Leto in 2006, photo by Prphotos.com
Place of Birth: Bossier City, Louisiana, U.S.
Date of Birth: March 9, 1970
Ethnicity: English, Cajun/French, smaller amounts of Irish, German, Scottish, at least 1/512 Spanish, remote Dutch and Mi’kmaq First Nations
Shannon Leto is an American musician and songwriter. He is the drummer of rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars, for which his brother, actor Jared Leto, is a vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter. He is noted for his energetic drumming style. He was also a member of rock supergroup and side project The Wondergirls, with Ian Astbury, Jay Gordon, Mark McGrath, Ryan Shuck, and Scott Weiland.
Shannon is the son of Constance (Metrejon) and Tony L. Bryant. Leto was the surname of Shannon’s stepfather/adoptive father, Carl Leto. The surname is Italian. Pictures of Shannon’s mother can be seen here (at the far left) and here.
Shannon’s father, who was from Kentucky, had British Isles/English ancestry. Shannon’s mother, who is from Louisiana, has Cajun [French], smaller amounts of English, Irish, German, and Scottish, at least 1/256th Spanish, and remote Dutch and Mi’kmaq First Nations, ancestry. Some of Shannon’s ancestors were born in Acadia, now Canada, and Barbados.
At a concert, Shannon’s brother Jared waved the Spanish flag and stated that his maternal grandfather was of part Spanish descent. One of Shannon’s maternal seven times great-grandfathers, Manuel Quintero, was Spanish, and was born, c. 1745, on Sainte Croix, Canary Islands, Spain. This makes Shannon of 1/512th Spanish descent. It is not clear if he has any other Spanish ancestry, as some Cajuns do.
Shannon’s mother’s Metrejon line can be traced to Joseph Marie Maitrejean, who was born, c. 1778, in Belle-Île-en-Mer, France, an island off the coast of Brittany.
Shannon’s maternal grandfather was Edmond William “Willie” Lee Metrejon (the son of Charles J. Metrejean and Ethel Ryder). Edmond was born in Louisiana. The Metrejon/Metrejean surname had originally been spelled Maitrejean. Charles and Ethel were born in Louisiana. Charles was the son of Joseph-Frédéric Metrejean and Victoire-Octana Savoy. Ethel was the daughter of William/Willie Ryder and Marie Berthilde “Bertha” Wyble.
Shannon’s maternal grandmother was Ruby Mae Russell (the daughter of Joseph Lee Russell and Helen Hessie Hoffpauir/Houfpauir/Huffpain). Ruby was born in Louisiana. Joseph was born in Florida, to a father from Alabama, Pat H. Russell, and a mother from Georgia, Ella. Helen was born in Louisiana, to Henry Marshall Hoffpauir (the son of Thomas J. Hoffpauir and Anne Dailey/Daily) and Katherine Euranie/Urina Foreman.
Sources: Genealogies of Shannon Leto (through Shannon’s brother, Jared) (focusing on his mother’s side) – http://www.geni.com
http://www.wikitree.com
Shannon’s maternal great-grandfather, Charles J. Metrejean, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Shannon’s maternal grandmother, Ruby Mae Russell, on the 1940 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Shannon’s maternal great-grandparents, Joseph Lee Russell and Helen Hessie Hoffpauir/Houfpauir/Huffpain, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Shannon’s maternal great-grandmother, Helen Hessie Hoffpauir/Houfpauir/Huffpain, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Shannon’s maternal great-great-grandfather, Henry Marshall Hoffpauir, on the 1880 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
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