Fiona Apple
photo by PrPhotos.com
Birth Name: Fiona Apple McAfee-Maggart
Place of Birth: New York City, New York, U.S.
Date of Birth: September 13, 1977
Ethnicity: English, Irish, Swiss-German, German, Scottish
Fiona Apple is an American singer, songwriter, pianist, record producer, and poet.
She is the daughter of actor Brandon Maggart (born Roscoe Maggart, Jr.) and singer Diane McAfee. Fiona has stated that she has Melungeon ancestry, through her father’s research. The Melungeon are an ethnic group often consisting of European, African-American, and Native American ancestry. It is not clear if any documented/verified Melungeon, African-American, or Native American ancestry has been produced for Fiona Apple.
Fiona’s paternal grandfather was Roscoe Maggard/Maggart (the son of Elbert Jason Allen Maggard/Maggart and Louisiana/Louisianna Anna White). Roscoe was born in Tennessee. Elbert was the son of John Maggard/Maggart and Malinda/Melinda Hewitt. Louisiana was the daughter of Hiram Harris White and Carolina/Caroline Sadler/Saddler.
Fiona’s paternal grandmother was Agnes Louvenia Robinson (the daughter of John David Robinson and Maude May Apple). Agnes was born in Tennessee. John was the son of William M. Robinson and Louisa Francis Smith. Maude was the daughter of James Alexander Apple and Mary Susan/M. Farmer.
Fiona’s maternal grandfather was John Morgan “Johnny” McAfee (the son of John Perry McAfee and Ora Bell/Belle Crosser). Fiona’s grandfather John was born in Texas. Fiona’s great-grandfather John was the son of Marshal Dickerson McAfee and Hattie Elliott. Ora was the daughter of George Wesley Crosser and Laurella/Laura Crook.
Fiona’s maternal grandmother was Millicent Ann Greene/Green (the daughter of John William Green and Mildred A./H. Morganthaler). Mildred’s parents were Swiss, with Swiss-German ancestry.
Sources: Genealogy of Fiona Apple – https://www.geni.com
Fiona’s paternal grandparents, Roscoe Maggard/Maggart and Agnes Louvenia Robinson, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Death record of Fiona’s paternal great-grandmother, Louisiana/Louisianna Anna (White) Maggart – https://www.findagrave.com
Fiona’s paternal great-great-grandparents, Hiram Harris White and Carolina/Caroline Sadler/Saddler, on the 1880 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Fiona’s maternal great-grandmother, Ora Bell/Belle Crosser, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Not to beat a dead horse, but add further information to narrow down the possibility that Fioana Apple is Melungeon due to a recent increase in people reporting her as “half Melungeon”.
Due to the hostile racial environment of the Appalachias, many Melungeon families were classified as white despite having mixed ancestry. One of the only ways to actually determine in modern times if someone is of Melungeon descent is through surname and records of migration, and DNA testing.
With Fiona Apple specifically, the only possible Melungeon surname in her genealogy is Maggart. However, this alone doesn’t mean much because Maggart is only a common Melungeon last name in Kentucky through specific families.
So, unless her ancestors migrated from Kentucky to Tennessee, it’s very unlikely that Fioana Apple actually has Melungeon ancestry, as none of the other surnames on her paternal side are associated with Melungeon ancestry except the Maggart line.
Could we possibly include her full statement in the interview as well? She essentially says the only reason she believes that she is Melungeon is that her father “Did some genealogy thing”, no DNA test was administered.
Something to note is that many Melungeon surnames are also just common white American surnames, so it’s likely that her father mistook one of his surnames for a Melungeon connection due to the vast amount of false information regarding Melungeon ancestry out there, and their Appalachian heritage; they probably just drew a false conclusion due to these factors. Furthermore, Melungeon in and of itself is such a dicey racial classification as it’s really just African, Native, and European, not its own distinct racial group.
One last note, Melungeon surnames are also only really validated when found in connection to other Melungeon surnames in the same line (showing intermarriage in the community), not just standalone.
“The Maggard family, particularly in Eastern Kentucky (Floyd and surrounding counties), is frequently associated with families of Melungeon descent through intermarriage with surnames like Mullins and Short. They are often found in Appalachian records alongside families such as Adams, Collins, and Goins” (Google AI overview summary)
Very informative upvote
>Marshal Dickerson McAfee and Hattie Elliott.