TV report: Who Do You Think You Are?
Genealogy is one of my favorite hobbies. The genealogy of my own family is very difficult to pursue, because before about 1910, it’s all in Italy and Portugal. My wife’s genealogy, on the other hand, is both fascinating and accessible. She has lots of ancestors in America, and many interesting ones, including a fellow who once owned the city of Springfield, Massachusetts and two veterans of the Revolutionary War.
Some people look on genealogy as irrelevant: it’s all about the past, which has no effect or impact on present life. I disagree. Our view of ourselves depends very heavily on what we know about our families. Your image of your life must change if you find out that you are a descendant of a slave, a slave-owner, an accused Salem witch, a Holocaust victim, a World War I hero, or European royalty.
Each week, the TV show “Who Do You Think You Are?” shows the process of uncovering some of the genealogy of a celebrity. The choice of using a celebrity, rather than some ordinary random person, for each episode is a good idea. These people are familiar to us. We feel like we know them a little, certainly more than we would know a random citizen. There’s also a little behind-the-scenes aspect that is often interesting.
It’s beyond the scope of any TV show to research all of the genealogy of anyone, of course, so each show focuses on a few particular ancestors. Some of the coincidences of history are spooky. For example, actor Matthew Broderick played a Union officer in the Civil War for a movie, and it turns out that, unknown to him, one of his ancestors was a Civil War soldier who fought at Gettysburg. Similarly, actress Brooke Shields was a French literature major in college, unaware that, far back in her family’s mostly Italian history, she had connections to the French royal family.
What genealogy is mostly about though is people, and “Who Do You Think You Are?” celebrates the struggles that people of all historical periods go through and triumph over. Some parts are very touching; some are almost unwatchably painful tragedies. As mentioned above, the people profiled on the show discover their connections to slaves, slave-owners, an accused Salem witch, a Holocaust victim, a World War I hero, and European royalty. That perspective must change your view of yourself, your life, and your family’s place in history.
The result is a fascinating biographical sketch, not only of the celebrities’ families, but also of all of us. We are all connected somehow in this world. “Who Do You Think You Are?” reveals some of those hidden connections.
Recommended
Genealogy is one of my favorite hobbies. The genealogy of my own family is very difficult to pursue, because before about 1910, it’s all in Italy and Portugal. My wife’s genealogy, on the other hand, is both fascinating and accessible. She has lots of ancestors in America, and many interesting ones, including a fellow who once owned the city of Springfield, Massachusetts and two veterans of the Revolutionary War.
Some people look on genealogy as irrelevant: it’s all about the past, which has no effect or impact on present life. I disagree. Our view of ourselves depends very heavily on what we know about our families. Your image of your life must change if you find out that you are a descendant of a slave, a slave-owner, an accused Salem witch, a Holocaust victim, a World War I hero, or European royalty.
Each week, the TV show “Who Do You Think You Are?” shows the process of uncovering some of the genealogy of a celebrity. The choice of using a celebrity, rather than some ordinary random person, for each episode is a good idea. These people are familiar to us. We feel like we know them a little, certainly more than we would know a random citizen. There’s also a little behind-the-scenes aspect that is often interesting.
It’s beyond the scope of any TV show to research all of the genealogy of anyone, of course, so each show focuses on a few particular ancestors. Some of the coincidences of history are spooky. For example, actor Matthew Broderick played a Union officer in the Civil War for a movie, and it turns out that, unknown to him, one of his ancestors was a Civil War soldier who fought at Gettysburg. Similarly, actress Brooke Shields was a French literature major in college, unaware that, far back in her family’s mostly Italian history, she had connections to the French royal family.
What genealogy is mostly about though is people, and “Who Do You Think You Are?” celebrates the struggles that people of all historical periods go through and triumph over. Some parts are very touching; some are almost unwatchably painful tragedies. As mentioned above, the people profiled on the show discover their connections to slaves, slave-owners, an accused Salem witch, a Holocaust victim, a World War I hero, and European royalty. That perspective must change your view of yourself, your life, and your family’s place in history.
The result is a fascinating biographical sketch, not only of the celebrities’ families, but also of all of us. We are all connected somehow in this world. “Who Do You Think You Are?” reveals some of those hidden connections.
Recommended
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