Birth Name: Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr.
Date of Birth: November 4, 1916
Place of Birth: Saint Joseph, Missouri, U.S.
Date of Death: July 17, 2009
Place of Death: New York City, New York, U.S.
Ethnicity: German, 1/8 Scottish, English, distant Frisian and Dutch
Walter Cronkite was an American journalist, news anchor, and television and radio broadcaster. He was born in Saint Joseph, Missouri, the son of Helen Lena/Lina (Fritsche) and Walter Leland Cronkite.
His father has Scottish, German, English, and distant Frisian and Dutch ancestry. His mother was of German descent.
Walter’s surname “Cronkite”, can be traced back to Herx Siboutzen Krankheijdt, from Frisia, who married, c. 1642, Wijntje Theunis, from Naarden, in the New Amsterdam Colony (now a part of Manhattan, New York City).
Walter’s paternal grandfather was Frederick Cronkite (the son of Spencer Cronkite and Ruth Ann Pierce). Spencer was the son of Tunis Cronkite and Caroline Curtis.
Walter’s paternal grandmother was Anna Louise Prussia (the daughter of Jessie Benham Prussia and Anna Boyd). Jessie was the son of William Kephart Prusia, whose father, Christian Prusia, was German, and of Salome Benham. Anna was originally from Scotland.
Walter’s maternal grandfather was Edward C. Fritsche/Fritschie (the son of Edward Charles Fritschie and Magdalena “Lina” Gerold). Walter’s great-grandparents Edward and Magdalena were from Altenburg, Thuringia, Germany.
Walter’s maternal grandmother was Mathilda Renz (the daughter of August Renz and Helen Greiss/Graeif). August was from Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Helen was from Prussia.
Sources: Genealogy of Walter Cronkite – https://www.geni.com
http://www.genealogywise.com
http://thenaf.org
Obituary of Walter’s maternal grandmother, Mathilda (Renz) Fritsche – https://www.findagrave.com
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