It's hard to believe it is actually a reality, but genealogy is finally coming to prime time network television in the United States as Who Do You Think You Are? premieres on NBC this Friday, March 5. The media outlets are buzzing which is a very good sign - the more people that watch the show, the greater its success. A win for genealogists everywhere! Look for Who Do You Think You Are? and family history to be highlighed on NBC's Today Show (March 3 and 5), ABC's The View (March 3), Martha Stewart (March 8), Oprah (March 9), The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on CBS (March 9) and Bonnie Hunt (March 19). All dates and times are subject to change.
I welcome the opportunity that Who Do You Think You Are? provides to help show all of America just how fascinating it can be to learn about where you come from. Here's a peek at what you can expect. Excited yet?
Sarah Jessica Parker (March 5) - This Sex in the City star, born to Jewish parents in Ohio in 1965, surprisingly thought of her family as less American than most. "There's no way they let our ancestors on the Mayflower!" she said in conversation with her brother. She was aware of her father's Eastern European roots, and as far as she knew her mother's side was all German. Imagine her surprise to find a branch of the family that connects back to the infamous Salem Witch Trials and other pivotal events in U.S. history! Sarah was so fascinated with what she learned about her family that she named her two twin daughters -- Tabitha Hodge and Marion Loretta Elwell -- with surnames from her own family history (Hodge and Elwell).
Emmitt Smith (March 12)- The excitement and interest of legendary American football star Emmitt James Smith III is palpable throughout this episode, as he explores the tough issues of segretation and slavery. It's another tear jerker, as Emmitt struggles with thinking about his own thirteen- and ten-year-old daughters as he encounters records that his ancestor Mariah had been passed down through the family as a young girl in slavery. He also visits the African Republic of Benin, where his genetic profile suggests that he likely has roots.
Lisa Kudrow (March 19) - Executive producer Lisa Kudrow also gets to explore her roots as part of Who Do You Think You Are? and her journey to Europe to explore her Jewish heritage is especially emotional. Along the way she discovers that happened to her great-grandmother who was living in Belarus during the Holocaust, and also experiences an unexpected family reunion with her father's first cousin, long thought dead by the American branch of the family.
Matthew Broderick (March 26) - from Ireland to the Civil War, the ancestors of film star Matthew Broderick take him on a very emotional journey. He begins by learning about the heroic actions of his paternal grandfather, James Joseph Broderick II, who was awarded both a Purple Heart and Distinguished Service Cross for his bravery and courage during World War II. Next he travels to the battlefields and cemeteries of the Civil War where what he learns about a previously unknown ancestor will probably bring a tear to your eye.
Brooke Shields (April 2) - the impressive acting career of Brooke Shields isn't the only part of her life with an international angle. Brooke's late paternal grandmother, Donna Marina Torlonia, was actually an Italian princess with connections to Catherine de Medici, Lucrezia Borgia, Louis XIV and William the Conqueror. On her mother's side, however, the story is very different - a tale of many hardships, including poverty and tragic early deaths.
Susan Sarandon (April 9) - With roots in New York, Italy and Wales, actress Susan Sarandon's ancestry tells the story of families searching for a better life. Because the Welsh heritage on her father's side was previously explored on the BBC Wales show Coming Home, Sarandon's episode concentrates on her deep Italian roots, including the story of the mysterious grandmother who disappeared out of her family's life when Susan's mother was just two.
Spike Lee (April 23) - The real first name of film director Shelton Jackson 'Spike' Lee came from the maiden name of his mother, Jacqueline. Jacqueline Lee died in 1977 when Spike was just 20 years old, so in this episode he sets out on a quest to track down her side of the family history. This journey takes him into the heart of slavery in Georgia - including encounters with cotton gins, General Sherman's march, and the reality that his ancestors were once considered the "property" of other human beings.
Although I enjoyed the premire show, I was very disappointed that it did not give me tips or hints on how to go about tracking my history,without going coast to coast,looking for historial societies in the towns they where possibly born or lived in. Travel is not always possible or affordable for the common person.
I was under the impression that the show was going to help people without resources to trace history through publc sources (like courthouses, newspapers,computer,etc),the way Ancestory and other genealogy sites built up the show. I was very disappointed in not learning anything that would be helpful unless I have the financial resources to travel.
I the show found the very inspirational, and motivating. Searching for your ancestors is not for the timid. It takes total dedication, and patience. You have to be a human questionbox in order to find answers which leads you to the next step. You must begin with your grandparents. What town, and state did they live in and grow up? I normally search both sides of the family at the same time. Why? Because, in the early days, people couldn’t travel very far, like we do today. They normally dated and married people in their immediate surroundings. Mainly distant cousins. Finding your ancestors is a life-changing event. I’m so happy that it’s finally becoming cool, or hip, to research your roots.
This show has aired in Britain, Australia, Canada and Sweden and has now the US. It was never about telling folks how to do practice the art. You have to LOVE history, have a high curiosity streak, be able to pay attention to a great deal of detail and excell at paperwork. And a low frustration tolerance helps a great deal. Having a great deal of time on your hands helps too-which is why most people don’t undertake this until they have retired which is often too late. Why? Because the first steps in your journey include talking to your relatives to get as much information as you can while they are still alive. It’s the best way to get on the right track from the get go.
To start your journey, just go to about.com/genealogy and you can find tips on how to get started and the forms that will help you keep your information organized. They also give tips on what not to do. The fellow above this post is heading for trouble by researching both sides of his family at once. That may be fine at the begining but when you get to the point where you have hundreds of people to keep track of and in different countries it’s just not practical or advisable. You need to start with your dad and his side of your family. Search his dad’s line then his mother’s. Then concentrate on your mom’s dad’s line then her mother’s. Researching back 5 generations,which is typical, you will wind up with, on average, 3,600 ancestors. Up for the challenge?! Good Luck!
I am excited genealogy has gotten proper respect as an educational and historical tool of the “melding pot” of American citizens for all these years. Genies are helpful to each other and love to mentor newbies to this wondurus world of “people history”. I have left messages on different surname boards and gotten help in finally finding my father after 5 years of brickwalls. What one finds can be life changing and quite often gives closure. Go to Salt Lake City and get a real hands on education from the Family Library. This history is amazing. Thank you so very much. WAP from Texas