The DeMille family traces its roots back to Flanders in the year 1280. There a certain Gillis DeMil was born. Members of the family eventually immigrated to America and settled in New York. By the time of the birth of Henry Churchill DeMille (1853-1893), the family had moved to North Carolina. Henry became a playwright and in 1876 he married Matilda Beatrice Samuel (1853-1923) in Brooklyn to which he had moved to in the early 1870s. They were the parents of three children, William C., Cecil B. and Agnes B. DeMille. Two of their children, William and Cecil, became famous in the entertainment industry, while Agnes, daughter of William, also became world famous as a dancer.
