1
00:00:01,166 --> 00:00:03,200
♪ ♪

2
00:00:04,766 --> 00:00:07,366
♪ ♪

3
00:00:07,366 --> 00:00:09,900
BYRON HURT:
Who isn't curious
about family history?

4
00:00:09,900 --> 00:00:11,633
ANITRA HURT:
There was a lot of people that,
and you may feel this way, too,

5
00:00:11,633 --> 00:00:13,000
that you just don't know.

6
00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:14,566
Like, who is this person?
Who is this person?

7
00:00:14,566 --> 00:00:16,800
BYRON HURT:
Where we came from.

8
00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:18,466
Who our people are.

9
00:00:18,466 --> 00:00:20,000
RENARD ROGERS:
We know nothing.

10
00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:22,433
We have to rely on some
of our older family members

11
00:00:22,433 --> 00:00:24,500
to really tell us
what they remember.

12
00:00:24,500 --> 00:00:27,233
I heard that they say
he was a tall,

13
00:00:27,233 --> 00:00:31,666
fair-skinned man
with green eyes and red hair.

14
00:00:31,666 --> 00:00:34,266
BYRON HURT:
My family is on a quest.

15
00:00:34,266 --> 00:00:35,966
So is this the only picture

16
00:00:35,966 --> 00:00:37,433
that we have of Lee Hurt?

17
00:00:37,433 --> 00:00:38,800
JANDRA BONNER:
The only known picture.

18
00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:41,633
BYRON HURT:
We're hoping that DNA testing

19
00:00:41,633 --> 00:00:43,200
can unlock secrets of the past.

20
00:00:43,200 --> 00:00:46,466
BONNER:
We're gonna have to find
the common link

21
00:00:46,466 --> 00:00:47,733
somewhere up in the generations.

22
00:00:47,733 --> 00:00:50,066
That's one way--
how the DNA works.

23
00:00:51,533 --> 00:00:53,866
BYRON HURT:
Because, like so many families
like ours,

24
00:00:53,866 --> 00:00:57,033
our family tree is incomplete.

25
00:00:57,033 --> 00:00:59,366
ROGERS:
Before we started
this ancestry research,

26
00:00:59,366 --> 00:01:01,233
I didn't know
anything about Lee Hurt.

27
00:01:01,233 --> 00:01:04,233
We knew that
he had a, a lot of kids.

28
00:01:04,233 --> 00:01:05,833
(computer keys tapping)

29
00:01:05,833 --> 00:01:08,100
BYRON HURT:
Can science help us
find answers...

30
00:01:08,100 --> 00:01:11,333
FATIMAH JACKSON:
DNA can tell you some
of your family history,

31
00:01:11,333 --> 00:01:13,666
but it's not all-encompassing.

32
00:01:13,666 --> 00:01:17,366
BYRON HURT: ...and strengthen
ourselves in the process?

33
00:01:17,366 --> 00:01:19,533
"Lee and Liza's Family Tree,"

34
00:01:19,533 --> 00:01:22,566
right now, on "NOVA."

35
00:01:22,566 --> 00:01:27,166
♪ ♪

36
00:01:43,733 --> 00:01:46,033
♪ ♪

37
00:01:46,033 --> 00:01:47,766
BYRON HURT:
I come from a big family.

38
00:01:47,766 --> 00:01:51,466
And when I say big,
I mean really big.

39
00:01:51,466 --> 00:01:52,700
(man exclaiming)

40
00:01:52,700 --> 00:01:53,700
BYRON HURT:
It's so big that we have

41
00:01:53,700 --> 00:01:54,700
a national executive committee

42
00:01:54,700 --> 00:01:56,000
with a president,

43
00:01:56,000 --> 00:01:58,833
vice president, secretary,

44
00:01:58,833 --> 00:02:01,133
a treasurer, and a financial
secretary to help

45
00:02:01,133 --> 00:02:04,100
keep our family organized.

46
00:02:04,100 --> 00:02:06,633
We even have family by-laws.

47
00:02:06,633 --> 00:02:08,233
(man exclaiming)

48
00:02:08,233 --> 00:02:09,700
BYRON HURT:
Back in 1984,

49
00:02:09,700 --> 00:02:13,600
nearly four decades ago,
my grandfather's brother

50
00:02:13,600 --> 00:02:15,533
Dave Hurt, Jr., and his cousins

51
00:02:15,533 --> 00:02:17,466
Rosie McGee and Helen Roberts

52
00:02:17,466 --> 00:02:20,200
decided to organize
the first-ever

53
00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:22,233
Hurt-Waller family reunion.

54
00:02:24,133 --> 00:02:27,333
At each of our reunions,
we pay homage

55
00:02:27,333 --> 00:02:28,733
to our oldest known
patriarch and matriarch,

56
00:02:28,733 --> 00:02:32,400
Lee Hurt and Eliza Waller,

57
00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:34,800
who sit at the very top
of our family tree.

58
00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:37,333
They're kind of like
our family's Adam and Eve.

59
00:02:37,333 --> 00:02:38,966
(laughing)

60
00:02:38,966 --> 00:02:40,800
♪ ♪

61
00:02:40,800 --> 00:02:43,600
BYRON HURT:
Lee and Liza had 14 children,

62
00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:46,500
and spawned a long line
of descendants,

63
00:02:46,500 --> 00:02:48,900
but other than that,
we don't really know

64
00:02:48,900 --> 00:02:50,433
that much about them.

65
00:02:50,433 --> 00:02:54,200
Who are Lee and Liza?

66
00:02:54,200 --> 00:02:56,600
And where did they come from?

67
00:02:56,600 --> 00:02:58,300
Who are their parents?

68
00:02:58,300 --> 00:03:01,466
Their parents' parents?
And their parents' parents?

69
00:03:02,933 --> 00:03:04,266
I'm Byron Hurt.

70
00:03:04,266 --> 00:03:05,900
I'm a documentary filmmaker

71
00:03:05,900 --> 00:03:08,200
and I'm a member
of the Hurt-Waller family.

72
00:03:08,200 --> 00:03:11,033
I've always been super-curious

73
00:03:11,033 --> 00:03:14,700
about our family's origins
beyond Lee and Liza.

74
00:03:14,700 --> 00:03:17,033
Like so many families in America

75
00:03:17,033 --> 00:03:18,700
who are searching
for their ancestors,

76
00:03:18,700 --> 00:03:21,066
our family tree is incomplete.

77
00:03:21,066 --> 00:03:24,100
Many European Americans are able
to discover

78
00:03:24,100 --> 00:03:26,800
their family roots
using public records

79
00:03:26,800 --> 00:03:28,966
and genetic ancestry test kits.

80
00:03:28,966 --> 00:03:31,266
But for African American
families, like mine,

81
00:03:31,266 --> 00:03:33,166
the path to learning
family history

82
00:03:33,166 --> 00:03:34,666
is much more challenging.

83
00:03:34,666 --> 00:03:36,733
Since emancipation,

84
00:03:36,733 --> 00:03:39,366
Black families torn apart
during slavery

85
00:03:39,366 --> 00:03:41,466
have had to work hard
to reunite

86
00:03:41,466 --> 00:03:44,666
and discover the truth
about their past.

87
00:03:44,666 --> 00:03:48,233
My family has no idea who Lee
and Liza's ancestors are,

88
00:03:48,233 --> 00:03:52,800
because unfortunately, we can't
go back any further than 1863,

89
00:03:52,800 --> 00:03:55,833
the year Lee Hurt was born.

90
00:03:55,833 --> 00:04:00,933
So, my family has decided to
take matters into our own hands.

91
00:04:00,933 --> 00:04:04,366
After decades of organizing
family reunions,

92
00:04:04,366 --> 00:04:05,833
we've decided to turn to science

93
00:04:05,833 --> 00:04:09,133
to learn more
about Lee and Liza.

94
00:04:11,300 --> 00:04:13,100
We've created an ancestry
committee to find out more

95
00:04:13,100 --> 00:04:14,333
about our history,

96
00:04:14,333 --> 00:04:16,466
and we're using genetic ancestry
tests

97
00:04:16,466 --> 00:04:18,433
to see how far back we can go.

98
00:04:18,433 --> 00:04:21,333
My family wants to know
if DNA test kits

99
00:04:21,333 --> 00:04:23,733
could help us learn more
about our ancestry,

100
00:04:23,733 --> 00:04:27,100
and even learn more about family
members that we don't even know.

101
00:04:28,333 --> 00:04:30,200
And who knows?

102
00:04:30,200 --> 00:04:33,866
Maybe our journey could be
helpful to other families.

103
00:04:33,866 --> 00:04:36,533
We're not scientists,

104
00:04:36,533 --> 00:04:38,933
and we don't know a whole lot
about the science of DNA.

105
00:04:38,933 --> 00:04:41,400
Look at that big chunk of DNA
in the middle-- you see it?

106
00:04:41,400 --> 00:04:44,733
BYRON HURT:
But we have lots of questions,

107
00:04:44,733 --> 00:04:47,733
and we're eager to learn.
(people talking in background)

108
00:04:47,733 --> 00:04:50,333
BYRON HURT:
Science was my least favorite
subject in high school.

109
00:04:50,333 --> 00:04:54,066
I hated science.

110
00:04:54,066 --> 00:04:56,933
So, when I was presented with
this opportunity to make a film

111
00:04:56,933 --> 00:04:59,766
about science to help our family
learn more about our ancestry,

112
00:04:59,766 --> 00:05:03,433
I was, like, "Me? Science?

113
00:05:03,433 --> 00:05:06,100
What kind of film can I make
about science?"

114
00:05:06,100 --> 00:05:07,966
(people talking in background)

115
00:05:07,966 --> 00:05:10,833
BYRON HURT:
But then I thought
of my two second cousins

116
00:05:10,833 --> 00:05:13,400
Renard and Jandra, the leaders

117
00:05:13,400 --> 00:05:16,200
of our family's DNA ancestry
committee.

118
00:05:16,200 --> 00:05:18,600
They're using a combination of
oral history,

119
00:05:18,600 --> 00:05:20,766
historical documents, and, yes,

120
00:05:20,766 --> 00:05:24,666
science to uncover our family's
roots.

121
00:05:24,666 --> 00:05:27,366
♪ ♪

122
00:05:27,366 --> 00:05:28,700
And they're hoping to do it

123
00:05:28,700 --> 00:05:30,866
by our next family reunion in
Macon, Georgia,

124
00:05:30,866 --> 00:05:32,600
our first reunion since the
pandemic.

125
00:05:32,600 --> 00:05:34,466
(mouse clicking)

126
00:05:34,466 --> 00:05:38,033
Our reunion is one year away,

127
00:05:38,033 --> 00:05:39,833
and I asked Renard and Jandra if
I could tag along

128
00:05:39,833 --> 00:05:42,133
and document their journey

129
00:05:42,133 --> 00:05:43,733
as they go

130
00:05:43,733 --> 00:05:45,600
looking for
Lee and Liza's family tree.

131
00:05:45,600 --> 00:05:49,800
♪ ♪

132
00:05:54,900 --> 00:05:56,733
(computer keys clicking)

133
00:06:00,766 --> 00:06:03,266
There is no written history
of our family's existence

134
00:06:03,266 --> 00:06:07,000
before Lee Hurt's birth in 1863.

135
00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:09,466
But as far as we know,
based on oral history,

136
00:06:09,466 --> 00:06:11,566
Lee Hurt settled

137
00:06:11,566 --> 00:06:15,333
in Putnam County, Georgia, just
a few years after the Civil War.

138
00:06:15,333 --> 00:06:19,633
But how did he get there?
We don't exactly know.

139
00:06:19,633 --> 00:06:21,500
But there are a lot
of family stories

140
00:06:21,500 --> 00:06:23,633
passed down
through the generations

141
00:06:23,633 --> 00:06:27,333
about how Lee Hurt arrived
in Eatonton, Georgia.

142
00:06:27,333 --> 00:06:30,066
Uh, he rode in on a what,
rode in on a...

143
00:06:30,066 --> 00:06:33,000
A horse? Yeah, yeah.
A mule or a donkey--
maybe it was a horse...

144
00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:34,066
BYRON HURT:
I heard a mule,

145
00:06:34,066 --> 00:06:35,800
a donkey, a horse.

146
00:06:35,800 --> 00:06:37,133
MAYA ALEXANDER:
I heard he just, like,

147
00:06:37,133 --> 00:06:38,300
showed up at,
was it Milledgeville?

148
00:06:38,300 --> 00:06:39,533
I heard, just, on a horse...

149
00:06:39,533 --> 00:06:42,666
BYRON HURT: Yeah.
...at a bus stop, and then

150
00:06:42,666 --> 00:06:45,433
ran into Liza and then had
a whole village of children.

151
00:06:45,433 --> 00:06:47,033
BYRON HURT: Have you heard any
stories about, like,

152
00:06:47,033 --> 00:06:49,033
how he got to Putnam County

153
00:06:49,033 --> 00:06:51,100
or Baldwin County, anything?

154
00:06:51,100 --> 00:06:52,966
I haven't-- we're still trying
to piece that together.

155
00:06:52,966 --> 00:06:56,333
I would be tickled pink
if we could find out

156
00:06:56,333 --> 00:06:59,800
exactly where Lee Hurt
came from.

157
00:06:59,800 --> 00:07:02,000
 
Oh, I wished I could talk
to him.

158
00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:04,133
I wished I could ask him
a question.

159
00:07:04,133 --> 00:07:06,766
I just got this feeling
that he was a great man.

160
00:07:06,766 --> 00:07:09,500
I heard that they say
he was a tall,

161
00:07:09,500 --> 00:07:12,800
fair-skinned man with green eyes
and red hair.

162
00:07:12,800 --> 00:07:14,500
 
They say he was
a reddish-looking man.

163
00:07:14,500 --> 00:07:16,666
My granddaddy,

164
00:07:16,666 --> 00:07:19,366
he was big, heavy, dark skin.

165
00:07:19,366 --> 00:07:22,366
I can see him now,
sitting over there on the porch.

166
00:07:23,733 --> 00:07:25,400
BYRON HURT:
For years, our family

167
00:07:25,400 --> 00:07:28,733
has relied on our reunions to
help build out our family tree.

168
00:07:28,733 --> 00:07:33,166
But so much of our older history
is largely unknown.

169
00:07:34,366 --> 00:07:36,966
Renard and Jandra
are my big cousins.

170
00:07:36,966 --> 00:07:39,200
I grew up with them
on Long Island,

171
00:07:39,200 --> 00:07:43,000
and both of their mothers
are my great-aunts.

172
00:07:43,000 --> 00:07:46,566
I always looked up to them
as role models in our family.

173
00:07:46,566 --> 00:07:49,000
ROGERS:
Jandra and I
are first cousins.

174
00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:51,600
Uh, our mothers are sisters.

175
00:07:51,600 --> 00:07:53,333
We both grew up in New York,

176
00:07:53,333 --> 00:07:55,166
and so she was more
like a sister to us,

177
00:07:55,166 --> 00:07:58,833
'cause she was an only child in
her family and we had four kids.

178
00:07:58,833 --> 00:08:00,833
So she was at our house
most of the time.

179
00:08:00,833 --> 00:08:04,366
Jandra has been extremely
critical in this process,

180
00:08:04,366 --> 00:08:06,433
because she was
much more familiar

181
00:08:06,433 --> 00:08:09,566
with ancestry.com
and some of the research tools

182
00:08:09,566 --> 00:08:11,200
that we have used.

183
00:08:11,200 --> 00:08:14,633
Before I was even interested in
this, she was already doing it.

184
00:08:14,633 --> 00:08:19,133
BONNER:
I wanted to find
more family members, actually.

185
00:08:19,133 --> 00:08:21,233
But since we were looking
for answers to Grandpa Lee,

186
00:08:21,233 --> 00:08:23,633
then I kind of shifted to that.

187
00:08:23,633 --> 00:08:26,933
And so just to try to see if we
could find more of his ancestors

188
00:08:26,933 --> 00:08:30,266
to see where he came from,
that's the initial mystery.

189
00:08:32,033 --> 00:08:34,200
BYRON HURT:
Before the family reunions
began,

190
00:08:34,200 --> 00:08:36,566
our tree looked something
like this--

191
00:08:36,566 --> 00:08:39,433
a handwritten document
created by my great-great-uncle

192
00:08:39,433 --> 00:08:42,466
Bebe Hurt,
one of Lee and Liza's sons.

193
00:08:44,066 --> 00:08:46,266
And with so many of Lee and
Liza's older grandchildren

194
00:08:46,266 --> 00:08:48,466
now deceased, we can't ask them

195
00:08:48,466 --> 00:08:51,766
important questions
about our family's history.

196
00:08:51,766 --> 00:08:54,500
My cousins Renard and Jandra
suggested

197
00:08:54,500 --> 00:08:56,400
that I visit with the elders
in our family

198
00:08:56,400 --> 00:08:58,300
to learn the story
behind the reunions,

199
00:08:58,300 --> 00:09:00,566
what they remember
about Lee and Liza,

200
00:09:00,566 --> 00:09:04,500
and how they feel
about genetic ancestry research.

201
00:09:04,500 --> 00:09:06,766
Out of respect for my elders,

202
00:09:06,766 --> 00:09:08,800
it's only right
that I start my journey

203
00:09:08,800 --> 00:09:12,000
by visiting our two living
family reunion co-founders,

204
00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:13,700
Helen Roberts in Atlanta

205
00:09:13,700 --> 00:09:16,500
and Lee and Liza's oldest
grandchild,

206
00:09:16,500 --> 00:09:19,166
Rosie McGee, in Chicago.

207
00:09:19,166 --> 00:09:22,000
So tell me, how did our family
reunions get started?

208
00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:23,366
MAN:
Excuse me,
Mr. President.

209
00:09:23,366 --> 00:09:25,433
ROBERTS:
I got the phone call
from cousin Dave.

210
00:09:25,433 --> 00:09:27,933
(men laughing)
ROBERTS:
I didn't know him.

211
00:09:27,933 --> 00:09:31,133
And he told me, "I have a nice
cousin over here

212
00:09:31,133 --> 00:09:34,066
from Chicago
that you need to meet, Rosie."

213
00:09:34,066 --> 00:09:35,500
He said,
"Do you know her?"

214
00:09:35,500 --> 00:09:37,033
Mm-hmm.
I said, "No."

215
00:09:37,033 --> 00:09:39,300
He said,
"Well, it's a good time."

216
00:09:39,300 --> 00:09:41,333
MCGEE:
Helen came over,

217
00:09:41,333 --> 00:09:43,333
and we were sitting at the table
and we was having fun.

218
00:09:43,333 --> 00:09:44,600
You know, we like to eat, too,
though.

219
00:09:44,600 --> 00:09:45,833
You know that, don't you?
(Byron Hurt laughs)

220
00:09:45,833 --> 00:09:47,866
And so we just started
to talk,

221
00:09:47,866 --> 00:09:50,033
and he asked me, who was,
who,

222
00:09:50,033 --> 00:09:51,766
what branch
did I come off from?

223
00:09:51,766 --> 00:09:53,133
I said, "Lee Hurt."

224
00:09:53,133 --> 00:09:55,233
I said,
"That's my father."

225
00:09:55,233 --> 00:09:57,666
He said, "Oh, you come
from the man

226
00:09:57,666 --> 00:09:58,700
that had all the kids."

227
00:09:58,700 --> 00:10:01,000
(laughing)
I said, I said, "Yes."

228
00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:04,133
And the first family reunion,
down in Milledgeville...
Mmm.

229
00:10:04,133 --> 00:10:07,300
...I think we had
about, like, 300...

230
00:10:07,300 --> 00:10:08,833
There was a lot of people
there.

231
00:10:08,833 --> 00:10:10,466
About 307 people.

232
00:10:10,466 --> 00:10:12,866
That was, that was the first
one-- I was a 14-year-old boy.

233
00:10:12,866 --> 00:10:14,666
14-year-old boy.
And I was excited.

234
00:10:14,666 --> 00:10:15,833
I mean, I can remember it
like it was yesterday.

235
00:10:15,833 --> 00:10:20,500
MCGEE:
I took a busload from Chicago

236
00:10:20,500 --> 00:10:23,500
down to Milledgeville, Georgia,
for the family reunion.

237
00:10:23,500 --> 00:10:26,900
Everybody just was happy
that they had a chance

238
00:10:26,900 --> 00:10:29,833
to meet cousins that
you didn't know that you had.

239
00:10:29,833 --> 00:10:31,433
How does it feel to be
a founder

240
00:10:31,433 --> 00:10:32,533
of the Hurt-Waller family
reunion?

241
00:10:32,533 --> 00:10:34,533
I feel good,
that's why I made up my mind

242
00:10:34,533 --> 00:10:36,033
to come on over here
this morning

243
00:10:36,033 --> 00:10:37,600
and get this
out of the way.
(both laughing)

244
00:10:37,600 --> 00:10:40,466
(music playing,
people cheering in background)

245
00:10:40,466 --> 00:10:41,900
BYRON HURT:
Since 1985,

246
00:10:41,900 --> 00:10:46,433
we've had 18 family reunions,
and I can't tell you what

247
00:10:46,433 --> 00:10:49,033
the family reunions do for me

248
00:10:49,033 --> 00:10:52,033
in terms of just feeling a sense
of pride,

249
00:10:52,033 --> 00:10:54,700
that you belong to this large
family

250
00:10:54,700 --> 00:10:57,400
that loves you,
that cares about you.

251
00:10:57,400 --> 00:11:00,366
And nothing feels better than
knowing who your family is.

252
00:11:00,366 --> 00:11:02,533
You feel a certain togetherness

253
00:11:02,533 --> 00:11:06,300
and oneness with your people,
your tribe.

254
00:11:07,933 --> 00:11:09,700
And over the decades,

255
00:11:09,700 --> 00:11:12,833
our reunions have allowed us
to build out our family tree

256
00:11:12,833 --> 00:11:16,333
from something like this in 1985

257
00:11:16,333 --> 00:11:19,033
to this today.

258
00:11:19,033 --> 00:11:21,566
But as I grew older

259
00:11:21,566 --> 00:11:23,533
and started to learn more
about Black history

260
00:11:23,533 --> 00:11:26,900
and culture and identity,
I wondered more and more

261
00:11:26,900 --> 00:11:28,666
about our family tree.

262
00:11:28,666 --> 00:11:32,133
Why did it stop at Lee and Liza?

263
00:11:32,133 --> 00:11:34,033
I wished that I could go back
further in time,

264
00:11:34,033 --> 00:11:35,900
further in our family lineage,

265
00:11:35,900 --> 00:11:38,366
but doing that kind of ancestry
research

266
00:11:38,366 --> 00:11:40,500
was so daunting
and overwhelming.

267
00:11:40,500 --> 00:11:43,900
And then, ads like this
Ancestry commercial

268
00:11:43,900 --> 00:11:46,033
gave way to new possibilities.

269
00:11:46,033 --> 00:11:47,166
I was a little afraid.

270
00:11:47,166 --> 00:11:48,666
I mean, as an African American,

271
00:11:48,666 --> 00:11:50,833
I knew where my family tree
might end up.

272
00:11:50,833 --> 00:11:54,366
But I went on ancestry.com
anyway,

273
00:11:54,366 --> 00:11:58,700
and I found out my great-great-
grandfather was born a slave.

274
00:11:58,700 --> 00:12:00,900
He died a businessman.

275
00:12:02,866 --> 00:12:04,700
BYRON HURT:
Suddenly,

276
00:12:04,700 --> 00:12:06,100
genetic research felt less
intimidating

277
00:12:06,100 --> 00:12:08,700
and more accessible
to the average person.

278
00:12:08,700 --> 00:12:11,333
Over the last ten to 15 years,

279
00:12:11,333 --> 00:12:13,500
several companies with names
like Ancestry

280
00:12:13,500 --> 00:12:15,466
and 23andMe have emerged,

281
00:12:15,466 --> 00:12:18,166
offering DNA tests to consumers.

282
00:12:18,166 --> 00:12:21,400
Today, tens of millions
of people in the U.S.

283
00:12:21,400 --> 00:12:23,533
and around the world
have signed up.

284
00:12:23,533 --> 00:12:25,366
And there are growing databases

285
00:12:25,366 --> 00:12:29,266
of DNA samples used to match
folks up with their relatives.

286
00:12:29,266 --> 00:12:33,166
But DNA can also be useful
in ancestry research.

287
00:12:33,166 --> 00:12:38,633
Your DNA contains within it
a record of your ancestors,

288
00:12:38,633 --> 00:12:41,500
because each of us gets one-half
of our DNA from our father

289
00:12:41,500 --> 00:12:44,766
and the other half
from our mother.

290
00:12:44,766 --> 00:12:47,700
So, I have a biological link
to my parents,

291
00:12:47,700 --> 00:12:50,033
and through them
to their parents.

292
00:12:50,033 --> 00:12:52,533
But it doesn't take many steps
down the family tree

293
00:12:52,533 --> 00:12:57,633
before the amount of DNA from an
ancestor gets pretty diluted.

294
00:12:57,633 --> 00:13:02,600
Lee and Liza are just two of my
16 great-great-grandparents,

295
00:13:02,600 --> 00:13:06,033
so only about six percent of
each of their DNA is in me.

296
00:13:06,033 --> 00:13:08,833
We know that Lee and Liza

297
00:13:08,833 --> 00:13:10,500
won't turn up in our DNA tests.

298
00:13:10,500 --> 00:13:14,733
For that, we'd have to have
their DNA, which we don't have.

299
00:13:14,733 --> 00:13:18,866
Genetic ancestry DNA test kits
can potentially help us

300
00:13:18,866 --> 00:13:22,666
find others who share their DNA
and may have information

301
00:13:22,666 --> 00:13:26,166
about our family
to share with us.

302
00:13:26,166 --> 00:13:28,166
DNA is a powerful tool

303
00:13:28,166 --> 00:13:30,400
for the personal information
that it can reveal,

304
00:13:30,400 --> 00:13:33,766
but not everyone is excited
about it for just that reason--

305
00:13:33,766 --> 00:13:35,833
like my cousin Rosie.

306
00:13:35,833 --> 00:13:38,800
I don't think you should go
any further.

307
00:13:38,800 --> 00:13:40,566
This is our beginning, you know.

308
00:13:40,566 --> 00:13:43,333
'Cause most time,
you find something that

309
00:13:43,333 --> 00:13:45,900
is not so pleasant.
Mm-hmm.

310
00:13:45,900 --> 00:13:47,066
When you dig back.

311
00:13:47,066 --> 00:13:48,666
And I just feel
that there's an old saying,

312
00:13:48,666 --> 00:13:50,800
"Let sleeping dogs lie."

313
00:13:50,800 --> 00:13:53,100
BYRON HURT:
To have your DNA tested,

314
00:13:53,100 --> 00:13:55,566
you have to pay for a test kit
and submit your saliva,

315
00:13:55,566 --> 00:14:00,333
which contains
your genetic code.

316
00:14:00,333 --> 00:14:02,266
Over-the-counter DNA testing
commercials

317
00:14:02,266 --> 00:14:03,866
caught the attention

318
00:14:03,866 --> 00:14:06,100
of the Hurt-Waller
national executive committee,

319
00:14:06,100 --> 00:14:07,900
particularly
my cousin Anitra Hurt,

320
00:14:07,900 --> 00:14:10,300
the first woman president
of our family.

321
00:14:10,300 --> 00:14:11,933
(in interview):
What is it like to be

322
00:14:11,933 --> 00:14:12,933
the president of a family?

323
00:14:12,933 --> 00:14:15,466
I feel like Kamala Harris.

324
00:14:15,466 --> 00:14:16,800
(laughs)
She's going to be the next,
right?

325
00:14:16,800 --> 00:14:18,000
Uh, it feels good.

326
00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:20,000
So you created
the ancestry committee.

327
00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:21,133
Correct.
Why?

328
00:14:21,133 --> 00:14:22,933
There was a lot of people
that,

329
00:14:22,933 --> 00:14:25,066
and you may feel this way, too,
that you just don't know.

330
00:14:25,066 --> 00:14:27,133
Like, who is this person?
Who is this person?

331
00:14:27,133 --> 00:14:29,300
And we, it only, it stops
at a certain point.

332
00:14:29,300 --> 00:14:31,266
"Oh, I know my cousin,
I know my uncle.

333
00:14:31,266 --> 00:14:33,933
I know my great-uncle."

334
00:14:33,933 --> 00:14:35,900
We don't know...
Well, I don't know about you,

335
00:14:35,900 --> 00:14:37,466
but I didn't know much more.
Yeah.

336
00:14:37,466 --> 00:14:39,866
So I just wanted to just dig
deeper into the history,

337
00:14:39,866 --> 00:14:41,400
and, um, that's when I formed
the committee,

338
00:14:41,400 --> 00:14:43,333
so we can see
where it all started.

339
00:14:43,333 --> 00:14:46,066
What are your thoughts
about DNA...
Mm-hmm.

340
00:14:46,066 --> 00:14:48,600
...and, and what DNA
can offer in terms

341
00:14:48,600 --> 00:14:50,333
of helping us to find
our family members?

342
00:14:50,333 --> 00:14:52,400
Well, I think as long as what
we're doing now

343
00:14:52,400 --> 00:14:55,966
is picking people specifically
from each branch,

344
00:14:55,966 --> 00:14:59,300
is good, because, I mean, we,
we're bound to find something

345
00:14:59,300 --> 00:15:01,066
if we put the right people
in place,

346
00:15:01,066 --> 00:15:02,766
as far as whose DNA
we're checking.

347
00:15:02,766 --> 00:15:05,700
BYRON HURT:
Anitra is starting
with a family tree

348
00:15:05,700 --> 00:15:09,566
that already has a large number
of family members on it.

349
00:15:09,566 --> 00:15:12,100
The fact that we have this
amazing family tree at all

350
00:15:12,100 --> 00:15:14,333
is thanks to devoted
family members

351
00:15:14,333 --> 00:15:17,066
like my cousin Annie Bishop,
who, over the years,

352
00:15:17,066 --> 00:15:19,633
preserved
the history of our family.

353
00:15:19,633 --> 00:15:21,433
So about a year
before the reunion,

354
00:15:21,433 --> 00:15:24,400
35 members of the Hurt-Waller
family ordered tests

355
00:15:24,400 --> 00:15:27,400
and sent in their saliva
for analysis.

356
00:15:27,400 --> 00:15:30,233
I'm hoping that the research
that Jandra and Renard

357
00:15:30,233 --> 00:15:32,566
are using in terms
of DNA research

358
00:15:32,566 --> 00:15:34,933
is really going to give them
a big boost

359
00:15:34,933 --> 00:15:36,933
in all of the research
that they've done so far.

360
00:15:37,933 --> 00:15:41,500
ROGERS:
Before we started
this ancestry research,

361
00:15:41,500 --> 00:15:43,333
I didn't know anything
about Lee Hurt.

362
00:15:43,333 --> 00:15:45,533
We knew that he had
a, a lot of kids,

363
00:15:45,533 --> 00:15:47,800
and those are the ones
we focused on.

364
00:15:47,800 --> 00:15:49,700
We didn't really focus on Lee.

365
00:15:49,700 --> 00:15:51,733
Did you know more about...

366
00:15:51,733 --> 00:15:53,733
I didn't know much, much
about Lee at all.

367
00:15:53,733 --> 00:15:57,333
No, just that Lee Hurt
was, uh,

368
00:15:57,333 --> 00:15:59,400
an ambitious farmer.

369
00:15:59,400 --> 00:16:02,733
ROGERS:
I heard he was mulatto--
I did not know that

370
00:16:02,733 --> 00:16:05,266
until we started doing
some of the research.

371
00:16:05,266 --> 00:16:07,233
I don't, still don't know
if it's actually true,

372
00:16:07,233 --> 00:16:09,133
because we're trying to
figure out

373
00:16:09,133 --> 00:16:11,666
what his mother
and father's race was.

374
00:16:11,666 --> 00:16:13,300
♪ ♪

375
00:16:13,300 --> 00:16:15,400
BYRON HURT:
According to our family's
oral history,

376
00:16:15,400 --> 00:16:18,266
Lee Hurt's father
was a white man.

377
00:16:18,266 --> 00:16:20,733
The term "mulatto" is used
to describe people

378
00:16:20,733 --> 00:16:22,633
of Black and white
racial heritage.

379
00:16:22,633 --> 00:16:26,166
It's a classification widely
seen today as an old,

380
00:16:26,166 --> 00:16:28,333
outdated, and offensive term.

381
00:16:28,333 --> 00:16:30,866
What matters here
is that during slavery,

382
00:16:30,866 --> 00:16:33,400
white men routinely raped
enslaved Black women,

383
00:16:33,400 --> 00:16:36,200
who had no control
over their bodies.

384
00:16:36,200 --> 00:16:38,400
Lee could have been
the product of rape,

385
00:16:38,400 --> 00:16:42,000
causing shame and silence
around his birth father.

386
00:16:42,000 --> 00:16:43,600
What complicates this
is the fact

387
00:16:43,600 --> 00:16:47,633
that Black people during that
time were not considered human.

388
00:16:47,633 --> 00:16:49,666
Aside from slaveholder estate
inventories,

389
00:16:49,666 --> 00:16:52,333
census and other historical
records were not kept

390
00:16:52,333 --> 00:16:55,166
for the enslaved before 1870.

391
00:16:55,166 --> 00:16:57,433
However, they were more
accurately kept

392
00:16:57,433 --> 00:17:00,133
for white people,
especially white men.

393
00:17:00,133 --> 00:17:03,300
So finding out who Lee's father
is might be easier

394
00:17:03,300 --> 00:17:05,500
if in fact he was a white man.

395
00:17:05,500 --> 00:17:08,133
Finding Lee's father is critical
to our search

396
00:17:08,133 --> 00:17:11,100
to learn more about the Hurt
side of our family.

397
00:17:11,100 --> 00:17:13,633
Whenever we go to the
family reunion, we see

398
00:17:13,633 --> 00:17:17,600
Lee and Eliza at the top
of the family tree...
WOMAN: Yes.

399
00:17:17,600 --> 00:17:19,166
...as if they appeared,
you know,

400
00:17:19,166 --> 00:17:20,566
like they, they were

401
00:17:20,566 --> 00:17:22,366
our Adam and Eve.
ROGERS:
Adam and Eve.

402
00:17:22,366 --> 00:17:24,733
(all laughing)
Right? Just, like, they're
like Adam and Eve, right?

403
00:17:24,733 --> 00:17:26,000
At the top of the
family tree,

404
00:17:26,000 --> 00:17:27,800
and then everything came
from them.
Mm-hmm.

405
00:17:27,800 --> 00:17:29,966
But when you really think
about it, they had parents,

406
00:17:29,966 --> 00:17:32,100
their parents had parents.
WOMAN:
Yeah.

407
00:17:32,100 --> 00:17:37,600
And their history has been lost
because of, you know, slavery.

408
00:17:37,600 --> 00:17:38,633
We know nothing.

409
00:17:38,633 --> 00:17:39,933
We have to rely

410
00:17:39,933 --> 00:17:42,833
on some of our older
family members

411
00:17:42,833 --> 00:17:44,833
to really tell us
what they remember.

412
00:17:44,833 --> 00:17:50,533
♪ ♪

413
00:17:50,533 --> 00:17:53,433
BYRON HURT:
Andra Mae is the second-oldest
living granddaughter

414
00:17:53,433 --> 00:17:57,666
of Lee and Liza, and has never
missed a family reunion.

415
00:17:57,666 --> 00:17:59,533
I brought her back
to her childhood home

416
00:17:59,533 --> 00:18:01,633
in Eatonton, Georgia.

417
00:18:01,633 --> 00:18:05,600
It's called a tag house, made
mostly of old license plates,

418
00:18:05,600 --> 00:18:07,366
and it still stands today.

419
00:18:07,366 --> 00:18:09,666
She shared memories
about her grandparents.

420
00:18:09,666 --> 00:18:13,333
HARRELL:
I am now 95.

421
00:18:13,333 --> 00:18:16,000
Do you remember Lee
and Liza?
Yes.

422
00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:17,900
What do you remember
of them?

423
00:18:17,900 --> 00:18:20,733
I remember
they was happy peoples,

424
00:18:20,733 --> 00:18:25,266
and you know they had to be
happy-- they had 14 childrens.

425
00:18:25,266 --> 00:18:27,400
Yeah, so...
(laughs)

426
00:18:27,400 --> 00:18:28,933
There have to be some love
in there, you know?

427
00:18:28,933 --> 00:18:30,633
What do you remember about

428
00:18:30,633 --> 00:18:32,366
this house behind us?

429
00:18:32,366 --> 00:18:36,100
HARRELL:
So, we stayed here
for a long time.

430
00:18:36,100 --> 00:18:41,733
Grandma Liza, she would
wear, like, dresses, kind of,

431
00:18:41,733 --> 00:18:45,433
big, long dresses, and she'll
mostly wear a, like,

432
00:18:45,433 --> 00:18:47,266
a hood on her head.

433
00:18:47,266 --> 00:18:50,033
And Grandpa, he would wear,

434
00:18:50,033 --> 00:18:53,033
he liked to wear them
big straw hats.
Hm.

435
00:18:53,033 --> 00:18:55,033
He didn't dress all up in suits.

436
00:18:55,033 --> 00:18:57,400
Mm-hmm.
He would wear, like,

437
00:18:57,400 --> 00:18:59,833
you know, them high-back
over, overalls.

438
00:18:59,833 --> 00:19:02,266
Most all of them back then
wore that.
Overalls.

439
00:19:02,266 --> 00:19:04,500
Them high-back overalls.
Mm-hmm.

440
00:19:04,500 --> 00:19:06,500
What do you think that Lee and
Liza would think about

441
00:19:06,500 --> 00:19:09,133
our Hurt-Waller family reunions,
if they were alive today?

442
00:19:09,133 --> 00:19:11,200
Oh, they would be proud--
they would.

443
00:19:11,200 --> 00:19:15,766
'Cause it's, the Hurt
and Waller family reunion

444
00:19:15,766 --> 00:19:18,366
is the biggest one I heard of.

445
00:19:18,366 --> 00:19:20,900
What do the family reunions
mean to you, personally?

446
00:19:20,900 --> 00:19:24,700
It mean everything--
I don't want to miss one.

447
00:19:24,700 --> 00:19:28,133
So if I call you all,
I need to go,

448
00:19:28,133 --> 00:19:30,033
so somebody better make a way.

449
00:19:30,033 --> 00:19:32,933
(chuckles):
Okay, make a way for
you to get there, huh?

450
00:19:32,933 --> 00:19:36,800
Make a way for me to get there.

451
00:19:36,800 --> 00:19:39,233
BYRON HURT:
As I left Andra Mae, I wondered

452
00:19:39,233 --> 00:19:41,000
if she ever thought she'd come
back to her old home,

453
00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:43,466
and that her family would be
using science

454
00:19:43,466 --> 00:19:46,666
to try to learn more about
her grandparents Lee and Liza.

455
00:19:46,666 --> 00:19:49,100
(computer keys tapping)

456
00:19:49,100 --> 00:19:51,233
Our family's oral history
has helped us

457
00:19:51,233 --> 00:19:53,733
fill in a lot of details
about our family tree,

458
00:19:53,733 --> 00:19:57,733
but it can only take us so far.

459
00:19:57,733 --> 00:19:59,533
Since Jandra has done a lot of
the heavy lifting

460
00:19:59,533 --> 00:20:02,500
when it comes to scouring public
records, I wanted to learn more

461
00:20:02,500 --> 00:20:05,666
about her research methods, so I
traveled to the city

462
00:20:05,666 --> 00:20:08,933
of Everman, Texas, where Jandra
lives and does most of her work

463
00:20:08,933 --> 00:20:11,866
uncovering details of the lives
of Lee and Liza.

464
00:20:14,866 --> 00:20:17,333
BYRON HURT:
So is this the only picture

465
00:20:17,333 --> 00:20:18,933
that we have of Lee Hurt?

466
00:20:18,933 --> 00:20:21,400
BONNER:
The only known picture.

467
00:20:21,400 --> 00:20:23,666
For Grandpa Lee, I found
property records

468
00:20:23,666 --> 00:20:26,133
that he actually owned property.

469
00:20:26,133 --> 00:20:29,166
I also found his marriage
license to Ma Liza,

470
00:20:29,166 --> 00:20:31,866
I found his information
on the census,

471
00:20:31,866 --> 00:20:33,533
and I found
his death certificate.

472
00:20:33,533 --> 00:20:36,566
BONNER:
This is the reason
for our journey,

473
00:20:36,566 --> 00:20:39,766
this information right here
that's blank.
BYRON HURT: Mm-hmm.

474
00:20:39,766 --> 00:20:45,066
Initially, I joined these sites
to build out a family tree.

475
00:20:45,066 --> 00:20:49,533
It's only recently that the
DNA portion of it

476
00:20:49,533 --> 00:20:53,866
has come into, you know,
being an important part of it.

477
00:20:53,866 --> 00:20:55,766
BONNER:
I think at this point,

478
00:20:55,766 --> 00:20:59,400
we've exhausted
a lot of the public records.

479
00:20:59,400 --> 00:21:04,533
That, that's the challenge,
so we have to turn to DNA.

480
00:21:04,533 --> 00:21:06,300
You know, that's, that's why
we went that way,

481
00:21:06,300 --> 00:21:08,500
in hopes that we can
find a link.

482
00:21:08,500 --> 00:21:11,400
♪ ♪

483
00:21:11,400 --> 00:21:13,833
BYRON HURT:
Given our history
of ruptured families,

484
00:21:13,833 --> 00:21:16,766
it's not surprising that many
Black folks are turning to DNA

485
00:21:16,766 --> 00:21:19,733
to try to put the pieces of our
families back together.

486
00:21:19,733 --> 00:21:22,666
Slavers captured
and brought Africans

487
00:21:22,666 --> 00:21:27,100
from the west coast of Africa
to these shores in America.

488
00:21:27,100 --> 00:21:29,900
Lee and Liza's ancestors
were likely among them.

489
00:21:29,900 --> 00:21:33,200
My cousins and I met up
with Dr. Fatimah Jackson

490
00:21:33,200 --> 00:21:35,700
on Tybee Island,
near Savannah, Georgia.

491
00:21:35,700 --> 00:21:39,566
Dr. Jackson, a biologist,
is an expert on DNA research,

492
00:21:39,566 --> 00:21:42,733
and fuses science with
her knowledge of Black history.

493
00:21:44,066 --> 00:21:48,200
(on camera):
Lee Hurt eventually settled in
Putnam County, Georgia, right?

494
00:21:48,200 --> 00:21:51,633
JACKSON: Yes, and, and so the
closest port is right here.
BYRON HURT: Right.

495
00:21:51,633 --> 00:21:54,166
Is it possible
that Lee Hurt's ancestors

496
00:21:54,166 --> 00:21:59,733
and Liza Waller's ancestors
came through Tybee Island?

497
00:21:59,733 --> 00:22:02,233
Very likely-- very likely.

498
00:22:02,233 --> 00:22:05,600
I mean, again,
we never know 100%,

499
00:22:05,600 --> 00:22:08,800
but we can make
a probability assessment.

500
00:22:08,800 --> 00:22:12,233
 
And the most likely point
of contact

501
00:22:12,233 --> 00:22:14,533
would be a place
like this island.

502
00:22:14,533 --> 00:22:18,566
Why is it so difficult for us
as a family...
Sure.

503
00:22:18,566 --> 00:22:20,566
...to learn the information
that we need to learn

504
00:22:20,566 --> 00:22:22,933
about Lee Hurt's parents,
his grandparents...
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

505
00:22:22,933 --> 00:22:26,066
...Liza Hurt's grandparents,
great-grandparents...

506
00:22:26,066 --> 00:22:27,633
Mm-hmm.
...and so on
and so forth?

507
00:22:27,633 --> 00:22:29,933
Well, our lives did not count

508
00:22:29,933 --> 00:22:32,766
in the way that other people's
lives counted.
ROGERS: Mm-hmm.

509
00:22:32,766 --> 00:22:35,300
You know, I mean,
if, if we ever needed

510
00:22:35,300 --> 00:22:37,766
a Black Lives Matter movement,
it would've been

511
00:22:37,766 --> 00:22:40,466
from our very inception
on these shores.

512
00:22:40,466 --> 00:22:42,766
Our lives didn't count.

513
00:22:42,766 --> 00:22:46,700
Plus, we don't have
the scientific record of Africa

514
00:22:46,700 --> 00:22:49,500
that would allow us
to make the, the bridges

515
00:22:49,500 --> 00:22:51,533
that we know exist,

516
00:22:51,533 --> 00:22:56,066
because we are an African people
in North America.

517
00:22:56,066 --> 00:22:59,033
BYRON HURT:
The big DNA databases
are mostly made up

518
00:22:59,033 --> 00:23:01,466
of samples from people
of European descent,

519
00:23:01,466 --> 00:23:04,333
with a lot fewer DNA samples
from Black people,

520
00:23:04,333 --> 00:23:08,133
whether they are now living
in Africa or the Americas.

521
00:23:08,133 --> 00:23:11,800
The African database
is not robust.

522
00:23:11,800 --> 00:23:16,366
There's not a lot of information
within the database,

523
00:23:16,366 --> 00:23:19,533
because the way
that genetic sequencing

524
00:23:19,533 --> 00:23:23,633
and ancestry reconstruction
works

525
00:23:23,633 --> 00:23:26,900
is that you take an unknown
sample-- say, your sample--

526
00:23:26,900 --> 00:23:29,500
and then we try to match it

527
00:23:29,500 --> 00:23:32,133
to samples that we have
already identified.

528
00:23:32,133 --> 00:23:35,100
If we can't match
the unknown sample

529
00:23:35,100 --> 00:23:38,600
to samples that we have
already identified,

530
00:23:38,600 --> 00:23:40,600
then we have a problem.

531
00:23:40,600 --> 00:23:44,400
DNA can tell you
some of your family history,

532
00:23:44,400 --> 00:23:47,366
but it's not all-encompassing.

533
00:23:47,366 --> 00:23:51,033
(computer keys tapping)

534
00:23:51,033 --> 00:23:53,533
♪ ♪

535
00:23:53,533 --> 00:23:54,966
BYRON HURT:
So, like many families,

536
00:23:54,966 --> 00:23:59,500
our family has very complicated,
complex family dynamics.

537
00:23:59,500 --> 00:24:02,300
We have cousins
marrying distant cousins,

538
00:24:02,300 --> 00:24:05,066
we have multiple marriages
that lead to double cousins,

539
00:24:05,066 --> 00:24:08,066
we have offspring
from those multiple marriages,

540
00:24:08,066 --> 00:24:10,200
and we have children

541
00:24:10,200 --> 00:24:12,133
that are the result
of secret relationships.

542
00:24:12,133 --> 00:24:16,100
In Eatonton, many of those
complicated family relationships

543
00:24:16,100 --> 00:24:18,633
happened right here within this
tight-knit community.

544
00:24:18,633 --> 00:24:21,766
These family dynamics are often
hard to track,

545
00:24:21,766 --> 00:24:25,566
and can make your head spin.

546
00:24:25,566 --> 00:24:29,200
This is where my family's story
gets very complicated.

547
00:24:29,200 --> 00:24:32,666
Renard and Jandra connected
with Germaine Mullins.

548
00:24:32,666 --> 00:24:36,266
Germaine is connected to our
family, but through marriage.

549
00:24:36,266 --> 00:24:38,866
Germaine found information
about

550
00:24:38,866 --> 00:24:41,666
Lee Hurt's family background
through her own family research

551
00:24:41,666 --> 00:24:44,533
on familysearch.com.
(mouse clicks)

552
00:24:44,533 --> 00:24:48,833
Her research turned up a man
named Spencer Hirt,

553
00:24:48,833 --> 00:24:51,500
spelled with an I, not a U,
like our name is spelled.

554
00:24:51,500 --> 00:24:54,233
As a result,
Germaine became aware

555
00:24:54,233 --> 00:24:56,300
of a woman named
Cheyenne Hirt-Lee,

556
00:24:56,300 --> 00:24:59,466
who showed up
on her family tree.

557
00:24:59,466 --> 00:25:01,800
Germaine told Renard
about Cheyenne,

558
00:25:01,800 --> 00:25:05,100
who was also researching
her paternal family tree.

559
00:25:05,100 --> 00:25:08,066
It appears that Cheyenne's
family may be connected

560
00:25:08,066 --> 00:25:11,200
to our family
through Spencer Hirt.

561
00:25:11,200 --> 00:25:13,200
Could DNA prove a connection

562
00:25:13,200 --> 00:25:15,733
between Spencer Hirt
and Lee Hurt?

563
00:25:15,733 --> 00:25:18,000
If so, that could open the door

564
00:25:18,000 --> 00:25:21,533
to finding more information
about our shared ancestors.

565
00:25:21,533 --> 00:25:24,066
HIRT-LEE:
One night, I was on Facebook

566
00:25:24,066 --> 00:25:26,500
and I got a message from Renard,
and he said...

567
00:25:26,500 --> 00:25:29,066
You know, it was this long
message, and he was, like,

568
00:25:29,066 --> 00:25:31,633
"Do you know who Spencer Hirt
is?"
(chuckles)

569
00:25:31,633 --> 00:25:34,866
And, you know, "We're trying to
trace our descendant."

570
00:25:34,866 --> 00:25:37,933
And I was, like, "Spencer Hirt--
Spencer Hirt."

571
00:25:37,933 --> 00:25:40,233
And I looked in my phone

572
00:25:40,233 --> 00:25:43,033
and I had a picture
of Spencer Hirt in my phone.

573
00:25:43,033 --> 00:25:44,666
And I sent him this, and I said,

574
00:25:44,666 --> 00:25:46,600
"I think I know
who Spencer Hirt is."

575
00:25:46,600 --> 00:25:48,333
BYRON HURT: Is that him?
HIRT-LEE:
That's it.

576
00:25:48,333 --> 00:25:49,966
What do we need to know

577
00:25:49,966 --> 00:25:53,866
to determine, concretely,

578
00:25:53,866 --> 00:25:58,633
that these two men here
are in fact brothers?

579
00:25:58,633 --> 00:26:01,366
BONNER:
We're gonna have to find
the common link

580
00:26:01,366 --> 00:26:03,566
somewhere up
in the generations.
Mm-hmm.

581
00:26:03,566 --> 00:26:05,666
That's one way--
how the DNA works.

582
00:26:05,666 --> 00:26:08,533
Mm-hmm.
We have to find that connection
through the relatives.

583
00:26:08,533 --> 00:26:11,833
If we can find some descendants

584
00:26:11,833 --> 00:26:14,333
in certain lines, then we can
reach out for the DNA.
Okay.

585
00:26:14,333 --> 00:26:16,133
I know the answer
is out there.

586
00:26:16,133 --> 00:26:18,033
Okay.
It's just waiting
to be discovered.

587
00:26:18,033 --> 00:26:20,566
Got you, so, you're...
BONNER: I'm hopeful
that there is a connection

588
00:26:20,566 --> 00:26:23,733
between Lee and Spencer Hirt,

589
00:26:23,733 --> 00:26:26,266
because we don't know
that much about Lee Hurt.

590
00:26:26,266 --> 00:26:28,666
And, hopefully,
if we can find out

591
00:26:28,666 --> 00:26:30,500
 
that Lee and Spencer
are related,

592
00:26:30,500 --> 00:26:34,533
we can find out
who his parents potentially are.

593
00:26:34,533 --> 00:26:36,400
I'm hoping that we will be able

594
00:26:36,400 --> 00:26:38,600
to find the connection
before the reunion.

595
00:26:38,600 --> 00:26:40,600
We really want to be able
to present

596
00:26:40,600 --> 00:26:44,400
what we've found so far to our
family at the family reunion.

597
00:26:44,400 --> 00:26:48,566
 
And, but again, until we get
the DNA results back,

598
00:26:48,566 --> 00:26:50,966
and until we get the DNA results
back specifically

599
00:26:50,966 --> 00:26:54,633
of who we think are the
descendants of Spencer Hirt,

600
00:26:54,633 --> 00:26:55,733
we won't know for sure.

601
00:26:55,733 --> 00:26:57,666
So, we know that Spencer Hirt

602
00:26:57,666 --> 00:27:00,800
and Lee Hurt grew up in close
proximity to each other.

603
00:27:00,800 --> 00:27:03,000
They were born
around the same time.

604
00:27:03,000 --> 00:27:05,133
They were around the same age.

605
00:27:05,133 --> 00:27:06,900
And so the question
that we have is,

606
00:27:06,900 --> 00:27:10,766
were they full brothers,
half-brothers, or neither?

607
00:27:10,766 --> 00:27:12,600
In order to find out,

608
00:27:12,600 --> 00:27:15,533
we can use the DNA
of living descendants.

609
00:27:15,533 --> 00:27:18,533
An important key
to the piece of the puzzle

610
00:27:18,533 --> 00:27:20,200
is in our sex chromosomes.

611
00:27:20,200 --> 00:27:23,400
Each person's DNA
is contained in chromosomes.

612
00:27:23,400 --> 00:27:27,633
And, typically,
each person has 23 pairs.

613
00:27:27,633 --> 00:27:30,000
The 23rd of those pairs
is called the sex chromosomes,

614
00:27:30,000 --> 00:27:33,700
and there are two types,
X and Y.

615
00:27:33,700 --> 00:27:37,833
Biological females have two
X chromosomes paired together,

616
00:27:37,833 --> 00:27:41,700
while biological males
have an X and a Y.

617
00:27:41,700 --> 00:27:43,800
That Y chromosome is passed down

618
00:27:43,800 --> 00:27:47,066
through the male line
from father to son to grandson,

619
00:27:47,066 --> 00:27:48,533
and so forth.

620
00:27:48,533 --> 00:27:52,333
And it doesn't change
very much over the generations.

621
00:27:52,333 --> 00:27:54,566
If we compare a Y chromosome

622
00:27:54,566 --> 00:27:57,300
from a male-line descendant
of Lee, like me,

623
00:27:57,300 --> 00:28:00,800
and the Y chromosome of a
male-line descendant of Spencer,

624
00:28:00,800 --> 00:28:02,800
and we find huge similarities,

625
00:28:02,800 --> 00:28:07,666
that could mean that Spencer
and Lee had the same father.

626
00:28:07,666 --> 00:28:11,166
Finding Cheyenne Hirt-Lee
was critical,

627
00:28:11,166 --> 00:28:14,433
because her dad is a male-line
descendant of Spencer Hirt.

628
00:28:14,433 --> 00:28:17,966
If DNA testing confirms that
Spencer and Lee were brothers,

629
00:28:17,966 --> 00:28:19,933
we could find out
more information

630
00:28:19,933 --> 00:28:22,200
about the origins of Lee Hurt.

631
00:28:22,200 --> 00:28:24,433
But first, we wanted to find out

632
00:28:24,433 --> 00:28:28,000
if Cheyenne is related to
our side of the family at all.

633
00:28:28,000 --> 00:28:31,266
This is a pretty big milestone,
potentially,

634
00:28:31,266 --> 00:28:34,066
in terms of learning
more information about Lee Hurt.

635
00:28:34,066 --> 00:28:35,633
ROGERS:
We may have found

636
00:28:35,633 --> 00:28:38,966
a sibling of Lee Hurt, and
his name is Spencer Hirt.

637
00:28:38,966 --> 00:28:40,566
He was born around
the same time,

638
00:28:40,566 --> 00:28:42,633
right around the same place,

639
00:28:42,633 --> 00:28:44,533
but that's all we know
at this point.

640
00:28:44,533 --> 00:28:47,200
What, what's key to me
is the fact that

641
00:28:47,200 --> 00:28:50,266
the roadblock
that we have been hitting

642
00:28:50,266 --> 00:28:53,666
year after year
will be removed.

643
00:28:53,666 --> 00:28:58,733
And the fact that DNA
is a large part of it,

644
00:28:58,733 --> 00:29:00,400
because we have someone

645
00:29:00,400 --> 00:29:03,133
who potentially
can be blood-related,

646
00:29:03,133 --> 00:29:04,500
that's just huge.

647
00:29:04,500 --> 00:29:05,866
So, how are you
feeling, cousin?

648
00:29:05,866 --> 00:29:07,066
Are you, are you...
How do you feel?

649
00:29:07,066 --> 00:29:08,133
Right now, how do you feel?
Man, I...

650
00:29:08,133 --> 00:29:10,133
I'm, I'm just,
I'm just excited.

651
00:29:10,133 --> 00:29:11,700
I'm a little nervous, you know,

652
00:29:11,700 --> 00:29:14,100
because I really want there
to be a connection.

653
00:29:14,100 --> 00:29:16,966
I'll be disappointed,
in a way,

654
00:29:16,966 --> 00:29:18,333
but at least we'll know

655
00:29:18,333 --> 00:29:21,100
if, if it turns out
that they're not related.

656
00:29:21,100 --> 00:29:23,200
Hi, guys.
(others greeting)

657
00:29:23,200 --> 00:29:24,600
How you doing?
Good to see you!

658
00:29:24,600 --> 00:29:26,733
All right.
Good seeing you again.

659
00:29:26,733 --> 00:29:28,100
BYRON HURT:
So, Cheyenne,

660
00:29:28,100 --> 00:29:30,066
how are you feeling
right now?

661
00:29:30,066 --> 00:29:31,666
I mean, you've kind of been
on your own journey

662
00:29:31,666 --> 00:29:33,566
to figure out more
about your family.

663
00:29:33,566 --> 00:29:36,966
Um, how do you feel
knowing that, you know,

664
00:29:36,966 --> 00:29:38,400
there could be a
possible connection

665
00:29:38,400 --> 00:29:39,800
between your side
of the family,

666
00:29:39,800 --> 00:29:41,966
or your family,
and our family?

667
00:29:41,966 --> 00:29:44,866
I'm excited, um, I'm nervous.

668
00:29:44,866 --> 00:29:47,833
Um, you know, I never thought
that,

669
00:29:47,833 --> 00:29:51,366
from my tree, that there were so
many branches

670
00:29:51,366 --> 00:29:53,466
that I didn't even know existed.

671
00:29:53,466 --> 00:29:57,933
So, to find you guys, and
you guys find me, just excited.

672
00:29:59,100 --> 00:30:03,333
BONNER:
We're looking at my personal
family tree under Hurt-Waller.

673
00:30:03,333 --> 00:30:04,366
(mouse clicks)

674
00:30:04,366 --> 00:30:06,266
It says
"no matches found."

675
00:30:06,266 --> 00:30:07,500
Mm-hmm.

676
00:30:07,500 --> 00:30:10,000
ROGERS:
Oh, that's all of them.

677
00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:11,600
BONNER:
Mm-hmm-- mm-hmm.

678
00:30:11,600 --> 00:30:14,466
So this is not looking
very promising.

679
00:30:15,633 --> 00:30:17,333
BYRON HURT (voiceover):
The ancestry DNA results

680
00:30:17,333 --> 00:30:21,033
showed no connection
between Cheyenne and our family.

681
00:30:21,033 --> 00:30:24,500
HIRT-LEE:
I feel that it's too much
of a coincidence,

682
00:30:24,500 --> 00:30:28,466
you know, that our ancestors
were in Eatonton.

683
00:30:28,466 --> 00:30:31,366
I'm kind of disappointed.
(others murmur)

684
00:30:31,366 --> 00:30:33,566
BYRON HURT (voiceover):
But Renard noticed a name

685
00:30:33,566 --> 00:30:35,500
on Cheyenne's family tree
that gave some hope

686
00:30:35,500 --> 00:30:37,266
that there was a connection

687
00:30:37,266 --> 00:30:39,433
between
Spencer Hirt and Lee Hurt:

688
00:30:39,433 --> 00:30:42,800
Helen Hurt Gatewood.

689
00:30:42,800 --> 00:30:45,566
ROGERS:
Look, notice how she spells it,
too, that's interesting.

690
00:30:45,566 --> 00:30:48,233
H-U-R-T.

691
00:30:48,233 --> 00:30:53,000
♪ ♪

692
00:30:53,000 --> 00:30:54,266
BYRON HURT (voiceover):
The DNA confirmed

693
00:30:54,266 --> 00:30:56,033
that Cheyenne
and her dad, Michael,

694
00:30:56,033 --> 00:30:58,833
are cousins to Helen.

695
00:30:58,833 --> 00:31:02,433
DNA tests also confirmed
that Helen Hurt Gatewood

696
00:31:02,433 --> 00:31:05,366
is cousins
with Renard Rogers, Hugh Hurt,

697
00:31:05,366 --> 00:31:07,033
and Jennifer Hurt Perillo,

698
00:31:07,033 --> 00:31:09,866
who are all descendants
of Lee Hurt.

699
00:31:09,866 --> 00:31:12,666
ROGERS:
If we look at, uh,
Helen's lineage,

700
00:31:12,666 --> 00:31:15,100
her great-great-grandfather
is Spencer Hirt.

701
00:31:15,100 --> 00:31:17,100
So, that is a big deal.

702
00:31:17,100 --> 00:31:19,700
I'm connected to Helen,
and two of my other cousins

703
00:31:19,700 --> 00:31:23,200
are connected to Helen
that are on the Lee Hurt side.

704
00:31:23,200 --> 00:31:27,166
So, that means that, Lee--
we are related somehow.

705
00:31:27,166 --> 00:31:30,533
So, that established a,
the first real connection

706
00:31:30,533 --> 00:31:33,766
between the Lee Hurt line
and the Spencer Hirt line.

707
00:31:33,766 --> 00:31:39,600
♪ ♪

708
00:31:39,600 --> 00:31:42,333
BYRON HURT:
My family typically focuses

709
00:31:42,333 --> 00:31:44,000
on the Hurt side of the family.

710
00:31:44,000 --> 00:31:46,566
But what about the Waller side?

711
00:31:46,566 --> 00:31:49,000
Jandra and Renard came
across census records

712
00:31:49,000 --> 00:31:50,600
that show two different mothers

713
00:31:50,600 --> 00:31:52,566
for Liza Waller
and her siblings,

714
00:31:52,566 --> 00:31:57,200
one named Matilda
and the other named Dilsey--

715
00:31:57,200 --> 00:32:01,766
another conundrum left
by inadequate family records.

716
00:32:01,766 --> 00:32:04,433
Mary Waller Brown is
on the ancestry committee,

717
00:32:04,433 --> 00:32:07,500
and has been doing research
on the Wallers for many years.

718
00:32:07,500 --> 00:32:10,666
We went to visit Mary
in her home in San Antonio

719
00:32:10,666 --> 00:32:12,033
to settle the question:

720
00:32:12,033 --> 00:32:16,400
Is Liza's biological mother
Matilda or Dilsey?

721
00:32:16,400 --> 00:32:19,033
BYRON HURT: Hey, hey, hey! Hey!
Who is that?
Who do I see there?

722
00:32:19,033 --> 00:32:20,766
Hey!
Finally.

723
00:32:20,766 --> 00:32:22,466
Good-looking lady!

724
00:32:22,466 --> 00:32:23,533
In the flesh.

725
00:32:23,533 --> 00:32:24,800
ROGERS (voiceover):
Mary Brown

726
00:32:24,800 --> 00:32:26,433
is the first Waller

727
00:32:26,433 --> 00:32:29,133
that I actually knew about.

728
00:32:29,133 --> 00:32:33,166
And it was because Mary Waller
had done research herself

729
00:32:33,166 --> 00:32:35,000
on the Waller side
of the family,

730
00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:39,033
we were able to get a copy
of what she had documented.

731
00:32:39,033 --> 00:32:41,666
It turned into a kind
of a book that she had done,

732
00:32:41,666 --> 00:32:43,033
and so we contacted her

733
00:32:43,033 --> 00:32:45,766
to find out what she knew
about the Wallers,

734
00:32:45,766 --> 00:32:47,333
because we found, thought that,

735
00:32:47,333 --> 00:32:49,033
because she had done that book,

736
00:32:49,033 --> 00:32:51,933
that she would know a lot
about Eliza Waller.

737
00:32:51,933 --> 00:32:53,466
So you are a Waller?

738
00:32:53,466 --> 00:32:54,933
I was born a Waller.

739
00:32:54,933 --> 00:32:58,300
Do you remember hearing any
stories about Liza at all?

740
00:32:58,300 --> 00:32:59,466
Not at all.

741
00:32:59,466 --> 00:33:01,866
I would love
to know more about her.

742
00:33:01,866 --> 00:33:06,533
I'm very interested in family
and, you know, who we are.

743
00:33:06,533 --> 00:33:09,400
BYRON HURT:
Do you know the name
of Liza's mother?

744
00:33:09,400 --> 00:33:13,333
From the information
that I've researched and found,

745
00:33:13,333 --> 00:33:16,266
um, I've found it
to be Desler.

746
00:33:16,266 --> 00:33:17,900
But there have been
some questions

747
00:33:17,900 --> 00:33:19,833
that maybe it was
Matilda.

748
00:33:19,833 --> 00:33:22,966
I don't know if Matilda
is one and the same

749
00:33:22,966 --> 00:33:24,733
or two different people,
I don't know.

750
00:33:24,733 --> 00:33:28,266
I did a book on the Hurt-Waller
side of the family.

751
00:33:28,266 --> 00:33:31,233
And, uh, I did a lot of
research

752
00:33:31,233 --> 00:33:33,200
through ancestry.com.

753
00:33:33,200 --> 00:33:36,433
And I did a lot of clarification
and verification

754
00:33:36,433 --> 00:33:38,500
through my mother,
Louise Waller,

755
00:33:38,500 --> 00:33:41,366
and my sister,
Ruby Waller Ingram.

756
00:33:41,366 --> 00:33:43,433
So do you think that
Matilda and Dilsey

757
00:33:43,433 --> 00:33:46,666
are the same person,
the same woman?

758
00:33:46,666 --> 00:33:48,300
Me, myself, yes, I do.

759
00:33:48,300 --> 00:33:49,766
You think they're
the same person?
I do.

760
00:33:49,766 --> 00:33:52,533
We have a lot of
documentation on Dilsey.

761
00:33:52,533 --> 00:33:55,900
We don't have a lot of
documentation on, on Matilda.

762
00:33:55,900 --> 00:33:58,100
Matilda,
the documentation we do have,

763
00:33:58,100 --> 00:34:00,966
she was born in 1845.

764
00:34:00,966 --> 00:34:03,600
And, uh,
Dilsey was born in 1855.

765
00:34:03,600 --> 00:34:05,833
Those are the,
those are the two documents

766
00:34:05,833 --> 00:34:07,433
that we have that show that.

767
00:34:07,433 --> 00:34:09,433
So, how can we
find out for sure?

768
00:34:09,433 --> 00:34:11,733
I mean, can DNA help us
find this out or what?

769
00:34:11,733 --> 00:34:15,033
BONNER:
Possibly it can,
if we know, um,

770
00:34:15,033 --> 00:34:17,433
who, um, brothers
and sisters of Matilda.

771
00:34:17,433 --> 00:34:20,300
If we could ever
find her, you know,

772
00:34:20,300 --> 00:34:22,066
her maiden name
and research that.

773
00:34:22,066 --> 00:34:24,700
ROGERS:
I wish we could truly
find something more

774
00:34:24,700 --> 00:34:26,866
on Matilda,
and we're gonna find it,

775
00:34:26,866 --> 00:34:28,200
one way or the other.

776
00:34:28,200 --> 00:34:30,500
We'll keep looking,
because she did exist.

777
00:34:30,500 --> 00:34:34,200
The discrepancy
between Matilda and Dilsey

778
00:34:34,200 --> 00:34:37,600
is, uh, it's one
that's very challenging, uh,

779
00:34:37,600 --> 00:34:40,000
to Renard and I
and the rest of the committee.

780
00:34:40,000 --> 00:34:43,433
I don't think DNA
can help with that part of it.

781
00:34:43,433 --> 00:34:47,100
But I think a record--
if I can, if I can find one,

782
00:34:47,100 --> 00:34:48,966
we can settle it
once and for all.

783
00:34:48,966 --> 00:34:51,200
It very well could be understood

784
00:34:51,200 --> 00:34:54,433
that Dilsey and Matilda
are the same person,

785
00:34:54,433 --> 00:34:57,433
because we know,
through all of our research,

786
00:34:57,433 --> 00:35:00,966
that there's a lot of nicknames
being used for different people.

787
00:35:00,966 --> 00:35:04,000
Matilda, we can't find
anything on.

788
00:35:04,000 --> 00:35:05,633
And that, that is frustrating,

789
00:35:05,633 --> 00:35:07,333
'cause we don't really know
who she is.

790
00:35:07,333 --> 00:35:09,400
♪ ♪

791
00:35:09,400 --> 00:35:11,100
BYRON HURT:
While Jandra, Renard, and Mary

792
00:35:11,100 --> 00:35:13,700
were trying to solve
the Matilda and Dilsey mystery,

793
00:35:13,700 --> 00:35:17,266
they also needed clues about
Lee Hurt's life in Eatonton.

794
00:35:17,266 --> 00:35:18,933
So I reached out to a local

795
00:35:18,933 --> 00:35:21,233
Georgia librarian
and information science scholar,

796
00:35:21,233 --> 00:35:22,800
Dr. Shaundra Walker,

797
00:35:22,800 --> 00:35:24,566
who uncovered
historical documents

798
00:35:24,566 --> 00:35:29,400
that provide a snapshot of
Lee's world in the late 1800s.

799
00:35:29,400 --> 00:35:32,566
So, I first found
Lee Hurt in the 1880s.

800
00:35:32,566 --> 00:35:35,100
Um, I found him in the
property tax digest,

801
00:35:35,100 --> 00:35:37,933
and here's the example
of that record here.

802
00:35:37,933 --> 00:35:39,600
You can see.

803
00:35:39,600 --> 00:35:42,700
WALKER:
When we first find Lee Hurt
in the census records,

804
00:35:42,700 --> 00:35:45,733
we see that
he does not own any land.

805
00:35:45,733 --> 00:35:47,400
He's kind of sort of out here

806
00:35:47,400 --> 00:35:49,666
making a life for himself
the best that he can.

807
00:35:49,666 --> 00:35:52,200
As he progresses
through the census,

808
00:35:52,200 --> 00:35:55,700
it is clear that
he is gaining property.

809
00:35:55,700 --> 00:35:58,300
He moves from being
a renter to an owner.

810
00:35:58,300 --> 00:36:03,800
To be a land-owning Black man
in this community at that time,

811
00:36:03,800 --> 00:36:06,566
I think, is a very
noteworthy accomplishment,

812
00:36:06,566 --> 00:36:09,000
and one for which
Lee and Liza's descendants

813
00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:11,366
should be very proud.

814
00:36:12,466 --> 00:36:15,600
BYRON HURT:
Dr. Walker had some new
discoveries about Lee Hurt,

815
00:36:15,600 --> 00:36:18,866
so I had to connect her
to Renard and Jandra.

816
00:36:18,866 --> 00:36:20,466
So, Dr. Walker,

817
00:36:20,466 --> 00:36:22,833
what have you learned
about our family?

818
00:36:22,833 --> 00:36:27,166
I suspect that
Lee Hurt's mother

819
00:36:27,166 --> 00:36:28,733
was a Waller.

820
00:36:28,733 --> 00:36:31,266
(gasps)
So, yes,

821
00:36:31,266 --> 00:36:33,233
and I'll tell,
I'll explain to you why.

822
00:36:33,233 --> 00:36:34,866
So, I believe
that you

823
00:36:34,866 --> 00:36:38,433
already have a copy of, uh,
Lee Hurt's death certificate.

824
00:36:38,433 --> 00:36:39,666
I know
where you're going.
Right.

825
00:36:39,666 --> 00:36:41,666
Death certificates
are very, very important.

826
00:36:41,666 --> 00:36:42,966
Um, in the State of Georgia,

827
00:36:42,966 --> 00:36:44,866
death certificates
don't start to be recorded

828
00:36:44,866 --> 00:36:47,366
throughout the state
until about 1919,

829
00:36:47,366 --> 00:36:49,966
which, fortunately
for African Americans,

830
00:36:49,966 --> 00:36:51,533
as we know,
they're not gonna show up

831
00:36:51,533 --> 00:36:56,700
on any, uh, genealogical records
until about 1870, consistently.

832
00:36:56,700 --> 00:36:58,200
That's the first census
where you find

833
00:36:58,200 --> 00:37:00,566
African Americans
listed by name.

834
00:37:00,566 --> 00:37:02,766
And so that death record,

835
00:37:02,766 --> 00:37:05,966
in listing the deceased person's
father, mother,

836
00:37:05,966 --> 00:37:08,533
their birth place,
their approximate age,

837
00:37:08,533 --> 00:37:10,433
it gives us a lot of information

838
00:37:10,433 --> 00:37:13,666
that sort of breaks
that wall before 1870.

839
00:37:13,666 --> 00:37:15,333
Another vital piece
of information

840
00:37:15,333 --> 00:37:18,033
from the death record
is going to be the informant.

841
00:37:18,033 --> 00:37:21,400
I know that
there is, um, some suspicion

842
00:37:21,400 --> 00:37:24,000
that perhaps, uh, Jim Hurt,

843
00:37:24,000 --> 00:37:26,466
who was the informant,
uh, for the death certificate,

844
00:37:26,466 --> 00:37:28,566
may have not understood
the questions.

845
00:37:28,566 --> 00:37:30,033
BONNER: Right.
WALKER:
Um, particularly,

846
00:37:30,033 --> 00:37:32,733
there's a question on here
about who,

847
00:37:32,733 --> 00:37:35,533
what Lee Hurt's mother's
maiden name was.
BONNER: Right.

848
00:37:35,533 --> 00:37:37,233
And he put Waller.
Waller.

849
00:37:37,233 --> 00:37:39,866
Which is also his
mother's maiden name.
Mother's...

850
00:37:39,866 --> 00:37:43,666
Mm-hmm.
So, it could be easy
to believe that

851
00:37:43,666 --> 00:37:44,800
that was just a simple mistake,

852
00:37:44,800 --> 00:37:46,566
perhaps he didn't
understand the question.

853
00:37:46,566 --> 00:37:49,500
The death certificate
for Lee Hurt is challenging.

854
00:37:49,500 --> 00:37:53,733
Um, we know that
the informant was his son.

855
00:37:53,733 --> 00:37:56,266
And I think
there are some questions

856
00:37:56,266 --> 00:37:59,433
about how the informant
responded to those questions.

857
00:37:59,433 --> 00:38:03,000
Um, one of the key pieces
of information that is there

858
00:38:03,000 --> 00:38:06,866
is a last name for Lee,
for Lee Hurt's mother.

859
00:38:06,866 --> 00:38:08,500
Or that is
at least what the certificate

860
00:38:08,500 --> 00:38:10,000
was intended to capture.

861
00:38:10,000 --> 00:38:13,566
And the last name of "Waller"
is provided.

862
00:38:13,566 --> 00:38:18,800
For the father, um,
no information is, is provided.

863
00:38:18,800 --> 00:38:23,033
I think that it's likely--
um, it is possible, I will say--

864
00:38:23,033 --> 00:38:26,866
that Lee and Liza
were both Wallers,

865
00:38:26,866 --> 00:38:30,333
but whether or not they were,
uh, actually related

866
00:38:30,333 --> 00:38:31,833
is questionable.

867
00:38:31,833 --> 00:38:33,366
I did a little research,

868
00:38:33,366 --> 00:38:34,800
and one of the things
that I found,

869
00:38:34,800 --> 00:38:37,300
I think it was
in the 1900 census--

870
00:38:37,300 --> 00:38:38,733
and this is the same one

871
00:38:38,733 --> 00:38:40,733
where Spencer and Lee
are living...

872
00:38:40,733 --> 00:38:42,266
BONNER: Together.
...very close
to each other,

873
00:38:42,266 --> 00:38:43,700
one house over.
Yeah, okay, okay.

874
00:38:43,700 --> 00:38:46,833
You'll notice
that there is a cousin

875
00:38:46,833 --> 00:38:49,233
in the house in 1910.
ROGERS: Napier-- Napier.

876
00:38:49,233 --> 00:38:50,866
BONNER: William Napier.
William Napier.

877
00:38:50,866 --> 00:38:54,266
Right.
So, what I was able to find

878
00:38:54,266 --> 00:38:56,966
was William Napier's
mother's name.

879
00:38:56,966 --> 00:38:58,266
ROGERS: Mm-hmm.
BONNER: Okay.

880
00:38:58,266 --> 00:39:00,133
William Napier's
mother's name

881
00:39:00,133 --> 00:39:03,033
was Clarissa Waller.

882
00:39:03,033 --> 00:39:07,733
I suspect strongly
that William Napier and Lee Hurt

883
00:39:07,733 --> 00:39:10,666
are cousins
through their mothers.

884
00:39:10,666 --> 00:39:12,233
We know definitively

885
00:39:12,233 --> 00:39:15,600
that William Napier's mother

886
00:39:15,600 --> 00:39:19,066
was Clarissa Waller Napier.

887
00:39:19,066 --> 00:39:22,666
So we have that Waller name,
uh, definitively.

888
00:39:22,666 --> 00:39:24,766
We know that
from her marriage certificate,

889
00:39:24,766 --> 00:39:28,566
and we also know that
from her death certificate.

890
00:39:28,566 --> 00:39:33,266
And so, from there,
we can take the information

891
00:39:33,266 --> 00:39:35,966
that is on Lee Hurt's,
um, death certificate,

892
00:39:35,966 --> 00:39:38,833
if we accept it as correct,
which, which I do,

893
00:39:38,833 --> 00:39:42,266
then that firms up
the relationship

894
00:39:42,266 --> 00:39:44,566
between William Napier
and Lee Hurt,

895
00:39:44,566 --> 00:39:48,166
because the mothers
share the same last name.

896
00:39:48,166 --> 00:39:51,300
BYRON HURT:
Renard? Renard?
Yes.

897
00:39:51,300 --> 00:39:53,233
I want you to be
fully expressed here, okay?
(chuckles)

898
00:39:53,233 --> 00:39:55,800
Okay.
How, how are you feeling
about this, this information

899
00:39:55,800 --> 00:39:57,233
that you are hearing?

900
00:39:57,233 --> 00:40:00,366
I'm not sure where you're,
why you're jumping

901
00:40:00,366 --> 00:40:05,600
to, uh, the death certificate
relative to the Waller name.

902
00:40:05,600 --> 00:40:07,400
I'm just presenting
another...

903
00:40:07,400 --> 00:40:08,833
No, I understand.
...alternative.

904
00:40:08,833 --> 00:40:12,433
Yeah.
And I think what makes me
feel very strongly

905
00:40:12,433 --> 00:40:15,100
about that connection
is the fact

906
00:40:15,100 --> 00:40:18,700
that William Napier's mother
is also a Waller.

907
00:40:18,700 --> 00:40:21,333
To me, that's too much
of a coincidence.

908
00:40:21,333 --> 00:40:23,966
Dr. Walker revealed the theory

909
00:40:23,966 --> 00:40:27,533
that Lee might be
the cousins of Eliza.

910
00:40:27,533 --> 00:40:30,466
That completely threw me off.

911
00:40:30,466 --> 00:40:32,800
I did not want to believe that.

912
00:40:32,800 --> 00:40:36,266
Um, I still don't know
that I want to believe that.

913
00:40:36,266 --> 00:40:39,133
And it's, it's really
kind of, um,

914
00:40:39,133 --> 00:40:40,566
really thrown me off,

915
00:40:40,566 --> 00:40:43,166
because we were on
a completely different track.

916
00:40:43,166 --> 00:40:46,333
I wasn't really surprised
when Dr. Walker shared

917
00:40:46,333 --> 00:40:49,033
that Lee and Liza
may be cousins.

918
00:40:49,033 --> 00:40:52,966
Um, I know I learned about,
a lot in this process

919
00:40:52,966 --> 00:40:56,700
 
about the mobility, um,
of, of people in general,

920
00:40:56,700 --> 00:40:58,633
in particular, a woman.

921
00:40:58,633 --> 00:41:00,200
And so, oftentimes,

922
00:41:00,200 --> 00:41:03,400
they just knew who was
in and around their area.

923
00:41:03,400 --> 00:41:06,366
And so, you know,
you're gonna love somebody.

924
00:41:06,366 --> 00:41:08,300
And so sometimes that happens.

925
00:41:08,300 --> 00:41:09,533
It has happened.

926
00:41:09,533 --> 00:41:13,366
Did you come across anything
on Spencer Hirt?

927
00:41:13,366 --> 00:41:15,500
Or any relationship
with Lee Hurt?

928
00:41:15,500 --> 00:41:19,433
So, like you, I suspect
that there is a connection

929
00:41:19,433 --> 00:41:22,100
between Spencer and Lee.

930
00:41:22,100 --> 00:41:24,533
Um, I don't think
it's a coincidence.

931
00:41:24,533 --> 00:41:30,166
Um, I was unable to find
Spencer or Lee in 1870 or 1880.

932
00:41:30,166 --> 00:41:32,433
But I believe I heard one of you
say you were able to find...

933
00:41:32,433 --> 00:41:35,266
Based on the research
that we have done so far,

934
00:41:35,266 --> 00:41:40,666
we have found Spencer Hirt
has a father named Spencer.

935
00:41:40,666 --> 00:41:43,266
He was a white slave owner.

936
00:41:43,266 --> 00:41:44,566
So we do know that.

937
00:41:44,566 --> 00:41:48,700
And so, if we can find
the father, uh,

938
00:41:48,700 --> 00:41:51,766
and potentially, we could
potentially find the mother.

939
00:41:51,766 --> 00:41:55,233
If we could just connect,
uh, Spencer to Lee,

940
00:41:55,233 --> 00:41:57,233
then probably Spencer,
the father,

941
00:41:57,233 --> 00:41:59,000
may also be Lee's father.

942
00:41:59,000 --> 00:42:02,733
(computer keys tapping)

943
00:42:02,733 --> 00:42:04,900
BYRON HURT: With the family
reunion in Macon, Georgia,

944
00:42:04,900 --> 00:42:08,866
just one month away,
time is running out.

945
00:42:08,866 --> 00:42:11,733
Renard and Jandra met up
in Denver to do their final prep

946
00:42:11,733 --> 00:42:15,133
for their presentation
to the family.

947
00:42:15,133 --> 00:42:16,833
ROGERS:
We, we have to narrow this down.

948
00:42:16,833 --> 00:42:18,866
And again, how we present
it at the reunion

949
00:42:18,866 --> 00:42:20,933
is gonna be important, because
we'll be mixing everybody up

950
00:42:20,933 --> 00:42:23,166
and making it too complex.

951
00:42:23,166 --> 00:42:24,966
We've got to figure out...

952
00:42:24,966 --> 00:42:26,533
Got to make it simple.
...what is the connection?

953
00:42:26,533 --> 00:42:27,900
Right.

954
00:42:27,900 --> 00:42:30,600
I'm really looking forward
to presenting information

955
00:42:30,600 --> 00:42:32,333
to the family,
because we have found out

956
00:42:32,333 --> 00:42:35,600
so much information
about our family.

957
00:42:35,600 --> 00:42:37,500
♪ ♪

958
00:42:37,500 --> 00:42:38,633
BYRON HURT:
It turns out that

959
00:42:38,633 --> 00:42:40,500
Helen Hurt Gatewood
has two brothers,

960
00:42:40,500 --> 00:42:42,133
Harold and Charles Hurt,

961
00:42:42,133 --> 00:42:46,333
who agreed
to provide DNA samples.

962
00:42:46,333 --> 00:42:48,800
Since they are male-line
descendants of Spencer Hirt,

963
00:42:48,800 --> 00:42:52,266
if their Y chromosomes
match our side of the family,

964
00:42:52,266 --> 00:42:54,166
that would be strong evidence

965
00:42:54,166 --> 00:42:57,633
that Lee and Spencer
had the same father.

966
00:42:57,633 --> 00:43:01,766
Unfortunately,
the Y chromosomes did not match.

967
00:43:03,200 --> 00:43:07,266
But the DNA samples confirmed
that Harold and Charles

968
00:43:07,266 --> 00:43:09,400
are both somehow related
to Renard and me,

969
00:43:09,400 --> 00:43:11,166
so there is a relationship

970
00:43:11,166 --> 00:43:15,300
between Lee Hurt and
Spencer Hirt descendants.

971
00:43:15,300 --> 00:43:17,400
It's not exactly what we wanted,

972
00:43:17,400 --> 00:43:19,333
you know, the end result
of being able

973
00:43:19,333 --> 00:43:23,533
to tell them where Grandpa Lee
came from, who his parents are.

974
00:43:23,533 --> 00:43:27,433
But we have broadened
our family connections,

975
00:43:27,433 --> 00:43:29,433
in particular
on the Waller side.

976
00:43:29,433 --> 00:43:31,800
And we have so many cousins

977
00:43:31,800 --> 00:43:34,533
that are right there
in Milledgeville and Eatonton

978
00:43:34,533 --> 00:43:36,200
that grew up with each other

979
00:43:36,200 --> 00:43:38,033
that did not know
that they were related.

980
00:43:38,033 --> 00:43:40,766
We have never had
an ancestry presentation

981
00:43:40,766 --> 00:43:42,166
at our family reunion

982
00:43:42,166 --> 00:43:45,066
that will help us understand
our family's roots.

983
00:43:45,066 --> 00:43:46,900
 
And so I'm really looking
forward

984
00:43:46,900 --> 00:43:48,366
to Renard's presentation,

985
00:43:48,366 --> 00:43:51,400
because I think our family
is gonna be really impressed

986
00:43:51,400 --> 00:43:52,900
with all of the research
and hard work

987
00:43:52,900 --> 00:43:55,900
that they've put into learning
more about Lee and Liza.

988
00:43:55,900 --> 00:43:59,233
♪ ♪

989
00:43:59,233 --> 00:44:01,000
Despite the lingering effects
of the pandemic

990
00:44:01,000 --> 00:44:03,200
and a smaller-than-usual
turnout,

991
00:44:03,200 --> 00:44:06,433
the reunion is finally upon us.

992
00:44:06,433 --> 00:44:09,133
HARRELL:
It's great to be back.

993
00:44:09,133 --> 00:44:11,333
I was feeling bad.

994
00:44:11,333 --> 00:44:13,733
I thought once
I wouldn't be back.

995
00:44:13,733 --> 00:44:15,966
But I thank the good Lord.

996
00:44:15,966 --> 00:44:17,400
 
MAN:
Good morning, everyone.

997
00:44:17,400 --> 00:44:19,633
Welcome to Macon.

998
00:44:19,633 --> 00:44:22,800
MUSEUM GUIDE:
Welcome, everyone,
to the Tubman Museum.

999
00:44:22,800 --> 00:44:24,866
Where's everybody from?

1000
00:44:24,866 --> 00:44:28,566
MONIQUE WILLIAMS:
You cannot chart your own path
and know where you're going

1001
00:44:28,566 --> 00:44:30,166
if you don't know
where you came from.

1002
00:44:30,166 --> 00:44:32,200
And the fact
that we've taken this whole

1003
00:44:32,200 --> 00:44:34,500
cookout, dance,

1004
00:44:34,500 --> 00:44:37,600
fellowship thing to a deeper
level, and really digging deep

1005
00:44:37,600 --> 00:44:38,700
to find out where we came from,

1006
00:44:38,700 --> 00:44:42,033
is totally necessary

1007
00:44:42,033 --> 00:44:43,966
for us to continue to identify

1008
00:44:43,966 --> 00:44:47,200
as who we are, as being a very
strong and resilient people.

1009
00:44:48,766 --> 00:44:50,666
BYRON HURT:
After one year of research,

1010
00:44:50,666 --> 00:44:52,233
it was time for Renard
to present

1011
00:44:52,233 --> 00:44:53,900
the ancestry committee's
findings

1012
00:44:53,900 --> 00:44:55,366
to the family.

1013
00:44:55,366 --> 00:44:58,300
ROGERS:
We had several
DNA family members

1014
00:44:58,300 --> 00:45:00,700
volunteer their DNA.

1015
00:45:00,700 --> 00:45:02,466
Bottom line,
this is what we found.

1016
00:45:02,466 --> 00:45:05,466
Lee Hurt, we couldn't
confirm his parents.

1017
00:45:05,466 --> 00:45:07,266
Unfortunately,
that kind of made,

1018
00:45:07,266 --> 00:45:08,333
took us back to square one.

1019
00:45:08,333 --> 00:45:11,000
I was very excited
about presenting

1020
00:45:11,000 --> 00:45:14,200
what we did have
for the family reunion.

1021
00:45:14,200 --> 00:45:15,866
Most of the people in the family

1022
00:45:15,866 --> 00:45:18,600
don't know half the things
or one-quarter of the things

1023
00:45:18,600 --> 00:45:19,866
that we learned

1024
00:45:19,866 --> 00:45:22,066
that we were able
to present at the reunion.

1025
00:45:22,066 --> 00:45:24,566
(at reunion):
We can connect
Lee Hurt descendants

1026
00:45:24,566 --> 00:45:26,700
to Spencer Hirt descendants.

1027
00:45:26,700 --> 00:45:31,033
If I flip to the Eliza Waller
side, that's totally different.

1028
00:45:31,033 --> 00:45:33,766
Eliza's name,
uh, father's name was Wade.

1029
00:45:33,766 --> 00:45:35,666
Her mother's name was Matilda.

1030
00:45:35,666 --> 00:45:38,566
Matilda looks like
she may have died early,

1031
00:45:38,566 --> 00:45:41,500
after, uh, an early
childbirth of Eliza's sister.

1032
00:45:41,500 --> 00:45:45,300
So Eliza was raised
by Dilsey Clements Waller.

1033
00:45:45,300 --> 00:45:49,433
BYRON HURT:
When Dr. Jackson got up
to present to our family,

1034
00:45:49,433 --> 00:45:53,400
it was like a breakthrough
moment at our family reunion.

1035
00:45:53,400 --> 00:45:56,066
It was really incredible
to see Dr. Jackson

1036
00:45:56,066 --> 00:45:59,700
walk into the room,
walk up to that microphone,

1037
00:45:59,700 --> 00:46:02,300
and bless our family
with so much information

1038
00:46:02,300 --> 00:46:06,400
about family research,
ancestry, DNA research.

1039
00:46:06,400 --> 00:46:11,233
My comments will be
within the, the larger context

1040
00:46:11,233 --> 00:46:16,733
of genetic work in what we call
Legacy African Americans.

1041
00:46:16,733 --> 00:46:19,066
So the difficulty that
your family is experiencing

1042
00:46:19,066 --> 00:46:22,000
in retracing
their family origins

1043
00:46:22,000 --> 00:46:25,366
is the result
of a number of factors.

1044
00:46:25,366 --> 00:46:30,833
 
Uh, first of all is the status
of a reference database.

1045
00:46:30,833 --> 00:46:34,733
The second is that
the historical reconstruction

1046
00:46:34,733 --> 00:46:38,700
of Africa is rather limited.

1047
00:46:38,700 --> 00:46:44,000
We refer to colonial names
like Nigeria

1048
00:46:44,000 --> 00:46:47,433
and contemporary Ghana
and Sierra Leone,

1049
00:46:47,433 --> 00:46:49,966
but those
are not historical names.

1050
00:46:49,966 --> 00:46:52,366
JACKSON:
We, as Legacy
African Americans,

1051
00:46:52,366 --> 00:46:58,200
when we send our DNA sample in
to these commercial companies,

1052
00:46:58,200 --> 00:46:59,600
they almost always tell us,

1053
00:46:59,600 --> 00:47:02,666
"You know, you're Nigerian."
(laughs)

1054
00:47:02,666 --> 00:47:04,733
Nothing wrong
with being Nigerian,

1055
00:47:04,733 --> 00:47:06,500
but it kind of
diminishes

1056
00:47:06,500 --> 00:47:10,400
the high rates of variability
and diversity in Africa.

1057
00:47:10,400 --> 00:47:12,600
It gives us a,
a kind of a false sense

1058
00:47:12,600 --> 00:47:14,700
of what was going on in Africa.

1059
00:47:14,700 --> 00:47:19,100
Most of you all's DNA
looks like this.

1060
00:47:19,100 --> 00:47:22,466
This is a Legacy
African American woman.

1061
00:47:22,466 --> 00:47:27,700
(voiceover):
The reference genomic database
is currently non-representative.

1062
00:47:27,700 --> 00:47:31,033
That's why many agencies
and companies

1063
00:47:31,033 --> 00:47:34,333
are trying to rectify
the deficiencies

1064
00:47:34,333 --> 00:47:37,866
in the African reference
genomic database.

1065
00:47:37,866 --> 00:47:40,700
BYRON HURT:
There are some
very legitimate trust issues

1066
00:47:40,700 --> 00:47:42,333
and even fear
that prevent Black people

1067
00:47:42,333 --> 00:47:44,166
from taking
genetic ancestry tests

1068
00:47:44,166 --> 00:47:46,500
and submitting them
to big companies.

1069
00:47:46,500 --> 00:47:47,900
Many of those concerns

1070
00:47:47,900 --> 00:47:50,700
are based on a history
of racism in science.

1071
00:47:50,700 --> 00:47:52,333
But if we want to have
the ability

1072
00:47:52,333 --> 00:47:55,600
to trace our ancestry beyond
the mid-19th century,

1073
00:47:55,600 --> 00:47:57,633
contributing
to the DNA databases

1074
00:47:57,633 --> 00:48:00,366
could help us increase
our chances of doing so.

1075
00:48:02,000 --> 00:48:03,900
JACKSON:
Everything hinges

1076
00:48:03,900 --> 00:48:04,933
on who we are.

1077
00:48:04,933 --> 00:48:06,433
So what you all are doing

1078
00:48:06,433 --> 00:48:09,566
in terms of identifying
your relatives

1079
00:48:09,566 --> 00:48:11,933
is absolutely essential

1080
00:48:11,933 --> 00:48:16,133
for beginning
to reconstruct our origins.

1081
00:48:16,133 --> 00:48:18,233
What's been successful
about this project

1082
00:48:18,233 --> 00:48:21,366
is that we've learned
so much more about our family

1083
00:48:21,366 --> 00:48:22,600
in and of itself.

1084
00:48:22,600 --> 00:48:25,933
For all Black families
trying to research

1085
00:48:25,933 --> 00:48:28,333
their ancestry, they will find

1086
00:48:28,333 --> 00:48:32,466
that the records
are generally very incomplete.

1087
00:48:32,466 --> 00:48:35,833
BYRON HURT:
DNA is so important
to help families come together

1088
00:48:35,833 --> 00:48:39,433
and to help families discover,
uh, their ancestry.

1089
00:48:39,433 --> 00:48:40,566
It's critical.

1090
00:48:40,566 --> 00:48:43,366
But I also realize
that DNA alone,

1091
00:48:43,366 --> 00:48:45,866
for Black people,
is not the only solution,

1092
00:48:45,866 --> 00:48:48,300
because it can only do so much.

1093
00:48:48,300 --> 00:48:50,600
So we need a combination
of historical documents,

1094
00:48:50,600 --> 00:48:54,966
oral history, and DNA to learn
more about our family's history.

1095
00:48:54,966 --> 00:48:58,066
For those wanting
to start out on this,

1096
00:48:58,066 --> 00:49:02,666
I would say ask, ask, ask
your elders questions.

1097
00:49:02,666 --> 00:49:07,566
 
We lose so much information
when a loved one passes on.

1098
00:49:07,566 --> 00:49:13,300
Um, look to family books, um,
Bibles, um, death certificates.

1099
00:49:13,300 --> 00:49:16,066
You know, maintain all
those type of personal records

1100
00:49:16,066 --> 00:49:19,333
that you can get, and then
just, just start the journey.

1101
00:49:19,333 --> 00:49:25,266
♪ ♪

1102
00:49:32,300 --> 00:49:34,666
BYRON HURT:
Both Lee and Liza

1103
00:49:34,666 --> 00:49:36,566
are buried
in Wood's Place Cemetery,

1104
00:49:36,566 --> 00:49:39,366
right off of Milledgeville
Highway in Eatonton, Georgia,

1105
00:49:39,366 --> 00:49:42,633
but only Liza's grave is marked.

1106
00:49:42,633 --> 00:49:45,533
I brought family members
on all sides to Wood's Place

1107
00:49:45,533 --> 00:49:48,000
to visit Lee and Liza.

1108
00:49:48,000 --> 00:49:49,966
Many had never
been there before,

1109
00:49:49,966 --> 00:49:55,933
and some did not even know that
Lee and Liza were buried there.

1110
00:49:55,933 --> 00:50:00,700
Just by show of hands,
how many of us are Hurts?

1111
00:50:00,700 --> 00:50:03,033
Okay, how many of us
are Wallers?

1112
00:50:03,033 --> 00:50:04,433
(laughing)
Okay.

1113
00:50:04,433 --> 00:50:05,966
So we're both
Hurts and Wallers here.

1114
00:50:05,966 --> 00:50:08,133
And we're here to,
to pay our respect

1115
00:50:08,133 --> 00:50:10,833
to Liza Waller and to Lee Hurt.

1116
00:50:10,833 --> 00:50:13,800
Um, and we, we know, based on
Lee Hurt's death certificate,

1117
00:50:13,800 --> 00:50:15,500
that he is
buried here somewhere.

1118
00:50:15,500 --> 00:50:16,966
We don't know exactly where.

1119
00:50:16,966 --> 00:50:19,766
But I'm, I'm curious to know,

1120
00:50:19,766 --> 00:50:22,066
what does it feel like
to be at Liza's,

1121
00:50:22,066 --> 00:50:23,900
you know, resting place?

1122
00:50:23,900 --> 00:50:25,266
It's an honor to be here

1123
00:50:25,266 --> 00:50:29,000
at Grandma Liza and
Grandpa Lee's resting place.

1124
00:50:29,000 --> 00:50:31,366
You know, I've passed
by this area many times,

1125
00:50:31,366 --> 00:50:33,733
 
and I didn't realize
that they were buried here.

1126
00:50:33,733 --> 00:50:36,933
Is there anything that
you would like to ask Liza?

1127
00:50:36,933 --> 00:50:38,833
I wished
I could ask Grandma Liza,

1128
00:50:38,833 --> 00:50:40,266
"Where is Grandpa Lee?"

1129
00:50:40,266 --> 00:50:42,200
I know she would know
where he's at.

1130
00:50:42,200 --> 00:50:45,300
So I would ask her, "Where is
he? Where's he buried out here?"

1131
00:50:45,300 --> 00:50:48,366
ROGERS:
I wouldn't even think
about coming here,

1132
00:50:48,366 --> 00:50:50,600
because I didn't know
where they were buried.

1133
00:50:50,600 --> 00:50:54,000
I didn't view that as part of
the ancestry research at first.

1134
00:50:54,000 --> 00:50:55,833
But it is so realistic.

1135
00:50:55,833 --> 00:51:00,533
It makes it so real
to be here at Eliza's gravesite.

1136
00:51:00,533 --> 00:51:02,966
 
We can actually
see the headstone,

1137
00:51:02,966 --> 00:51:04,966
and that makes it
very significant,

1138
00:51:04,966 --> 00:51:07,533
more significant for me than
I thought it, it would ever be.

1139
00:51:07,533 --> 00:51:09,400
♪ ♪

1140
00:51:09,400 --> 00:51:11,400
BYRON HURT:
This has been
an incredible journey

1141
00:51:11,400 --> 00:51:14,833
for me to document
my family members

1142
00:51:14,833 --> 00:51:18,700
working together to learn more
about our family ancestry.

1143
00:51:18,700 --> 00:51:20,166
There's no real payoff

1144
00:51:20,166 --> 00:51:22,166
for Renard and Jandra
and the ancestry committee

1145
00:51:22,166 --> 00:51:24,066
for doing this work.

1146
00:51:24,066 --> 00:51:25,866
The reward is sharing
with our family

1147
00:51:25,866 --> 00:51:28,066
new information
about our ancestry,

1148
00:51:28,066 --> 00:51:29,466
and I think that
that's one of the most

1149
00:51:29,466 --> 00:51:34,366
loving things that family
members can do for their family.

1150
00:51:35,733 --> 00:51:38,400
Our family is gonna
continue on with this process.

1151
00:51:38,400 --> 00:51:40,766
They're gonna continue
digging and uncovering

1152
00:51:40,766 --> 00:51:42,666
as much as we can,

1153
00:51:42,666 --> 00:51:45,833
so that we can provide
our younger generation

1154
00:51:45,833 --> 00:51:49,800
with history that's gonna
give them real solid roots.

1155
00:51:49,800 --> 00:51:51,866
So, our family tree is strong,

1156
00:51:51,866 --> 00:51:53,900
but we're getting
stronger and stronger

1157
00:51:53,900 --> 00:51:56,133
with every passing
family reunion

1158
00:51:56,133 --> 00:51:58,633
because we have
committed family members

1159
00:51:58,633 --> 00:52:01,600
who are dedicated to learning
more about who we are.

1160
00:52:01,600 --> 00:52:06,633
♪ ♪

1161
00:52:31,766 --> 00:52:39,300
♪ ♪

1162
00:52:43,133 --> 00:52:50,666
♪ ♪

1163
00:52:52,300 --> 00:52:59,833
♪ ♪

1164
00:53:01,533 --> 00:53:09,066
♪ ♪

1165
00:53:14,800 --> 00:53:21,966
♪ ♪