Spider-Man's Backstory and History (MCU)

This page is dedicated to the early life of Peter Parker, his cultural background, and how he became Spider-Man.

Birth and early life
Peter Benjamin Parker was born on August 10, 2001 in Forest Hills, Queens, New York, the son of S.H.I.E.L.D agents Mary (née Fitzpatrick) and Richard Parker. When Peter was about five years old, without explanation, his parents told him that he would need to pack his bags and he would be living with his Aunt May and Uncle Ben for a period of time. Richard and Mary did not really tell him the reason why he needed to live with his aunt and uncle as they did not want to scare him. Richard had a hunch that one of their S.H.I.E.L.D co-workers was responsible for a number of deaths in the locations of their work, and Richard was finally proven right when he got a recording of the guy. Richard and Mary than got on a plane to Afghanistan for a mission, but the criminal knew that Mary and Richard knew too much and had them killed. Their deaths were later covered up as a plane crash. Prior to their deaths however, Richard and Mary had another child unknown to Peter, a daughter and Peter's younger sister, Teresa.

Peter was raised by his aunt and uncle, seeing them as his surrogate parents. Peter got his love for pop culture and preference to old-school music from his uncle. Peter also idolized the Avengers, with Iron Man being his favorite of them. As Peter reached his high school years, he grew to be a prodigy in multiple scholastic subjects at Midtown High School, and received top honors. Despite this however, Peter struggled communicating with others and was often ignored and ostracized from his peers. He was also a target of consistent verbal bullying, though it rarely got physical. He was also trolled on his social media accounts from his classmates, the worst offender being that of popular student Eugene "Flash" Thompson.

In fall of 2015, when Peter was fourteen years old, he and his class were taken on a field trip to General Techtronics Laboratories East. There, scientists showed the students many different exhibits, but Peter was must intrigued by the genetically modified "super" spiders the scientist created. They explained that they created the spiders with synthesized RNA from six species of spiders including the jumping spider, Darwin's bark spider, giant house spider, diving bell spider, Brazilian wandering spider, and ogre-faced spider. To give the spiders an "extra kick" the scientist also spliced in gamma radiation and neutron radiation, the kind of radiation one would find in an atomic bomb. Now these spiders have superior strength, speed, endurance, web-building, senses, and jumping abilities, and since there is also radiation in their bodies they can survive an atomic bomb. The diving bell spider RNA also gives these spiders more aquatic abilities and can hold their breath for extended periods of time, as well as the Brazilian wandering spider RNA making these spiders very venomous and make them immune or highly resistant to any kind of poison or venom. The combined RNA of all these spiders as well as the radiation also makes the super spiders have a radar-like perception of their surroundings, as their brains generates electromagnetic waves which travel outward, bounce off objects, and are again picked up by the brain, which thus determines what its surroundings are. There were exactly fifteen of them, but one of the students were quick to point out that one was missing. As the students moved on to another area, the scientist demonstrated another thing they wanted to show the students. Unknown to everyone, one of the super spiders was above head and was irradiated by the demonstration's particle accelerator. The particle accelerator developed electromagnetic radiation. The spider bit Peter on his hand and oblivious to him, after it fell off his hand it used its last pulses of life to bite his classmate Cindy Moon on the ankle, before dying as it had sustained too much radiation in its system.

Peter felt unwell for the rest of the trip to the point where he actually passed out and his aunt and uncle were called. When Peter awoke he was in his bedroom, as he had been asleep for sixteen hours. Peter actually felt much better now and noting that it was 6:45 AM he thought it was a good idea to start getting ready for school. When he put his glasses on however, the vision was now blurry and can see perfectly clear without them. He thought it was odd but did not think too much about it. As he went to the bathroom to brush his teeth, he found that he had developed newfound strength, effortlessly ripping the door knob, squeezing all the toothpaste out of tube that some actually ended up the celling, and breaking other small items. When Peter was at school, things were relatively normal, though strange things would happen from time to time. During P.E. class, when Peter was looking Flash through a football at him, and without looking, Parker caught the ball and through it right at Flash's face, with so much force that he actually knocked him out. Flash's friends saw this and charged at Parker, but he lost them really quickly. As Peter ran out the building, he did not notice that there was a car heading straight to him. Peter jumped out of the way and was shocked to find out the he was actually sticking to the wall and was able to find it. As he made it to the top of the building he was climbing. Peter put two-and-two together that these abilities must be tied to the spider bite that occurred the day prior, and decided to test them out, now fulling realizing that he could do whatever a spider can.

A couple days later, Parker encountered an ad offering a cash prize for lasting three minutes in the ring with Joseph "Crusher" Hogan, Peter decided this would be a good way to test his powers. Wanting to remain anonymous so he can avoid ridicule if he loses, Peter made a wrestling suit and named himself "The Spider". Using his knowledge from WWE and his new powers, Parker defeated Hogan with ease. Like promised, the wrestling gave Parker the money they advertised. Peter actually wanted to use the money to help his Aunt May and Uncle Ben move out of their house, as they had their eyes on an apartment but were short on money.

TV producer Maxwell Shiffman observed his performance and convinced him to go on television with his 'act'. Desperate for money and actually enjoying the thrill of wrestling, Parker agreed. After a visit to the Goodwill store and using items from his room, Parker designed and made a cheap costume and fabricated synthetic webbing and wrist-mounted web-shooters, using chemicals from his school and dumpster-diving to create the web-shooters, Peter debuted as Spider-Man, becoming an instant sensation.

Over the coming days as Peter's popularity as Spider-Man grew and he was actually coming close to the amount of money in his goal, a mugger robbed the TV station which Peter allowed to run past him without using his abilities to stop the mugger deciding that it was not his problem and that he should let the police do their job. A couple days later, Peter had finally achieved his goal, and went home excitedly to tell his aunt and uncle the good news, but was shocked to see a cop car parked in front of his home. When he went inside a police officer informed him that his Uncle Ben had been murdered, as he surprised the burglar and took the bullet for May. Learning the police had the burglar responsible holed up in a warehouse, Peter changed into Spider-Man and easily captured him, only to discover he was the same thief he had allowed to escape earlier. Peter beat up the burglar named Dennis Carradine and was about to finish him off but he could not bring himself to do it, and instead webbed up Carradine for the police.

The heartbroken and remorse-filled Parker blamed himself for his uncle's death, and vowed that he will carry on and use his powers for good. Parker made good on his promise and operated as Spider-Man independently for six months until he was contacted by Tony Stark, who revealed that he knew that he was Spider-Man and recruited him to join his conflict with Avengers members acting in violation of the Sokovia Accords, led by Steve Rogers.

Richard Parker's biography
Richard Parker was born September 7, 1967 in Lakewood, Jefferson County, Colorado, the son of Allen Christopher Parker (1932-2008) and Geraldine Vanessa "Jerry" Gonzalez (1936-2022). His father was a native of Wichita, Kansas, while his mother was from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father was of Old Stock American heritage, while his mother was born to a Puerto Rican father and a Ashkenazi Jewish mother whose families came from Ukraine, Hungary, and Romania. Richard married Mary Fitzpatrick in 1999 in Denver, and when Mary got pregnant they moved to New York City, where Richard's brother Ben moved many years ago for college. Richard and Mary met while they became agents of SHIELD. Richard and Mary were killed in Afghanistan on August 27, 2006. Their daughter Teresa was born about a month prior.

Richard's paternal grandfather was Herbert Frankford Parker (the son of Andrew Bartholomew Parker and Charlotte Grace "Lottie" Thorsen). Herbert was born in Illinois. Andrew was the son of George William Parker and Theresa Ann Holland. Charlotte was the daughter of Julius Michael Thorsen and Henrietta Amelia Eriksen, who were Norwegian emigrants.

Richard's paternal grandmother was Selina Rosemary Enoch (the daughter of Theodore Joseph Enoch and Helen Marie Heiderscheidt). Selina was born in Kansas. Theodore was born in Iowa, the son of Adam Koch, of Koerich, Canton de Capellen, and of Katherine Osterberg, of Erpeldange, Canton de Diekirch. Helen was born in Iowa, the daughter of Michael Heiderscheidt and Anna Bergman.

Richard's maternal grandfather was Pedro Alejandro González (the son of Isidro Benejan Gonzalez y Betancourt and Francisca Sebastiana Garcia). Pedro was born on February 5, 1910 in Isabela, Puerto Rico, and passed away on October 16, 1997 in El Barrio, Upper Manhattan, New York City. Pedro was the eleventh of fifteen children. Isidro was born in Moca, Puerto Rico, the son of Miguel González y Domínguez and Mercedes Aquino Betancourt y Rodriguez. Francisca was the biological daughter of Bernardo Hugo Garcia y Gomez and Monica del Madrigal Font, and was adopted by Manuel Pedrosa Martinez and Jocelyn Reyes Flores.

Richard's maternal grandmother was Rebecca Joyce "Betty" Kane (the daughter of Maurice Moshe "Morris" Kane and Elizabeth Frances "Fannie" Berger). Rebecca was born on March 23, 1911 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and passed away on May 16, 2002 in Tucson, Arizona. There was a eighteen year age difference between Rebecca's parents, as Maurice was born in 1873 and Elizabeth was born in 1891. Rebecca was the third of fourteen children and the sixteenth of her father, as he had thirteen kids from his previous marriage. Maurice was the son of Ukrainian Jewish emigrants, Louis Cohen and Yetta Lowenthal. Elizabeth was the daughter of Abraham Berger, who was a Hungarian Jewish emigrant, and of Isla Rachel Savage, who was born in Deptford, London, England, the daughter of Romanian Jewish parents.

Mary Fitzpatrick's biography
Mary Fitzpatrick was born on September 14, 1967 in Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. She was the middle child of three children born to Margaret Joan (née Black), an insurance broker, and William James "Wild Will" Fitzpatrick, an archaeologist. At the time of Mary's birth her father got a big break in his archaeologist career, and was offered a job in Colombia to promote agricultural development. When Mary was eight years old, her family finally left Colombia and moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Mary spoke fluent Spanish and it took time to fully learn English. Mary attended Albuquerque High School and earned her diploma in 1985. She then enrolled at University of Southern California, and graduated with a double-major degree in human biology and architectural and building sciences. She then met Richard Parker at S.H.I.E.L.D. and married him in 1999, and having a son in 2001. They later had another child named Teresa in 2006 about a month prior to her and Richard's demise.

Mary's paternal grandfather was Clarence Baylor "Clancy" Fitzpatrick (the son of Michael Joseph Fitzpatrick and Lillian May Marshall). Clarence was born in Missouri. He was born on December 18, 1922 the sixth of eight children. His family was relatively poor and could not afford a college education unless another family member paid for it. Clarence served in World War II and was killed in action in Italy on September 13, 1944. His older brother William Maurice Fitzpatrick (1920-1944), was killed in action two months prior in France during the Normandy invasion. Michael was born in Illinois, to Canadian parents, Charles Benjamin Fitzpatrick, of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, and of Hannah Cockcroft, of Cornwall, Queens County, Prince Edward Island. Lillian was born in Arkansas, the daughter of Joseph Henry Marshall and Clara Frances Millsaps.

Mary's paternal grandmother was Josephine Violet Fontaine (the daughter of Norbert Peter Fontaine and Florence Eleanor Powers). Josephine was born in Illinois. Norbert was born in Massachusetts, to parents from Canada, Solomon James Fontaine, of Laval, Québec, and of Mary Lee Campbell, of Bathurst, Gloucester County, New Brunswick. Florence was born in Ohio, the daughter of John Moses Powers and Isabella Whelpley.

Mary's maternal grandfather was Marvin Jackson "Vinny" Black (the son of Wesley Arthur Black and Catherine "Kate" Velchek). Marvin was born in Colorado. Wesley was born in Kansas, the son of Romeo Ernest Black and Virginia Marie Frost. Catherine was born in Wisconsin, the daughter of Austrian emigrants, Martin Velchek, of Theresienfeld, Bezirk Wiener Neustadt-Land, Lower Austria, and of Louisa Balaschak, of Johnstown, Cambria County, Pennsylvania, whose parents were Rusyn Byzantine Catholic emigrants from Slovakia and Poland

Mary's maternal grandmother was Pearl Caroline Sorensen (the daughter of Edward Vincent "Ned" Sorensen and Cordelia Eleanor Blight). Pearl was born in Utah. Edward was born in Colorado, the son of Frederick Pedersen "Fred" Sorensen, who was a Danish emigrant from Præstø, Vordingborg, Sjælland, Denmark, and of Regina Weissman, who was of half German ancestry, one-quarter Irish descent, and her other quarter being a mix of English, Scottish, Scots-Irish, Welsh, and French Huguenot. Cordelia was born in Utah, the daughter of Phineas Parker Blight and Hannah Jane Benjamin.

The story of Peter's ancestors
Herbert Frankford Parker, Peter's great-grandfather was born on August 13, 1907 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. Herbert passed away on January 15, 1987 in Kansas City, Kansas. Herbert had two brothers, Richard "Dick" Parker (1909-1979) and Sebastian Parker (1913-2001). His parents were Andrew Bartholomew Parker and Charlotte Grace "Lottie" Thorsen. Andrew Parker, Peter's great-great-grandfather was born June 10, 1877 in New Palestine, Randolph County, Illinois, the son of George William Parker and Theresa Ann Holland, both natives of Kentucky. Charlotte Thorsen, Peter's great-great-grandmother, was of Norwegian parentage, the daughter of Julius Michael Thorsen (1837-1897), of Åndalsnes, Rauma, Møre og Romsdal, and of Henrietta Amelia Eriksen (1840-1926), of Trondheim, Trøndelag. Charlotte was born on January 1, 1887 in the Hegewisch neighborhood in Chicago. Charlotte was the youngest of fourteen children. Her siblings included Celia Barbara Thorsen (1857-1933), Florence Hannah Thorsen (1858-1911), Thor Thorsen (1860-1948), Loki Thorsen (1861-1950), Olaf Thorsen (1863-1899), Joseph Michael Thorsen (1867-1962), Peter Marcus Thorsen (1869-1939), Daniel Alfred Thorsen (1870-1944), Christian Douglas Thorsen (1873-1952), Thomas Theodore Thorsen (1874-1970), Francis Thorsen (1878-1974), Kenneth Espen Thorsen (1879-1975), and Mary Frances Thorsen (1881-1957). Charlotte passed away on November 23, 1982 in Kansas City, Kansas.

Selina Rosemary Enoch was Peter's great-grandmother. She was born on August 8, 1913 in Garden City, Finney County, Kansas. She was of German, Austrian, and Luxembourgian descent. She was the daughter of Theodore Joseph Enoch and Helen Marie Heiderscheidt. Selina passed away on December 30, 2007 in Houston, Texas. Theodore Joseph Enoch was born on September 29, 1890 in Fredonia Township, Plymouth County, Iowa, the son of Adam Koch (1868-1911), of Koerich, Canton de Capellen, and of Katherine Osterberg (1870-1944), of Erpeldange, Canton de Diekirch. Helen Marie Heiderscheidt was born on January 10, 1893 in Steamboat Rock, Hardin County, Iowa, the daughter of Michael Heiderscheidt (1863-1915) and Anna Bergman (1867-1935). Michael was born in Luxemburg, Dubuque County, Iowa on July 3, 1863 the son of Conrad Heiderscheidt and Veronica Hoffman, both of Pratz, Luxembourg. Anna was born on January 2, 1867 in Lime Creek, Belfast Township, Murray County, Minnesota, the daughter of American Civil War veteran Jacob Bergman (1834-1918), of Laupheim, Biberach, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, and of Ursula Woelfl, of Treffen, Villach-Land, Carinthia.

Pedro Alejandro González was Peter's Puerto Rican great-grandfather. He was born on February 5, 1910 in Isabela, Puerto Rico, and passed away on October 16, 1997 in El Barrio, Upper Manhattan, New York City. Through his Puerto Rican ancestry, Pedro had Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, German, African, Taíno, and Sephardic Jewish blood. He was the son of Isidro Benejan Gonzalez y Betancourt (1870-1958) and Francisca Sebastiana Garcia (1877-1970). He was number eleven of fifteen children, his siblings included Ana Maria Gonzalez (1895-1963), Catarina Gonzalez (1897-1995), Marcos Miguel Gonzalez (1899-1956), Michaela Gonzalez (1900-1989), Isidro Garcia Gonzalez (1901-1991), Juan José Gonzalez (1903-1980), Alvino Sebastiano Gonzalez (1904-1944), Santiago Gonzalez (1905-2000), Ignacio Manuel Gonzalez (1907-1960), Francisca Olaya Gonzalez (1909-1979), Maria Gertrudis Gonzalez (1912-1990), Eduardo Carlos Gonzalez (1913-2003), Monica Gonzalez (1916-2008), Josefa Francisca Gonzalez (1917-2012), and Roberta Violet Gonzalez (1924-2017). Following Pedro's graduation from Recinto Universitario de Mayagüez in 1932, Pedro came to America, where he met and fell in love with a Jewish woman despite the oppositions from both of their families. They married in 1934 in Philadelphia, and had six children. Isidro was born in Moca, Puerto Rico, the son of Miguel González y Domínguez and Mercedes Aquino Betancourt y Rodriguez. Miguel was the son of Manuel Fernando González y Belmonte and Isabela Domínguez y Villegas. Mercedes was the daughter of Agustín Betancourt y Rojas and Gabriela Rodriguez y Medina. Francisca was born in Aguadilla, the daughter of Bernardo Hugo Garcia y Gomez and Monica del Madrigal Font. Bernardo was of African descent, descended from African slaves who were brought to Puerto Rico during the Atlantic slave trade, while Monica was a Sephardi Jew, descended from Jews who fled from Spain and Portugal during the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions, as well as some recent migrants as well. Bernardo was Catholic while Monica practiced Crypto-Judaism. Bernardo and Monica were killed in a traffic collision when Francisca was eight, and was adopted by Manuel Pedrosa Martinez and Jocelyn Reyes Flores.

Rebecca Joyce "Betty" Kane was Peter's Jewish great-grandmother. She was born on March 23, 1911 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and passed away on May 16, 2002 in Tucson, Arizona. She was the daughter of Maurice Moshe "Morris" Kane (1873-1949) and Elizabeth Frances "Fannie" Berger (1891-1984). Rebecca was the third of fifteen children, her siblings included Isaac Samuel Kane (1907-1956), Peter Hilliard Kane (1909-1989), Louis Bernard Kane (1912-2003), Ernest William Kane (1914-2010), Mary Josephine "Mollie" Kane (1915-1988), Esther Delores Kane (1917-2009), Abraham Wilson Kane (1920-1990), David Benjamin Kane (1921-2006), Andrew Lucas Kane (1921-2006), Abigail Ruth Kane (1921-2012), Claudia Jane Kane (1923-2000), Annie Octavia Kane (1924-2011), Thomas Walter Kane (1926-2018), and Alfred Gene Kane (1931-2008). Maurice was born in The Bronx on March 1, 1873, the son of Ukrainian-Jewish emigrants from Kharkiv, Louis Cohen (1832-1920) and Yetta Lowenthal (1836-1923). Maurice was the fifth of eight children, following Julia Madeline Kane (1861-1947), Elizabeth Irene Kane (1864-1951), Mary Jane Kane (1867-1960), Meyer Alexander Kane (1869-1962), and preceding Arthur Josiah Kane (1875-1940), Bertha Adeline Kane (1878-1972), and Edith Emma Kane (1882-1963). Maurice married Russian-Jewish girl Margaret Louise "Marge" Velasco (1873-1903), when he was fourteen years old. Marge's birthday was August 27, 1873, and she and Maurice married on August 8, 1887, nineteen days before her fourteenth birthday. Their firstborn child, a daughter, was born later that year on November 9, 1887, her name was Henrietta Carla Kane (1887-1953). Following Henrietta was the birth of more children, Walter Alfred Kane (1888-1970), Irving Anthony Kane (1889-1984), Catherine Matilda Kane (1891-1987), Elizabeth Jessie "Elsie" Kane (1893-1990), James Albert "Jimmy" Kane (1894-1982), Thomas Andrew "Tommy" Kane (1894-1992), Henry Richard Kane (1894-1994), Martin Chance Kane (1896-1973), Jerome Carter Kane (1898-1980), Samuel Isaac Kane (1899-1986), Emmanuel Alfonso Kane (1901-1968), and Muriel Cecile Kane (1903-2001). Muriel was born January 3, 1903, and six months later, on July 18, 1903 Marge died of accidental nitrogen asphyxiation, she was twenty-nine years old. Maurice mourned her death for many months, when he finally got a new job, but had to relocate to Philadelphia for it. There, he met Elizabeth "Fannie" Berger, and despite the age difference between the two that did not stop them from pursuing a relationship. They got married on November 16, 1906 and later welcomed fourteen children. Maurice passed away on November 25, 1949. Elizabeth was born on March 5, 1891 in Philadelphia, the daughter of Abraham Berger (1868-1953) and Isla Rachel Savage (1864-1948). Abraham was a Hungarian Jew while Isla was born in England, to Romanian Jewish parents. Elizabeth had six siblings, including Mary Ann Berger (1886-1956), Genevieve Caroline "Jenny" Berger (1888-1968), Nancy Priscilla Berger (1894-1987), Shelley Eleanor Berger (1899-1979), Joel Zaccheus Berger (1903-1999), and John Moses Berger (1908-1994). Elizabeth passed away on May 23, 1984 in Loma Linda, San Bernardino, California.

On Peter's maternal side, his great-grandfather was Clarence "Clancy" Fitzpatrick. He was born on December 22, 1922 in Huntleigh, St. Louis County, Missouri, the son of Michael Joseph Fitzpatrick and Lillian May Marshall. Clarence was of Old Stock American and Old Stock Canadian descent. Clarence came from a relatively poor family and got a job at the age of sixteen as a food distribution retailer and was to port fish and other goods from St. Louis to Chicago, when he met Josephine Fontaine. Josephine was two years older than him. They soon got married and had a child named William Fitzpatrick on July 17, 1941. Their second son Ralph Waldo Emerson Fitzpatrick was born on February 10, 1943. Clarence soon enlisted in the United States Army and was killed in action on September 13, 1944 in Villanova di Bagnacavallo, Provincia di Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. He was twenty-one years old.

Peter's great-grandmother was Josephine Fontaine. She was born on December 14, 1920 in El Paso Township, Woodford County, Illinois. She had four siblings. When Josephine was six years old, her family moved to Chicago, and she graduated from St. Casimir High School in 1938. She would then enroll at University of Chicago. In October of 1939, in Josephine's sophomore year, she met Clarence "Clancy" Fitzpatrick, soon falling in love with him. In between her junior and senior years of college, Josephine gave birth to their firstborn child, a son in July 1941. Following Josephine's graduation in May 1942, she and Clarence got married the day before their son William's birthday. They had a second son in February 1943. The following year, Clarence was killed in action in Italy when the Spitfire plane he flew was shot down by Nazi forces. Josephine never remarried or beared more children after this, as she had a hard time coming to terms with it. Josephine passed away on February 3, 2010 in Plano, Texas.

Peter's great-grandfather was Marvin "Vinny" Black. He was born on May 20, 1915 in Ponderosa Park, Elbert County, Colorado, the son of Wesley Arthur Black (1890-1978) and Catherine "Kate" Velchek (1894-1986). Marvin had two brothers Robert Black (1911-1989) and Matthew Black (1917-2006). Marvin attended University of Utah in Salt Lake City, and graduated with a degree in chemistry in 1937. He married Pearl Sorensen in 1938, and later had a daughter named Margaret Joan on November 30, 1939. Marvin later served as a private in the United States Army during World War II. He was a fighter pilot and had survived an astonishing 111 missions flying Mustangs and Spitfires. Marvin was preceded in death by Pearl, and passed away on November 6, 1996 in Crystal Bay, Washoe County, Nevada. Marvin's father Wesley was born on December 9, 1890 in Argonia, Sumner County, Kansas, the son of Romeo Ernest Black (1862-1930), of Kempton, Jefferson Township, Tipton County, Indiana, and of Virginia Marie Frost, of North Webster, Tippecanoe Township, Kosciusko County, Indiana. Virginia's father was an Irish Catholic farmer from Nenagh. Marvin's mother Catherine was born on July 14, 1894 in Beetown, Grant County, Wisconsin. She was the eighth of eleven children, and was the daughter of Martin Velchek (1854-1933), who was an Austrian emigrant from Theresienfeld, Bezirk Wiener Neustadt-Land, Lower Austria, and of Louisa Balaschak (1863-1958), of Johnstown, Cambria County, Pennsylvania, whose parents were Rusyn Byzantine Catholic emigrants from Slovakia and Poland.

Peter's great-grandmother was Pearl Caroline Sorensen. Pearl was born on August 14, 1911 in Spanish Fork, Utah County, Utah. She was one of eight children. Pearl was the daughter of Edward Vincent "Ned" Sorensen (1884-1923) and Cordelia Eleanor Blight (1889-1973). Pearl's father Edward served as a second lieutenant during World War I and when he returned from overseas he became a boxer, but he died of blunt force head trauma when his jealous opponent bludgeoned him with a crowbar after being defeated. In her teens, Pearl dated Portuguese boy Francisco "Frank" Perpetua, and had a son with him named Lorenzo Peter Perpetua, born August 20, 1929, when Pearl was eighteen and Frank was twenty. Pearl and Francisco subsequently tied the knot in the summer of 1932, in between Pearl's junior and senior year at University of Utah. Pearl and Francisco had a second son, Felix Augustine Perpetua, born June 1, 1934. Francisco and Pearl separated and later divorced when Felix was two, citing irreconcilable differences. She later got remarried with Marvin "Vinny" Black on July 12, 1938 in Springdale, Utah, where their daughter Margaret was born on November 30, 1939. When Margaret was three, the family relocated to Broomfield, Colorado. Pearl passed away on August 21, 1981 in Salida, Chaffee County, Colorado. Pearl's father Edward was born on October 30, 1884 in Sanford, Conejos County, Colorado the son of Frederick Pedersen "Fred" Sorensen (1841-1910), who was a Danish emigrant from Præstø, Vordingborg, Sjælland, Denmark, and of Regina Weissman (1846-1937), of Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois, who was of half German ancestry, one-quarter Irish descent, and her other quarter being a mix of English, Scottish, Scots-Irish, Welsh, and French Huguenot. Pearl's mother Cordelia was born on March 30, 1889 in Pleasant Grove, Utah County, Utah, the daughter of Phineas Parker Blight (1847-1918), of Locust Grove, Licking County, Ohio, and of Hannah Jane Benjamin (1853-1946), of Weldon Spring Heights, St. Charles County, Missouri.