Finding Your Roots

Culture Series / 7 Seasons

For more than a decade, renowned Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has helped to expand America’s sense of itself, stimulating a national conversation about identity with humor, wisdom, and compassion. Professor Gates has explored the ancestry of dozens of influential people from diverse backgrounds, taking millions of viewers deep into the past to reveal the connections that bind us all.

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Tracy Morgan Discovers His Jewish Great-Great Grandfather

4m 58s

"It's like getting knocked out." Tracy Morgan reflects on the mystery surrounding his great-great-grandfather's identity and his relationship with his great-great grandmother, Viola.

Mean Streets Preview

32s

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. maps the family trees of comedian Tracy Morgan & actor Anthony Ramos—two native New Yorkers whose roots stretch to surprising places and contain inspiring stories. Moving from the Canary Islands to battlefields in Europe & Asia to slave plantations in Virginia, long-lost records reveal ancestors who laid the groundwork for Tracy and Anthony’s success by fighting to survive.

Danielle Brooks Learns the Dollar Value of Her Ancestors

6m 42s

Danielle Brooks takes a genealogical journey to Lowndes County, Mississippi, tracing her fifth-greatgrandparents, Fraser and Susan Sharp, back to the 1850s. Finding Your Roots uncovered records indicating their status as enslaved individuals on a plantation owned by Elisha Sharp, with Fraser valued at $1350 and Susan and their three youngest children at $2000.

Dionne Warwick Reflects on the Ugly Legacy Slavery

5m 44s

Dionne Warwick discovers her ancestors in the 1870 census in Jackson County, Florida, likely born into slavery. Researchers found a white farmer, Joseph Russ, who owned 31 enslaved people in the 1860s, potentially including Dionne's ancestors. She reflects on the impact of seeing her ancestor listed anonymously in the slave schedule and acknowledges the undeniable connection to slavery.

Dionne Warwick Explores the Roots of Her Singing Grandfather

6m 44s

Dionne Warwick explores her family history, focusing on her maternal grandfather, Nitch (Nicholas Drinkard). Through research, she discovers that Nitch's grandparents, John Drinkard Sr. and his wife, owned land in Georgia in the early 1900s, which was uncommon for African-Americans at the time. The Drinkards likely farmed cotton before relocating to Newark, New Jersey, by the late 1920s.

The Brick Wall Falls Preview

32s

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. helps musician Dionne Warwick & actor Danielle Brooks break down barriers imposed by the slave system to learn the names of their ancestors who endured unimaginable ordeals—but emerged to forge families that thrived.

Sunny Hostin Learns About Her Grandmother's Missing Father

6m 4s

A 1940 census, reveals that Sonny Hostin's grandmother, Mary's father was absent from her parental home. Mary's father, Robert Cummings, left the family around 1937. This absence likely impacted Mary, who was close to her mother but didn't discuss her father much.

Jesse Williams Learns About His Swedish Great Grandmother

5m 31s

Jesse Williams learns about his great grandmother, Inge, who left her small farming parish in Sweden to study at the Royal Music Academy in Stockholm in 1871 -- a significant move for a young woman at that time.

Jesse Williams Discovers the Story of An Enslaved Ancestor

2m 57s

Jesse learns about his ancestor, July Hadley's life as an enslaved individual, tracing connections to Samuel Hadley's estate and the cultivation of cotton. Despite geographical proximity to ancestral lands, the emotional impact of visiting evokes a profound sense of connection and reflection.

Far and Away Preview

32s

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the extraordinarily diverse roots of journalist Sunny Hostin and actor Jesse Williams—telling long-lost stories of African and European ancestry that compel his guests to rethink their own identities.

Iliza Schlesinger Discovers Her Connection to the Holocaust

7m 51s

Iliza Schlesinger's great-grandmother Esther journeyed from Poland to New York in 1921, leaving behind five siblings who faced hardship during World War II in Poland. Eliza reacts to the emotional impact of discovering family history tied to tragic events such as the Holocaust.

Bob Odenkirk Learns The He is Descended from Royalty

1m 11s

Bob learns that his fifth great-grandfather, Friedrich Karl, didn't list his mother, Marie Catherine Bein, on his marriage record. Further research reveals that Marie had a relationship with the Duke of Plune and had several children with him, including Bob's ancestor. This surprising revelation leads to Bob discovering that he is descended from royalty, making his sixth great-grandfather a Duke.

Hold the Laughter Preview

31s

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. uncovers the roots of comedians Bob Odenkirk and Iliza Shlesinger—two very funny people whose family trees brim with stories that are more drama than comedy. Moving from Napoleonic France to Nazi-occupied Poland to the castle of a European duke, Gates introduces them to relatives who took great risks and overcame enormous hardships for the sake of their families.

Ed O'Neill Learns About His Immigrant Ancestor's Harsh Start

7m 36s

Ed O'Neill's maternal ancestors migrated from Ireland to Youngstown, Ohio, in the 1800s to escape the Great Potato Famine. They worked as coal miners, enduring harsh conditions underground.

Sammy Hagar Tears Up Over His Mother's Hard Life

1m 13s

Sammy Hagar is overcome with emotion while reflecting on his family's difficult past and discussing the challenges his mother faced growing up with a traumatized grandmother and the lack of proper love and support.

Sammy Hagar Discovers His True Biological Surname

7m 20s

Despite assuming a family connection, Sammy Hagar's DNA test results show he doesn't genetically belong to the Hagar lineage as expected. This discovery leads to the question of his true biological surname, introducing uncertainty and curiosity about his heritage.

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