your hard work on this!

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Father  - William Augustine Tyson

Mother - Fredericka Theodoshia (Huggins) Tyson

If I've missed anything, or got something incorrect, please let me know.  (I still struggle with American sourcing.)

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I've added a profile for Cicely's sister, Emily.  (I have yet to add a biography, but that's on the way.)

If we can't Connect Cicely through either husband, maybe we can do it through Emily's -- if there are connections there to find.  (Apparently they (Emily and husband) ran a furniture store in Mount Vernon (New York) for about 25 years.)

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I tried to see if we could connect them up through Cicely's brother-in-law but he was also born in Nevis where I can't access records. His 2010 NY obit named his parents and his 5 children.

Father: Austin Henry
Mother: Annie Maynard

 New York, New York, U.S., Marriage License Indexes, 1907-2018

View

Name:	Benjamin R Henry
Gender:	Male
Marriage License Date:	19 Aug 1950
Marriage License Place:	Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
Spouse:	Emily R Tyson
License Number:	22380

ancestry.com Source Citation

New York City Municipal Archives; New York, New York; Borough: Manhattan; Volume Number: 32

edited: add parents names

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He had a relationship (I think prior to his marriage to Emily) that resulted in seven (7) children.  I have not yet tried to go down that pathway.

I have noticed, as well, certain online trees have given William and Fredericka another child  -  "Willie".  I can find no proof whatsoever that such a child existed.

I have not compiled enough documentation on Melrose, yet (still a work in progress), so have not created a profile for him.

Someone has added a photograph to Find a Grave, and I've sent them a message asking what the copyright is on it (and if I could use it on a genealogical site).

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I don't know if this might help connectors, but I followed his mother's Maynard line in an unsourced ancestry.com tree and she had a grandson who died in England ...

https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/100592078/person/280003324645/facts

Clifford Antony Soldiew
b: 2 Jun 1946 Camps, St.James Windward, St.Kitts & Nevis
d: 11 Sep 2002 Birmingham, Warwickshire, England

The Soldiew son-in-law is listed as private. His wife (Maynard's daughter) was Ursula Ernestine Henry
b: 18 Oct 1920 Nevis
d: 12 Mar 2007 West Bromwich, West Midlands, England

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Possible!  Certainly worth following.

Re Benjamin Reginald's children -- according to the obituary (I've removed the names, so we can't be seen as discussing living people):

He was married to Emily (Tyson) Henry who predeceased him on December 21, 1999. They had three children, oneA, twoA and threeA . . .

He is survived by his children oneA, twoA, threeA, oneB, twoB, threeB, fourB, fiveB, sixB and sevenB
 

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quote: He had a relationship (I think prior to his marriage to Emily) that resulted in seven (7) children.

First relationship for Reginald Henry (1917–2010) might be Georgina Jones, b: c1915 Nevis; d: 1985 Nevis, West Indies. Her parents shown at ...

https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/68919982/person/34186389801/facts

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I can't read newspapers.com sources on the family tree below which seems to have an error confusing Cicely's father, William Augustine Tyson (1897-1961) of Nevis, with a different man, William Augustus Tyson of North Carolina (son of Hardy Tyson)

https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/171372070/person/102256507898/facts

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Seems Augustine and Augustus were used interchangeably for Cicely's father, which would not help with the conflation.  Same with the William A Tyson from Alabama who was a good deal older than "our" William A.

Same problem with the son, Melrose.  There's a Melrose B Tyson who should not be conflated with "our" Melrose, who seems to have a middle name "Emanuel", at least according to his 1942 draft card.

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Coming around to changing my thinking on Melrose B, as it appears Cicely's brother was known to the family as "Beau", and there are other indications they may be the same person.

I created a profile for Melrose, but because I could not provide a death date, it auto-set to black lock for living.   (Nearest I have found so far for his death is that a couple of unsourced online trees have 2003, but no place, and nothing else.)

IF Melrose B is the same Melrose as Melrose E (for Emanuel), aka Cicely's brother, then he married twice -- or at least applied for a license twice and married once.  First source I have is an application for a license, but I've not found a followup marriage.  Then the second is not a license application, but a marriage record. Unfortunately, no images for either - and no parents named, or anything else I could use to verify that they are the same, or not the same, person.  Needless to say, the two wives (or potential wife and wife) have different names.

Melrose was also quite the world traveller, as most of the sources for him are immigration. (He worked on ships.)

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Question -- if I were to set his death to the unsourced, unproven 2003, I  could open the profile so others can help source his profile.  BUT, if I do that, and it turns out he's one of the extremely long-lived (he'd be 99 this year), I would feel as though we were "killing him off" (or "wishing him dead") before his time.

So, should I set an unproven date and open the profile, or leave him black-locked as "living"?

edited to correct typo

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I am amazed (and should not be) at how many reputable news outlets says Cicely was married only once (Davis) -- and at how many online family trees have her with at least 5 siblings, sometimes more.

I have also seen where she was supposedly married to Billy Dee Williams for close to 10 years -- and that her marriage to Davis (1981-1988/9) was of 2 decades duration.  (Some folk need to relearn their basic arithmetic.)

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Even this one - The Sun (UK) - gets it wrong arithmetic-wise, as they seem to think that November 1981to 1988 = 9 years.  (They, at least, do not claim more than two husbands.)

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There is a claim "out there" that

Cicely Tyson and Dionne Warwick are cousins. Dionne Warwick is Whitney Houston's aunt. Therefore--Whitney Houston and Cicely Tyson are related

Maybe that is something we can look into.  (I have no idea how true the claim of a connection to Dionne might be.) 

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I have lost count of the number of places I have seen where (in addition to the  "Willie" I mentioned higher in this thread) Cicely's siblings are supposedly "Issac Tyson", and "Sandra Tyson" - with no proof whatsoever.  I think we may have to guard against such being added in the future.  (Cicely's own words were that she had TWO siblings, a brother, and a sister.  With the documents backing that up, with names and pedigrees, I think we're on solid ground with Emily and Melrose.)

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Melanie, if you only think someone isn't living, it would be best to keep the profile private until you have a source of the death--just in case. People are living much longer these days as Cicely proved :-)

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Would it help if I added Black Heritage as co-manager for Melrose?  (I have the email on Gene Rodgers.)

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@Mel I'm more than happy for USBH to be added to living people so we can edit as needed.

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Ok, added as co-manager.  Now anyone with access to that account can keep an eye on my sourcing! 

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Mainly just me :-)

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I've an image for that profile.  If you want it. 

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In 2003 at an Ellis Island event Cicely named her siblings as Melrose and Emily.

I find 2003 death for Melvin but no good source either.

But the draft card mentions mother Fredrika Tyson for Melrose Emanuel Tyson ...

U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947

View

Name:	Melrose Emanuel Tyson
Race:	Negro (Black)
Age:	20
Birth Date:	12 Mar 1922
Birth Place:	New York, New York
Registration Date:	30 Jun 1942
Registration Place:	New York City, New York, New York
Employer:	Terminal Stevedore Co
Weight:	160
Complexion:	Dark brown
Eye Color:	Brown
Hair Color:	Black
Height:	5 7
Next of Kin:	Fredricka Tyson
Household Members:	Name Relationship Melrose Emanuel Tyson

Source Information

Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

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I have that source, but not the image, on Melrose's profile.  If that's a sharing link, I can add it!  :)

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I forgot to mention that I chased down the claim of relation to Whitney Houston and found that was FALSE. They are mixing up similar sounding names of Cissy and Cicely who are two different and unrelated people.

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I don't know how to tell if an image is shareable. I didn't know the image would be included when I copied the source.

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I was doubting it, because there just did not seem any way it could be as all the Houston antecedents I checked were all US-born.  So we're back to looking at the Maynard line for a Connection, or perhaps via William A's sister's husband's family.

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The question then arises - can ancestry call copyright on a public domain document they may not even have photographed?  Recent discussions on g2g, including feedback from ancestry, says not.  I can't get that link to work, so I'll upload it direct.

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quote> IF Melrose B is the same Melrose as Melrose E (for Emanuel),

The draft card for Melrose Emanual (with mother's name of Fredrika) has the same birth date as Melrose B. in US Public Records v2 source.

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It was that source that had me start rethinking that the two might be one.  It's not impossible for two people to be born on the same day, and have a very similar name, but it was just too much to believe they were separate.

Melrose B married in 1977, in Florida.  If I could find a death for, or divorcement from, the Bernice J Kendrick (if they even actually got married after getting a license in 1949), I'd be even more inclined to think they were the same person.

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It seems to me that, even though he doesn't have a Wikipedia page, Cicely's cousin Edwin Schubert "Schubie" Swanston should be considered notable (and I need to post his name to the USBH thread).  Was looking to see if a Connection could be made through Annie Tyson Swanston.

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USBH doesn't use WikiPedia as our only benchmark for notables. Yes please post on the notables thread.

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All the search hits were for his music, or recordings, etc.  (I didn't check every single hit.)

He was married, so I need to check that relationship as well.

Answer 1

What an excellent actress. I enjoyed her roles she played in like "Roots"... :-((

https://www.legacy.com/news/celebrity-deaths/cicely-tyson-1924-2021-award-winning-star-of-sounder-the-help/

~Brian Kerr

Answer 2

Wow! I had no idea how old she was. She lived a long life. Thank you for getting this started, N.