1. Laura Linney’s Felonious Ancestors
Laura Linney discovered her fifth great-grandfather, William Linney, was convicted of receiving stolen goods and transported to Virginia in 1768. Linney took this revelation in stride with a laugh, learning about her ancestor’s transportation to America from England on the ship Neptune.
2. Soledad O’Brien’s Ancestor Falls on Hard Times
Soledad O’Brien found out that her third great-grandmother, Lilias Whitman, was arrested in Scotland for robbery alongside teenage boys, suggesting 3. Julia Roberts’ Real Surname
Julia Roberts discovered that her great-grandfather John was born a decade after Willis Roberts, her supposed great-great-grandfather, had died. DNA analysis traced her ancestry to Henry McDonald Mitchell Jr., revealing her true biological surname should be Mitchell, not Roberts. Issa Rae learned that her third great-grandfather, Dorson Chabanet, was documented by name due to his mother, Mite, being freed by her owner, a black man. Rae also discovered that her ancestor’s father was a white man engaged in a clandestine relationship with Mite, revealing a complex family history. Gayle King uncovered that her maternal grandmother, Emma Brown, was the product of a white father and a black mother, a fact concealed out of shame. DNA analysis revealed that King’s ancestry is over 30% European, a revelation 6. Angela Davis Descended from White Settlers
4. Issa Rae’s Free Ancestors
5. Gayle King’s European Ancestry
