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Old 04-19-2011, 02:00 AM
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Television Ancestry Shows

Henry Louis Gates started a trend with his fascinating genealogy special for PBS, African American Lives in 2006. He traced the ancestry of some well-known African Americans from various fields -- entertainers, academics, preachers, an astronaut, etc -- using documentation as far as possible and then DNA analysis to try to pinpoint their genetic ancestry.

The response was huge, and the next year he did another special, African American Lives 2, this time including one non-famous person from thousands of applicants. A couple of years after that, he followed up with Faces of America, using the same genealogical and genetic tools to uncover the heritage of people of all kinds of different ethnic and racial backgrounds.

All of these shows were just great. I wish Gates would drop that whole Harvard crap and make this a weekly program, or at least as frequently as the assiduous research allows, because the material is deeply compelling, exploring the personal links we have to history and each other. I won't spoil it for you, but he even found that two of the people from Faces of America were related to each other, and the reactions from both people were completely awesome.

Now network and basic cable have cottoned on to how appealing this kind of research can be, so there's Who Do You Think You Are?, modeled after the British show of the same name, which follows one celebrity per episode as they trace their ancestry. It's pretty crappy, sadly. For one thing, it's sponsored by ancestry.com, and they lay it on thick, let me tell you, with the "let's see what we can find online at ancestry.com; all you have to do is fill in this and click on the leaf and gee ain't ancestry.com grand, donchaknow".

For another thing, you almost never see the subjects telling their own parents and siblings about what they've found out, even though they usually start talking to them about what they hope to discover. They just tack on a minute of footage of them sitting at a table together with a voice-over saying something stupid and repetitive about the voyage or whatever. But the reactions are the best part! Gates' programs understood that.

They also trace a very limited range of ancestors, clearly looking for the most emotional angle they can find. Rosie O'Donnell's dead mother's ancestors in workhouses in Ireland, Ashley Judd's Pilgrim ancestor William Brewster doing time in England for his religious beliefs, Gwyneth Paltrow's great-grandmother who saw her daughter killed under the wheels of a cart while 8 months pregnant with another child, that sort of thing.

Finally, and this is the unkindest cut of all, it's pretty clear that these people are not finding out something dire or remarkable on the spot and reacting naturally, but rather that they already know what they're supposed to be "discovering" courtesy of some nice librarian or historian. It's horribly manipulative, and in some cases, offensively blatant.

Kim Catrall, for instance, is trying to find out what happened to her grandfather who abandoned her grandmother with small children and was never seen nor heard from again. Turns out grandpapa was a thoroughgoing creep and Kim reacts with appropriate shock and disgust. Only, thing is, she did the UK version of the show in 2009 and of course they found out the exact same stuff. It was widely reported in the press at the time and although I've never seen the show, I read about it. I have a big problem with that. I think it's unethical and low.

I recently discovered another show that combines information about ancestry with historical reenactment, and it was surprisingly kind of good. Civil Warriors is a three-part series about the Civil War and they enlist the descendants of people who fought in or lived during the war to talk about their ancestors and revisit key locations. They use period pictures and kind of slap animation on to them rather than filming a bunch of re-enactors running around awkwardly, which is both cheap and effective.

Any other fans of these kinds of programs out there? What do you like about them and what would you change?
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Old 04-19-2011, 03:01 AM
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Default Re: Ancestry Shows

The biggest change I'd make is to force the celebrities to battle zombie ancestors, so as to show zombies that people aren't bound to the past.

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Old 04-19-2011, 03:15 AM
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Default Re: Ancestry Shows

My mom has done genealogy for 40 years, and is pretty convinced these shows are utilizing the Mormom method of ancestor tracing; namely not proving each link just running with whatever is easiest. Because the goal is entertainment and drama, not demonstrating the reality of the process (in the case of Mormons, they only care about baptizing, whether they have accurate records is secondary).

With so many people with the same names, and so few records, it's just not that easy to prove each generation. Unlimited funds helps, because you could send researchers into courthouses, churches, graveyards, and records offices all over but I kinda doubt the TV shows are doing even that.

So, I guess what I would change is demonstrating that it takes a hell of a lot more than clicking a leaf at Ancestry.com (which is a pay site, BTW) and that also even if you can just click some leaves, that doesn't mean the info compiled there is accurate or proven. They need to explain what types of documents and items constitute hard enough evidence to be considered proof, and how to go about finding stuff in the absence of birth and death certificates like before they were requirements.

ETA: Also I have Rebel scum ancestors, I will contact Civil Warriors about some of them in case they do another series someday

Last edited by LadyShea; 04-19-2011 at 03:37 AM.
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Old 04-19-2011, 03:33 AM
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Default Re: Ancestry Shows

I miss the history shows 1920's House and 1940's House where families had to live like their ancestors. There was a lot of cheating in the American ones, but the Brit ones kicked ass. Several times I found myself crying as the family suffered through the Blitz and the reactions of democratic youth to the upstairs downstairs class culture in the twenties were priceless.

Those shows disapeared fast but I thought there were many more areas and social groups to explore. Hell, I'd volunteer!
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Old 04-19-2011, 03:48 AM
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Default Re: Ancestry Shows

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Originally Posted by Demimonde View Post
I miss the history shows 1920's House and 1940's House where families had to live like their ancestors. There was a lot of cheating in the American ones...
It was the wheelbarrows, wasn't it?
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Old 04-19-2011, 04:07 AM
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Default Re: Ancestry Shows

Quote:
Originally Posted by LadyShea View Post
My mom has done genealogy for 40 years, and is pretty convinced these shows are utilizing the Mormom method of ancestor tracing; namely not proving each link just running with whatever is easiest. Because the goal is entertainment and drama, not demonstrating the reality of the process (in the case of Mormons, they only care about baptizing, whether they have accurate records is secondary).
I don't know what the Mormons do exactly. I know Gates accessed Salt Lake City records multiple times while seeking out African American ancestors, because they have a large library of slavery documents. How does your mom prove each link and what are the Mormons not doing?

The Who Do You Think You Are? people seem to rely primarily on census records, enlistment and baptismal rolls, and obituaries.

Quote:
With so many people with the same names, and so few records, it's just not that easy to prove each generation. Unlimited funds helps, because you could send researchers into courthouses, churches, graveyards, and records offices all over but I kinda doubt the TV shows are doing even that.
You should check out Gates' shows and make your mom watch them too. Without question his work is the most rigorous, and I'd be very interested to hear your mother's expert opinion.

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So, I guess what I would change is demonstrating that it takes a hell of a lot more than clicking a leaf at Ancestry.com (which is a pay site, BTW)
Yes. Yes it is. And it bums me out that Lisa Kudrow, who was inspired to produce the show after being blown away by the British version, sold out something that seemed to be a genuinely emotional discovery for her to those jackasses.

Quote:
ETA: Also I have Rebel scum ancestors, I will contact Civil Warriors about some of them in case they do another series someday
Do you have letters, diaries, primary sources from your rebelscumdaddies? The folks in the show had lots of documentation that formed the backbone of the episodes.
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Old 04-19-2011, 04:10 AM
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Default Re: Ancestry Shows

Quote:
Originally Posted by Demimonde View Post
I miss the history shows 1920's House and 1940's House where families had to live like their ancestors. There was a lot of cheating in the American ones, but the Brit ones kicked ass. Several times I found myself crying as the family suffered through the Blitz and the reactions of democratic youth to the upstairs downstairs class culture in the twenties were priceless.

Those shows disapeared fast but I thought there were many more areas and social groups to explore. Hell, I'd volunteer!
I saw the 1900s House. It was fascinating to see the mother have a complete breakdown over how damn hard it was to do basic things like cook and clean, even though she had help.

I don't recall a genealogical element, though. It was just about living like folks lived back then.

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It was the wheelbarrows, wasn't it?
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Old 04-19-2011, 05:15 AM
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Default Re: Ancestry Shows

FTR Gates sounds much more thorough and respectful of the history. Top Chef did a ancestry episode where two of the chefs were cousins or something, and I haven't heard great stuff about Who Do You Think You Are. I may be talking out of my ass but I just doubt they are as thorough when it's for reality celebrity TV instead of an historical documentary type thing.
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Originally Posted by livius drusus View Post
I know Gates accessed Salt Lake City records multiple times while seeking out African American ancestors, because they have a large library of slavery documents. How does your mom prove each link and what are the Mormons not doing?
Mormons each have to do their family history then the Church performs baptism by proxy for every ancestor.

They have a very large library but because accuracy is a secondary issue, they may run with, for example, this Mary Jones as being the mother of John Jones, when in fact she was his stepmother his mother was also named Mary Jones.

My mom was teaching me by having me do some of my husbands stuff, I was all "OMG this is easy" when I found a family in the right area, in the right time frame, with all the right names except one. Out of 7 people, 6 had the same names as my father in law had come up with from memory. It was not the right family...but I had to keep digging to find that. I could have ran with it had the process not been important, you know?

Remember in the research obsession thread the 2 Alonzos born in the same state and buried in the same graveyard in another state? It would have been easy to follow the wrong one up, ya know?
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The Who Do You Think You Are? people seem to rely primarily on census records, enlistment and baptismal rolls, and obituaries.
Those are all good as are wills, deeds, family Bibles, letters, and journals. One of my proofs for DAR is a headstone engraving. The big issue is corroborating with multiple evidences rather than taking any one at face value (which I would guess is also a big issue on all historical research). The wrong hubby family members mentioned above was on the census. I found out they were the wrong people by checking prior and later census records as well, and found they had originally come from the wrong place.

Quote:
You should check out Gates' shows and make your mom watch them too. Without question his work is the most rigorous, and I'd be very interested to hear your mother's expert opinion.
Will definitely do

Quote:
And it bums me out that Lisa Kudrow, who was inspired to produce the show after being blown away by the British version, sold out something that seemed to be a genuinely emotional discovery for her to those jackasses.
It really sucks. Their advertising sucks too, makes it look like all you have to do is type in your name and you're done.

Quote:
Do you have letters, diaries, primary sources from your rebelscumdaddies? The folks in the show had lots of documentation that formed the backbone of the episodes.
Yep. The money document is a sick note asking for my rebelscum ancestor to be excused from the war due to pneumonia.
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Old 04-19-2011, 03:07 PM
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Default Re: Ancestry Shows

just a drive by to say:

civil warriors should be the benchmark of reality television....
totally captivating, eye-opening, intelligent, thought-provoking reality!
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Old 04-19-2011, 04:27 PM
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Default Re: Ancestry Shows

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My mom has done genealogy for 40 years
Oooo can you ask her if she saw that Tony Robinson show on the genealogy of the British royal family? That show claimed to have traced the true heir to the throne of Great Britain to some bloke in Australia :



This guy :) He seemed like a nice guy too, someone I wouldn't mind having on my pound notes at all. I suspect they just jumped on anything they could find for this one too - but hell wouldn't it just be hilarious if they were right.
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Old 04-19-2011, 05:38 PM
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Default Re: Ancestry Shows

Thanks for starting this thread livius! I have been watching the Who Do You Think You Are? series and thought it was great, because we had never seen anything like it. I had seen Faces of America advertised, but never caught an episode. WDYTYA? certainly suffers from the flaws you described and I have grown more dissatisfied with it the more I have seen.

I have found that Faces and African American Lives are available on NetFlix DVD and African American Lives 2 is available on NetFlix instant. :pleased: So I will be checking those out. I am excited to hear that they are better than WDYTYA?.
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Old 04-19-2011, 05:56 PM
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Default Re: Ancestry Shows

The various royal families should have pretty excellent records. A friend of mine who is related to the British Royals says she has documents listing bastards, mistresses, etc. and it's all very sordid and highly detailed. Any "this person should be King" or whatever would be more political than genealogical I should think.

ETA: Yeah, looks like the theory is based on Edward IV being illegitimate
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Britain's Real Monarch was a historical documentary presented by Tony Robinson first shown on Channel 4 on 3 January 2004.[1] It has also been broadcast in America and Australia. This documentary argued that all British monarchs since Henry VII of England did not have a valid claim to the English throne.

The programme based its thesis on the centuries-old claim that Edward IV was illegitimate, born to Cecily Neville by an English archer while her husband, Richard, Duke of York was elsewhere in France fighting.
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Old 04-19-2011, 06:53 PM
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Originally Posted by Crumb View Post
Thanks for starting this thread livius! I have been watching the Who Do You Think You Are? series and thought it was great, because we had never seen anything like it. I had seen Faces of America advertised, but never caught an episode. WDYTYA? certainly suffers from the flaws you described and I have grown more dissatisfied with it the more I have seen.
It was definitely better the first season. Brooke Shields was particularly awesome, what with her Torlonia connection. It still suffered from staging problems, I suspect, and the failure to show the relatives' reactions, but the ancestry.com and emotiporn elements weren't as heavy-handed.

Quote:
I have found that Faces and African American Lives are available on NetFlix DVD and African American Lives 2 is available on NetFlix instant. :pleased: So I will be checking those out. I am excited to hear that they are better than WDYTYA?.
Sweet! You're going to love them, I'm sure of it. You can definitely watch the second AAL before the first without missing anything, btw.
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Old 04-19-2011, 10:44 PM
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Default Re: Ancestry Shows

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Originally Posted by LadyShea View Post
The various royal families should have pretty excellent records. A friend of mine who is related to the British Royals says she has documents listing bastards, mistresses, etc. and it's all very sordid and highly detailed. Any "this person should be King" or whatever would be more political than genealogical I should think.
Yes. Edward IV, regardless of his parentage, was ousted from his throne by military force and then retook it by the same means. That second part gives him as valid a claim to throne as any English monarch, from William the Bastard onward.
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Old 04-20-2011, 06:34 AM
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Default Re: Ancestry Shows

Gah, at least I know what shows to avoid. My in-laws are seriously into that stuff. The first time I met them I was treated to a 3 hour lecture about how they're related to John of Gaunt or some bullshit.

Still I'll point Chunks to this thread for gift suggestions for them.
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Old 04-21-2011, 04:37 AM
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Originally Posted by LadyShea View Post
Mormons each have to do their family history then the Church performs baptism by proxy for every ancestor.

They have a very large library but because accuracy is a secondary issue, they may run with, for example, this Mary Jones as being the mother of John Jones, when in fact she was his stepmother his mother was also named Mary Jones.

My mom was teaching me by having me do some of my husbands stuff, I was all "OMG this is easy" when I found a family in the right area, in the right time frame, with all the right names except one. Out of 7 people, 6 had the same names as my father in law had come up with from memory. It was not the right family...but I had to keep digging to find that. I could have ran with it had the process not been important, you know?

Remember in the research obsession thread the 2 Alonzos born in the same state and buried in the same graveyard in another state? It would have been easy to follow the wrong one up, ya know?
Yeah. The IGI is a nightmare of crapitude. They have stuff on my family that we have known is crap for about fifty years. The DAR lineage books aren't much better.

OTOH, the Mormons have microfilms of all sorts of otherwise difficult documents to get. I'm processing about 400 Ohio death certificates I got from familysearch.org. After that, marriage records.

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Originally Posted by LadyShea View Post
Those are all good as are wills, deeds, family Bibles, letters, and journals. One of my proofs for DAR is a headstone engraving. The big issue is corroborating with multiple evidences rather than taking any one at face value (which I would guess is also a big issue on all historical research). The wrong hubby family members mentioned above was on the census. I found out they were the wrong people by checking prior and later census records as well, and found they had originally come from the wrong place.
Don't forget name recycling as a way to get you messed up. "Oh, Samuel died of cholera? Let's name our next son Samuel!"

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Originally Posted by LadyShea View Post
Yep. The money document is a sick note asking for my rebelscum ancestor to be excused from the war due to pneumonia.
My 3xggfather's civil war diary mostly records that it was raining and the money he lent to other members of the regiment. He spent the Battle of Gettysburg writing discharges for the regiment.
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Old 04-21-2011, 07:12 PM
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Default Re: Ancestry Shows

I love the Gates' shows, just really, really love them. On the first series, one of the people ends up being descended from slaves from my home county and I very likely went to school with many of his cousins, as his slave ancestor's name is a very common last name for people there. That was pretty cool to me.

I love genealogy, but my cousin (who is the big genealogy researcher in our family) taught me a lot about documentation and stuff when I started. She is a historian/archivist, so documentation matters to her! We have found out lots and lots, fully documented with historic records, so I think it is not impossible to find people many generations ago with a good level of accuracy.

And my favorite "living back in time" show was Pioneer House, which was fantastic.

One of my favorite civil war related documents is from the widow of my ancestor who is trying to get a pension because of her husband's war-related cause of death. Problem was, he died of like pneumonia many years after the war and didn't seem to have any problems working afterward...and I had flashbacks to trying to explain what the requirements for getting social security disability were to people who clearly didn't qualify and whose argument was like "but I NEED it." People never change!
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Old 04-21-2011, 09:07 PM
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Default Re: Ancestry Shows

We have a really strong genealogy collection where I work. Right now we are having people bring in photographs of their ancestors who fought in Michigan regiments in the Civil War. We're scanning them for display during the summer. My great-grandfather David Brenner is going to be in it, according to my sister.

Personally, I have no use for genealogy. I have 57 or 58 or something first cousins. (I swear my sister adds one as soon as I get the number right.) The last thing I want to do is find more relatives, even if they are dead and unlikely to expect me to talk to them.
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Old 04-22-2011, 04:05 AM
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Default Re: Ancestry Shows

I thought I had responded but I haven't. No those shows didn't have genealogy just "My ancestors did this" in 1940's house his grandfather did the same role he did.

Also interesting that I just was discussing a DAR about the Mormon collections and she was very disparaging of it.
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Old 04-22-2011, 10:15 PM
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Also interesting that I just was discussing a DAR about the Mormon collections and she was very disparaging of it.
They are what they are--mostly early 20th century genealogies.
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Old 05-21-2011, 09:31 AM
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Default Re: Ancestry Shows

OMG, you guys, watch Jerry Springer's episode (the British version). No, really.

His parents were German Jews who arrived in England a matter of weeks before the borders (so to speak) were closed.
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Old 05-21-2011, 10:43 PM
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My biological father and his wife are heavily into the genealogies of the family and, AFAIK, relied heavily on extensive work done by previous family historians. I have no idea how accurate any of it really is, but it's interesting, nonetheless.

As for the shows, I keep forgetting to watch them! :(
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Old 05-22-2011, 11:14 AM
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His parents were German Jews who arrived in England a matter of weeks before the borders (so to speak) were closed.
And he only found that out on the show?!!! OMG!!!
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Old 05-22-2011, 12:16 PM
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Default Re: Ancestry Shows

I just saw a book about my fathers ancestral village - all the people that have my last name come from what used to be a small clump of dirt-farms outside Hilversum, but what is now a rather chique little place for rich people to live in converted farms and the like.

We were dirt-farmers, staunch catholics, and we seem to have been spending a lot of time burying small children - lists and lists of families where they would have a dozen children, and only 3-4 survived. Really sad to see actually, especially when they don't even bother to change the name when they die before reaching the age of 1.
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LadyShea (05-23-2011)
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Old 05-22-2011, 01:42 PM
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Anastasia Beaverhausen Anastasia Beaverhausen is offline
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Default Re: Ancestry Shows

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Originally Posted by mickthinks View Post
And he only found that out on the show?!!! OMG!!!
He found out on the show when the borders were closed, yes. :rolleyes:

He also found out the fates of both his grandmothers.
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