1 00:00:01,070 --> 00:00:03,243 Viewers like you make this program possible. 2 00:00:03,244 --> 00:00:05,350 Support your local PBS station. 3 00:00:16,533 --> 00:00:18,914 I am Henry Louis Gates Jr. 4 00:00:18,915 --> 00:00:22,090 Welcome to "Finding Your Roots." 5 00:00:22,091 --> 00:00:25,369 In this episode, we'll search for the biological 6 00:00:25,370 --> 00:00:29,235 father of actor Laurence Fishburne. 7 00:00:29,236 --> 00:00:30,891 I'm on the edge of my seat here. 8 00:00:30,892 --> 00:00:34,240 I've waited 60 some odd years for this. 9 00:00:34,241 --> 00:00:36,932 Then I myself will sit down with 10 00:00:36,933 --> 00:00:40,280 genetic genealogist, CeCe Moore, 11 00:00:40,281 --> 00:00:42,731 and investigate a mystery that's haunted 12 00:00:42,732 --> 00:00:45,492 my family for generations. 13 00:00:45,493 --> 00:00:46,631 Here's your Book of Life. 14 00:00:46,632 --> 00:00:48,012 Oh my goodness. 15 00:00:48,013 --> 00:00:50,187 I never thought I'd see one of these. 16 00:00:50,188 --> 00:00:52,016 To uncover our roots, 17 00:00:52,017 --> 00:00:55,572 our team has used every tool available. 18 00:00:56,504 --> 00:00:58,609 Genealogists comb through paper trails, 19 00:00:58,610 --> 00:01:01,232 stretching back hundreds of years. 20 00:01:01,233 --> 00:01:03,511 This is great. 21 00:01:03,718 --> 00:01:06,168 While DNA experts utilize the latest 22 00:01:06,169 --> 00:01:09,930 advances in genetic analysis to reveal secrets 23 00:01:09,931 --> 00:01:12,900 that have lain hidden for generations. 24 00:01:13,107 --> 00:01:15,350 Whoa, that's what I'm talking about. 25 00:01:15,351 --> 00:01:19,044 And we've compiled it all into a Book of Life, 26 00:01:19,493 --> 00:01:21,321 a record of all of our discoveries. 27 00:01:21,322 --> 00:01:22,598 Wow. 28 00:01:22,599 --> 00:01:26,362 And a window into the hidden past. 29 00:01:27,190 --> 00:01:29,779 You just met your half-siblings. 30 00:01:30,331 --> 00:01:33,886 Oh my God, that's crazy. 31 00:01:35,750 --> 00:01:37,268 Did you ever imagine you would see this? 32 00:01:37,269 --> 00:01:39,477 No, never. How are you feeling? 33 00:01:39,478 --> 00:01:41,997 This is so deeply moving. 34 00:01:41,998 --> 00:01:43,964 I mean, stunningly powerful. 35 00:01:43,965 --> 00:01:45,311 It's better than any movie script 36 00:01:45,312 --> 00:01:48,141 or television play I've ever read. 37 00:01:48,142 --> 00:01:50,005 . 38 00:01:50,006 --> 00:01:51,593 Laurence and I are about to embark 39 00:01:51,594 --> 00:01:54,699 on journeys that would have been impossible 40 00:01:54,700 --> 00:01:57,772 to make even a decade ago. 41 00:01:59,049 --> 00:02:01,879 But thanks to DNA detective work, 42 00:02:01,880 --> 00:02:05,089 we're going to hear the names of ancestors we 43 00:02:05,090 --> 00:02:07,955 have long dreamed of hearing. 44 00:02:08,231 --> 00:02:12,303 We're going to see for the very first time where 45 00:02:12,304 --> 00:02:14,582 our roots really lie. 46 00:02:15,204 --> 00:02:20,070 . 47 00:02:37,260 --> 00:02:39,745 . 48 00:02:47,891 --> 00:02:52,172 There's a revolution happening right now. 49 00:02:52,586 --> 00:02:56,590 DNA analysis is transforming genealogy. 50 00:02:58,868 --> 00:03:02,215 Uncovering long lost relationships and 51 00:03:02,216 --> 00:03:08,636 changing everything we know about our roots and our kin. 52 00:03:10,500 --> 00:03:12,777 In this episode, we're going to watch 53 00:03:12,778 --> 00:03:18,094 this revolution unfold in two family trees, 54 00:03:18,543 --> 00:03:22,202 Laurence Fishburne's, and my own. 55 00:03:23,168 --> 00:03:26,413 We'll start with Laurence's. 56 00:03:27,276 --> 00:03:30,968 Although he's recognized all over the world, 57 00:03:30,969 --> 00:03:34,005 Laurence came to me with a fundamental question 58 00:03:34,006 --> 00:03:38,873 about who he actually is. 59 00:03:40,012 --> 00:03:42,048 My question really concerns my origins. 60 00:03:42,049 --> 00:03:45,672 I, you know, all my life up until the time 61 00:03:45,673 --> 00:03:47,812 I was about 49 years old. 62 00:03:47,813 --> 00:03:48,986 Mm-hmm. 63 00:03:48,987 --> 00:03:50,229 I was led to believe that a man named 64 00:03:50,230 --> 00:03:53,335 Laurence John Fishburne Jr. was my biological father, 65 00:03:53,336 --> 00:03:56,476 and he was my dad, he showed up, 66 00:03:56,477 --> 00:04:00,342 gave me his name, um, but that's not true. 67 00:04:00,343 --> 00:04:01,757 Mm-hmm. 68 00:04:01,758 --> 00:04:03,138 He is not my biological father. 69 00:04:03,139 --> 00:04:06,106 And really, I'd like to know who that person is, 70 00:04:06,107 --> 00:04:08,144 if that person exists. 71 00:04:09,179 --> 00:04:14,530 There was only one way to help Laurence, DNA. 72 00:04:14,944 --> 00:04:17,842 So I reached out to my friend and colleague, 73 00:04:17,843 --> 00:04:21,294 genetic genealogist CeCe Moore. 74 00:04:21,295 --> 00:04:26,368 CeCe has solved more DNA mysteries than anyone 75 00:04:26,369 --> 00:04:30,684 I know, and she was not fazed by this one. 76 00:04:32,755 --> 00:04:35,895 She started with Laurence's, Y-DNA, 77 00:04:35,896 --> 00:04:39,036 the type of DNA that a man inherits from his 78 00:04:39,037 --> 00:04:42,039 direct paternal line. 79 00:04:42,040 --> 00:04:45,525 It's passed virtually intact from father to son 80 00:04:45,526 --> 00:04:48,010 down through the generations, 81 00:04:48,011 --> 00:04:50,081 meaning that two men with matching 82 00:04:50,082 --> 00:04:54,466 Y-DNA will often share the same last name. 83 00:04:55,812 --> 00:04:59,851 And this gave us our first big clue. 84 00:05:01,922 --> 00:05:03,163 You ready to see what we found? 85 00:05:03,164 --> 00:05:04,337 I am. 86 00:05:04,338 --> 00:05:05,442 Would you please turn the page? 87 00:05:05,443 --> 00:05:07,272 Sure. 88 00:05:09,136 --> 00:05:11,344 Laurence, this graphic lists the surname 89 00:05:11,345 --> 00:05:14,865 that most frequently matches your Y-DNA signature, 90 00:05:14,866 --> 00:05:17,419 and thus that of your biological father. 91 00:05:17,420 --> 00:05:20,353 Would you please read the surname right there out loud? 92 00:05:20,354 --> 00:05:23,114 Bohannan. Bohannan. 93 00:05:23,115 --> 00:05:25,220 Bohannan, huh? 94 00:05:25,221 --> 00:05:26,773 Have you ever heard that name mentioned 95 00:05:26,774 --> 00:05:31,088 in your family and associated with your mother 96 00:05:31,089 --> 00:05:32,710 or cousins or anything? 97 00:05:32,711 --> 00:05:35,230 No, no, mm-mm. 98 00:05:35,231 --> 00:05:39,786 Well, biologically that is your surname. 99 00:05:39,787 --> 00:05:44,515 So all this time you have been Laurence Bohannan 100 00:05:44,516 --> 00:05:45,758 pretending to be... 101 00:05:45,759 --> 00:05:47,104 People take stage names. 102 00:05:47,105 --> 00:05:48,243 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 103 00:05:48,244 --> 00:05:50,141 I'm Bohannan's boy, whoever Bohannan was. 104 00:05:50,142 --> 00:05:51,626 You are Bohannan's boy. 105 00:05:51,627 --> 00:05:54,043 Okay, okay. 106 00:05:54,388 --> 00:05:56,044 With this name in mind, 107 00:05:56,045 --> 00:06:00,531 CeCe now focused on Laurence's autosomal, DNA, 108 00:06:00,532 --> 00:06:04,812 the type of DNA we inherit from both of our parents. 109 00:06:05,399 --> 00:06:08,332 CeCe and our team began searching for autosomal 110 00:06:08,333 --> 00:06:13,302 matches that linked Laurence to other Bohannans 111 00:06:13,303 --> 00:06:16,409 in publicly available databases. 112 00:06:16,410 --> 00:06:19,274 It was a painstaking process, 113 00:06:19,275 --> 00:06:22,035 but after building out the family trees of dozens 114 00:06:22,036 --> 00:06:26,489 of matches, we made an incredible discovery. 115 00:06:26,903 --> 00:06:30,112 Would you please read the names of your father's parents? 116 00:06:30,113 --> 00:06:32,908 Murvin Hilliard Bohannan. 117 00:06:32,909 --> 00:06:34,254 Mm-hmm. 118 00:06:34,255 --> 00:06:37,223 And Loretta Constance Sandridge. 119 00:06:37,224 --> 00:06:38,397 You just met your grandmother 120 00:06:38,398 --> 00:06:40,088 and your grandfather. 121 00:06:40,089 --> 00:06:42,608 That's just, that's just great. 122 00:06:42,609 --> 00:06:45,127 You never heard those names before? 123 00:06:45,128 --> 00:06:47,026 No, sir, it's wonderful. 124 00:06:47,027 --> 00:06:48,061 What's to learn? 125 00:06:48,062 --> 00:06:49,304 It's, it's wonderful. 126 00:06:49,305 --> 00:06:50,995 It's, it's better than any movie script or 127 00:06:50,996 --> 00:06:52,894 television play I've ever read. 128 00:06:52,895 --> 00:06:54,965 . 129 00:06:54,966 --> 00:06:57,312 You have a major chunk of your DNA 130 00:06:57,313 --> 00:06:58,486 comes from these two. 131 00:06:58,487 --> 00:07:01,143 This is amazing. This is amazing for me. 132 00:07:01,144 --> 00:07:03,457 Yeah, this is beautiful. 133 00:07:04,044 --> 00:07:05,769 Since we'd identified Laurence's 134 00:07:05,770 --> 00:07:08,944 paternal grandparents, we knew that a son of 135 00:07:08,945 --> 00:07:12,224 theirs must be his biological father. 136 00:07:13,363 --> 00:07:16,780 The only problem the couple had two sons, 137 00:07:16,781 --> 00:07:22,095 Murvin Bohannan Jr. and William Seigel Bohannan, 138 00:07:22,096 --> 00:07:25,547 and both men have passed away. 139 00:07:25,548 --> 00:07:27,860 So we couldn't gather DNA evidence to 140 00:07:27,861 --> 00:07:30,656 distinguish between them. 141 00:07:30,657 --> 00:07:33,382 It seemed like we'd hit a dead end, 142 00:07:33,383 --> 00:07:35,488 but then we got lucky. 143 00:07:35,489 --> 00:07:38,871 William Bohannan has two living children, 144 00:07:38,872 --> 00:07:43,013 and we were able to track down one of them, 145 00:07:43,014 --> 00:07:46,188 a daughter named Lisa. 146 00:07:46,189 --> 00:07:49,606 So we contacted Lisa and asked her to take a DNA test. 147 00:07:49,607 --> 00:07:50,814 Mm-hmm. 148 00:07:50,815 --> 00:07:52,678 If Murvin Jr. was your biological father, 149 00:07:52,679 --> 00:07:54,783 then Lisa would be your first cousin. 150 00:07:54,784 --> 00:07:56,336 Mm. 151 00:07:56,337 --> 00:07:57,959 But if William was your biological father, 152 00:07:57,960 --> 00:07:59,788 then Lisa is your half-sister. 153 00:07:59,789 --> 00:08:01,376 Okay. 154 00:08:01,377 --> 00:08:03,136 On the next page, I'm going to show you a 155 00:08:03,137 --> 00:08:06,519 chart revealing how much DNA that you and Lisa share. 156 00:08:06,520 --> 00:08:07,900 Mm-hmm. 157 00:08:07,901 --> 00:08:09,453 And thus your genetic connection with Lisa. 158 00:08:09,454 --> 00:08:10,592 Okay. 159 00:08:10,593 --> 00:08:12,111 If you share roughly 25%, 160 00:08:12,112 --> 00:08:13,940 then you are half-siblings. 161 00:08:13,941 --> 00:08:15,045 Okay. 162 00:08:15,046 --> 00:08:16,149 And you share a father. 163 00:08:16,150 --> 00:08:17,150 Okay. Okay? 164 00:08:17,151 --> 00:08:18,255 Alright. You ready? 165 00:08:18,256 --> 00:08:20,257 Mm-hmm. Please turn the page. 166 00:08:20,258 --> 00:08:22,293 Would you please read the information transcribed 167 00:08:22,294 --> 00:08:23,674 in the white box? 168 00:08:23,675 --> 00:08:24,917 Wow. 169 00:08:24,918 --> 00:08:26,505 "Shared amount of DNA between Lisa Bohannan 170 00:08:26,506 --> 00:08:28,576 and Laurence John Fishburne III, 171 00:08:28,577 --> 00:08:31,544 22% shared. 172 00:08:31,545 --> 00:08:33,512 Relationship between Lisa Bohannan and 173 00:08:33,513 --> 00:08:35,444 Laurence John Fishburne III, 174 00:08:35,445 --> 00:08:39,069 half-sister, half-brother." 175 00:08:39,070 --> 00:08:43,038 Wow, so that's my half-sister. 176 00:08:43,039 --> 00:08:46,110 That's your half-sister. 177 00:08:46,111 --> 00:08:49,320 So her dad was... 178 00:08:49,321 --> 00:08:52,082 Lisa's, DNA, confirmed that she is 179 00:08:52,083 --> 00:08:54,774 your half-sister, and that means that your 180 00:08:54,775 --> 00:08:57,121 biological father, turn back. 181 00:08:57,122 --> 00:08:59,745 Is William... William Siegel Bohannan. 182 00:08:59,746 --> 00:09:01,643 Yeah. Okay. 183 00:09:01,644 --> 00:09:04,164 The mystery is solved. That's cool. 184 00:09:05,199 --> 00:09:07,407 Now that we knew his name, 185 00:09:07,408 --> 00:09:09,720 we set out to find as much as we could 186 00:09:09,721 --> 00:09:12,171 about William's life. 187 00:09:12,172 --> 00:09:14,725 Laurence, of course, was eager to see anything 188 00:09:14,726 --> 00:09:18,384 at all, and especially delighted 189 00:09:18,385 --> 00:09:21,560 by what we showed him first. 190 00:09:21,561 --> 00:09:22,906 . 191 00:09:22,907 --> 00:09:24,977 There he is, is that him? 192 00:09:24,978 --> 00:09:26,565 Hey, Pop. 193 00:09:26,566 --> 00:09:28,601 Oh my God. 194 00:09:28,602 --> 00:09:33,330 Wow. That's my dad. 195 00:09:33,331 --> 00:09:35,954 That's your father. 196 00:09:36,472 --> 00:09:39,439 That's cool, thank you, Skip. 197 00:09:39,440 --> 00:09:40,924 What's it like finally to see his face? 198 00:09:40,925 --> 00:09:43,064 It's so nice to see his face and 199 00:09:43,065 --> 00:09:45,791 to see him smiling. 200 00:09:45,792 --> 00:09:48,621 And he's dressed well. 201 00:09:48,622 --> 00:09:51,831 He's probably what, late 40s, early 50s 202 00:09:51,832 --> 00:09:52,901 in this photograph? 203 00:09:52,902 --> 00:09:54,213 Mm-hmm, I think so. 204 00:09:54,214 --> 00:09:57,457 Mm-hmm, yeah. 205 00:09:57,458 --> 00:09:59,563 He looks like a kind man. 206 00:09:59,564 --> 00:10:01,945 Hmm. 207 00:10:01,946 --> 00:10:04,431 He looks like a kind man. 208 00:10:04,742 --> 00:10:06,535 So what are you feeling right now, if I may? 209 00:10:06,536 --> 00:10:08,020 Relieved. Mm-hmm. 210 00:10:08,021 --> 00:10:10,609 Relieved, yeah, yeah. 211 00:10:10,610 --> 00:10:13,577 And, uh, you know, there's a certain amount of 212 00:10:13,578 --> 00:10:14,958 joy that I feel now. 213 00:10:14,959 --> 00:10:16,649 Mm-hmm. Yeah. 214 00:10:16,650 --> 00:10:18,064 Hmm. 215 00:10:18,065 --> 00:10:19,376 Because I know I come from somewhere. 216 00:10:19,377 --> 00:10:22,035 Yeah. You know? 217 00:10:22,691 --> 00:10:25,037 Laurence was about to learn more about where 218 00:10:25,038 --> 00:10:30,145 he came from than he'd ever imagined possible as 219 00:10:30,146 --> 00:10:33,528 a treasure trove of documents and images, 220 00:10:33,529 --> 00:10:36,531 brought his father to life. 221 00:10:36,532 --> 00:10:40,500 From high school photos and military service records, 222 00:10:40,501 --> 00:10:43,124 all the way to a funeral program that 223 00:10:43,125 --> 00:10:46,059 tied everything together. 224 00:10:46,991 --> 00:10:48,612 "William was employed by the Belt Railway 225 00:10:48,613 --> 00:10:49,993 for 30 years. 226 00:10:49,994 --> 00:10:52,305 He was an avid swimmer and diver. 227 00:10:52,306 --> 00:10:54,653 His passion, however, was jazz. 228 00:10:54,654 --> 00:10:57,138 He moonlighted as a DJ at various local radio 229 00:10:57,139 --> 00:11:00,555 stations and shared his music with all who'd listened. 230 00:11:00,556 --> 00:11:03,351 It was this passion for jazz that sustained him 231 00:11:03,352 --> 00:11:06,319 and is his legacy and gift to those who loved him. 232 00:11:06,320 --> 00:11:10,773 He leaves children, Lisa and William." 233 00:11:11,015 --> 00:11:13,085 . 234 00:11:13,086 --> 00:11:14,707 He was a jazz head. 235 00:11:14,708 --> 00:11:15,846 How about that? 236 00:11:15,847 --> 00:11:18,711 I'm a jazz head. There you go. 237 00:11:18,712 --> 00:11:21,645 Oh my God. 238 00:11:21,646 --> 00:11:26,132 Jesus. Jesus. 239 00:11:26,133 --> 00:11:27,340 This is great. 240 00:11:27,341 --> 00:11:29,758 This is, this is great. 241 00:11:30,448 --> 00:11:33,312 There was still a question in front of us. 242 00:11:33,313 --> 00:11:37,730 William spent much of his life in and around Chicago, 243 00:11:37,731 --> 00:11:41,734 but Laurence was born in Augusta, Georgia, 244 00:11:41,735 --> 00:11:45,462 where his mother, a woman named Hattie Crawford, 245 00:11:45,463 --> 00:11:47,291 was raised. 246 00:11:47,292 --> 00:11:50,847 So how did William and Hattie end up together? 247 00:11:50,848 --> 00:11:53,470 We found the likely answer buried in 248 00:11:53,471 --> 00:11:56,749 William's military records. 249 00:11:56,750 --> 00:11:58,751 When Laurence was conceived, 250 00:11:58,752 --> 00:12:02,755 William was stationed at Fort Gordon, Georgia. 251 00:12:02,756 --> 00:12:05,447 Just miles from where Hattie was working as 252 00:12:05,448 --> 00:12:08,174 a school teacher. 253 00:12:08,175 --> 00:12:10,314 They were 10 miles apart, as you could see on that map. 254 00:12:10,315 --> 00:12:12,869 That's it, 10 miles? 255 00:12:12,870 --> 00:12:14,525 10 miles you could walk. 256 00:12:14,526 --> 00:12:15,975 That's a walk. 257 00:12:15,976 --> 00:12:17,597 So Laurence seeing this, 258 00:12:17,598 --> 00:12:19,772 how do you imagine they met? 259 00:12:19,773 --> 00:12:22,775 He would've been 23, your mom, about 25. 260 00:12:22,776 --> 00:12:24,570 They met, hanging out. 261 00:12:24,571 --> 00:12:25,778 Hanging out. 262 00:12:25,779 --> 00:12:26,883 Jukin, whatever they was doing. 263 00:12:26,884 --> 00:12:27,953 Yeah. 264 00:12:27,954 --> 00:12:29,230 Yeah, at the soda fountain, 265 00:12:29,231 --> 00:12:30,610 I don't know, wherever they was at. 266 00:12:30,611 --> 00:12:31,888 Well, we can't be certain, 267 00:12:31,889 --> 00:12:32,923 but we have a theory. 268 00:12:32,924 --> 00:12:33,890 Mm-hmm. 269 00:12:33,891 --> 00:12:34,994 Please turn the page. 270 00:12:34,995 --> 00:12:36,789 Ooh, a theory. I like a good theory. 271 00:12:36,790 --> 00:12:39,688 This was published in "The Augusta Chronicle" 272 00:12:39,689 --> 00:12:41,863 on April 3rd, 1960. 273 00:12:41,864 --> 00:12:44,038 Would you please read that transcribed section? 274 00:12:44,039 --> 00:12:45,556 "The following activities have been 275 00:12:45,557 --> 00:12:49,768 announced for this week at the Ninth Street, USO. 276 00:12:49,769 --> 00:12:52,356 Coffee, sacred music and church dates." 277 00:12:52,357 --> 00:12:54,151 Mm, "sacred music." 278 00:12:54,152 --> 00:12:55,532 Sacred music. 279 00:12:55,533 --> 00:12:57,637 "10:00 A.M. to noon, singing around the piano. 280 00:12:57,638 --> 00:13:04,093 5:30 P.M. Miss Hattie Crawford will be in charge." 281 00:13:05,025 --> 00:13:06,370 How about that? 282 00:13:06,371 --> 00:13:07,682 Uh, yeah, there you go. 283 00:13:07,683 --> 00:13:08,959 There you go. 284 00:13:08,960 --> 00:13:10,202 There you go. 285 00:13:10,203 --> 00:13:12,618 Wow, "singing around the piano." 286 00:13:12,619 --> 00:13:14,413 . 287 00:13:14,414 --> 00:13:16,519 Hmm. 288 00:13:18,073 --> 00:13:20,488 According to this article, 289 00:13:20,489 --> 00:13:25,493 Laurence's mother Hattie was a volunteer for the USO, 290 00:13:25,494 --> 00:13:29,635 a nonprofit organization that provides entertainment 291 00:13:29,636 --> 00:13:32,051 to members of the military. 292 00:13:32,052 --> 00:13:35,952 And this quite likely is what put her in the company of 293 00:13:35,953 --> 00:13:40,094 William Bohannan for an evening, 294 00:13:40,095 --> 00:13:44,409 or perhaps longer, more than 60 years ago. 295 00:13:45,721 --> 00:13:49,967 A realization that filled Laurence with emotion. 296 00:13:52,245 --> 00:13:54,902 I'm having all the feels as they say. 297 00:13:54,903 --> 00:13:56,696 . 298 00:13:56,697 --> 00:13:58,112 I'm having all the feels, Skip. 299 00:13:58,113 --> 00:14:03,876 I'm intrigued, I'm relieved, I'm, 300 00:14:03,877 --> 00:14:06,948 uh, you know, confused. 301 00:14:06,949 --> 00:14:11,471 Uh, and I'm also quite 302 00:14:13,059 --> 00:14:14,887 alright with all of this. 303 00:14:14,888 --> 00:14:16,268 Right. 304 00:14:16,269 --> 00:14:17,821 I'm really alright with all of this, 305 00:14:17,822 --> 00:14:21,998 because it's, I don't have to speculate about it anymore. 306 00:14:21,999 --> 00:14:23,551 Nope, you don't. 307 00:14:23,552 --> 00:14:25,794 I don't have to speculate about it anymore. 308 00:14:25,795 --> 00:14:27,658 I don't have to wonder, you know, every time I 309 00:14:27,659 --> 00:14:29,868 look up and think, "Oh, is it that guy?" 310 00:14:29,869 --> 00:14:31,007 Yeah. 311 00:14:31,008 --> 00:14:32,525 "Oh, is it that guy?" 312 00:14:32,526 --> 00:14:33,941 Do you feel less like an orphan? 313 00:14:33,942 --> 00:14:35,839 Yeah, absolutely. 314 00:14:35,840 --> 00:14:37,289 I feel less isolated. 315 00:14:37,290 --> 00:14:41,500 Mm-hmm. And, um, other. 316 00:14:41,501 --> 00:14:42,811 Yeah. 317 00:14:42,812 --> 00:14:46,575 Yeah, yeah, I feel less other. 318 00:14:49,440 --> 00:14:51,648 My own family mystery lies deeper in 319 00:14:51,649 --> 00:14:55,824 the past than Laurence's, much deeper. 320 00:14:55,825 --> 00:14:59,795 But it's had a shaping influence on me just the same. 321 00:15:00,451 --> 00:15:01,727 I am nervous. 322 00:15:01,728 --> 00:15:03,729 And in the hopes of solving it, 323 00:15:03,730 --> 00:15:07,698 I've asked CeCe Moore to take my job for a day 324 00:15:07,699 --> 00:15:09,908 and let me be the guest. 325 00:15:09,909 --> 00:15:11,840 Skip, today we're switching things up, 326 00:15:11,841 --> 00:15:15,465 and I'm giving you the "Finding Your Roots" treatment. 327 00:15:15,466 --> 00:15:18,330 I feel naked over here. 328 00:15:18,331 --> 00:15:19,814 Here's your Book of Life. 329 00:15:19,815 --> 00:15:21,057 Oh my goodness. 330 00:15:21,058 --> 00:15:24,026 I never thought I'd see one of these. 331 00:15:25,165 --> 00:15:28,443 CeCe and I started with a story that I've told 332 00:15:28,444 --> 00:15:31,343 many times before. 333 00:15:31,344 --> 00:15:33,621 It begins at the Rose Hills Cemetery 334 00:15:33,622 --> 00:15:35,726 in Cumberland, Maryland. 335 00:15:35,727 --> 00:15:38,108 My grandfather Edward Gates, 336 00:15:38,109 --> 00:15:42,733 was buried here on July 2nd, 1960 337 00:15:42,734 --> 00:15:45,564 when I was nine years old. 338 00:15:45,565 --> 00:15:48,463 Following the funeral, my father showed my brother 339 00:15:48,464 --> 00:15:52,916 and me a photograph of Edward's grandmother, 340 00:15:52,917 --> 00:15:56,333 a woman named Jane Gates. 341 00:15:56,334 --> 00:16:00,061 Jane is my great-great-grandmother 342 00:16:00,062 --> 00:16:04,825 and seeing that photograph would change my life. 343 00:16:05,826 --> 00:16:08,967 He showed us this photograph and he said, 344 00:16:08,968 --> 00:16:11,797 this is the oldest Gates on record. 345 00:16:11,798 --> 00:16:14,006 Her name was Jane Gates she was a midwife and 346 00:16:14,007 --> 00:16:15,974 she was a slave. 347 00:16:15,975 --> 00:16:17,906 And you hadn't heard about her before this? 348 00:16:17,907 --> 00:16:20,564 Never, I had not heard about her before. 349 00:16:20,565 --> 00:16:22,256 "This is the oldest Gates on record," 350 00:16:22,257 --> 00:16:24,223 this is exactly what he said. 351 00:16:24,224 --> 00:16:25,569 Mm-hmm. 352 00:16:25,570 --> 00:16:27,054 "I never want you to forget her name, 353 00:16:27,055 --> 00:16:28,331 and I never want you to forget her face." 354 00:16:28,332 --> 00:16:29,711 And we looked at it, 355 00:16:29,712 --> 00:16:32,749 and this is like looking at a Martian. 356 00:16:32,750 --> 00:16:35,855 She was so strange, she was dressed in her 357 00:16:35,856 --> 00:16:41,240 midwifery outfit, and the next day was July 3rd, 1960. 358 00:16:41,241 --> 00:16:42,897 Mm-hmm. 359 00:16:42,898 --> 00:16:45,037 And that night I interviewed my mother 360 00:16:45,038 --> 00:16:48,523 and father about what only years later, 361 00:16:48,524 --> 00:16:51,975 I learned is called your family tree or your genealogy. 362 00:16:51,976 --> 00:16:54,391 And, um, that was it, I was in it 363 00:16:54,392 --> 00:16:55,979 hook, line, and sinker. 364 00:16:55,980 --> 00:17:00,501 And I never lost the fascination with my 365 00:17:00,502 --> 00:17:03,332 own family tree, never. 366 00:17:04,023 --> 00:17:06,610 Perhaps ironically, the woman who sparked 367 00:17:06,611 --> 00:17:10,373 this fascination also harbored my family's 368 00:17:10,374 --> 00:17:13,238 biggest secret. 369 00:17:13,239 --> 00:17:16,068 Growing up, I was told that Jane had 370 00:17:16,069 --> 00:17:21,109 five children, and that they all had the same father, 371 00:17:21,419 --> 00:17:24,870 but that Jane never told anyone his name. 372 00:17:24,871 --> 00:17:28,460 My family spent years trying to identify this man, 373 00:17:28,461 --> 00:17:31,808 speculating wildly before finally settling 374 00:17:31,809 --> 00:17:37,193 on one likely candidate, a wealthy White landowner 375 00:17:37,194 --> 00:17:41,231 named Samuel Dunlap Brady. 376 00:17:41,232 --> 00:17:43,751 Try, as we might, however, none of us could find 377 00:17:43,752 --> 00:17:47,168 records to confirm this story. 378 00:17:47,169 --> 00:17:50,276 And CeCe proved it wrong. 379 00:17:52,968 --> 00:17:56,626 She built a genetic network using DNA from 380 00:17:56,627 --> 00:17:59,905 my oldest relatives and discovered that 381 00:17:59,906 --> 00:18:04,461 Jane's youngest child, my great-grandfather Edward, 382 00:18:04,462 --> 00:18:09,501 was fathered by a man named Charles Wesley Kelley, 383 00:18:09,502 --> 00:18:11,882 a White farmer who would be killed by 384 00:18:11,883 --> 00:18:16,095 lightning when he was roughly 35 years old. 385 00:18:19,132 --> 00:18:21,099 I had to confess this revelation did not 386 00:18:21,100 --> 00:18:23,894 exactly excite me. 387 00:18:23,895 --> 00:18:28,141 I'd pictured my long-lost ancestor quite differently. 388 00:18:29,901 --> 00:18:33,007 . 389 00:18:33,008 --> 00:18:34,905 "Death By Lightning. 390 00:18:34,906 --> 00:18:37,770 During the storm on Friday morning last, 391 00:18:37,771 --> 00:18:42,016 Charles W. Kelley was instantly killed by lightning. 392 00:18:42,017 --> 00:18:44,743 He was in the act of closing a window at the time, 393 00:18:44,744 --> 00:18:47,987 and held in his hand a piece of iron or steel, 394 00:18:47,988 --> 00:18:51,198 which had been used to hold the sash up the lightning, 395 00:18:51,199 --> 00:18:53,648 struck him on the neck and passed out 396 00:18:53,649 --> 00:18:55,616 the toe of his boot." 397 00:18:55,617 --> 00:18:57,135 This is my, this is my, 398 00:18:57,136 --> 00:18:58,412 you sure this is my ancestor? 399 00:18:58,413 --> 00:18:59,620 This guy is stupid. 400 00:18:59,621 --> 00:19:00,862 I'm positive. 401 00:19:00,863 --> 00:19:03,555 He's not the brightest star in the firmament, 402 00:19:03,556 --> 00:19:05,591 you know what I mean? 403 00:19:05,592 --> 00:19:06,661 Wow. 404 00:19:06,662 --> 00:19:09,285 You know, I'm thinking this guy is gonna be, 405 00:19:09,286 --> 00:19:11,183 you know, descended from one of the signers of 406 00:19:11,184 --> 00:19:13,081 the Declaration of Independence 407 00:19:13,082 --> 00:19:14,600 or something, you know? 408 00:19:14,601 --> 00:19:18,880 He was a General in the American Revolution, something. 409 00:19:18,881 --> 00:19:22,781 But here's this guy who just gets killed by lightning. 410 00:19:22,782 --> 00:19:25,887 I mean this, I'm sorry for my great-great, 411 00:19:25,888 --> 00:19:27,165 and now I'm wrapping, you know, 412 00:19:27,166 --> 00:19:28,649 even as we're talking... 413 00:19:28,650 --> 00:19:29,788 Mm-hmm. 414 00:19:29,789 --> 00:19:30,996 I'm embracing Charles W. Kelley. 415 00:19:30,997 --> 00:19:32,515 I'm so glad. 416 00:19:32,516 --> 00:19:34,758 And I'm sorry he was killed by lightning. 417 00:19:34,759 --> 00:19:38,625 But it's not what I expected. 418 00:19:39,592 --> 00:19:42,249 Setting my expectations aside... 419 00:19:42,250 --> 00:19:43,802 Please turn the page. 420 00:19:43,803 --> 00:19:47,081 CeCe now began to piece together the details 421 00:19:47,082 --> 00:19:48,807 of my ancestors' life. 422 00:19:48,808 --> 00:19:49,946 Wow. 423 00:19:49,947 --> 00:19:52,604 Records show that Charles Wesley Kelley was 424 00:19:52,605 --> 00:19:57,644 born around 1824 in Allegany County, Maryland. 425 00:19:58,300 --> 00:20:01,820 And that he married a woman named Ellen Everstein 426 00:20:01,821 --> 00:20:05,237 when he was roughly 28 years old. 427 00:20:05,238 --> 00:20:08,689 There were, of course, no records at all regarding 428 00:20:08,690 --> 00:20:11,588 the nature of the relationship between 429 00:20:11,589 --> 00:20:16,491 Charles and my enslaved great-great-grandmother Jane. 430 00:20:17,146 --> 00:20:21,184 But based on his age, CeCe believed it was unlikely 431 00:20:21,185 --> 00:20:24,083 that Charles could have fathered all five of 432 00:20:24,084 --> 00:20:26,466 Jane's children. 433 00:20:26,673 --> 00:20:29,779 What's more, CeCe thought it was possible 434 00:20:29,780 --> 00:20:33,852 that Charles never even met my great-grandfather, Edward, 435 00:20:33,853 --> 00:20:37,752 because Charles appears to have moved to Illinois 436 00:20:37,753 --> 00:20:40,617 before Edward was born. 437 00:20:40,618 --> 00:20:41,998 Cause and effect. 438 00:20:41,999 --> 00:20:43,586 Maybe he was run outta town. 439 00:20:43,587 --> 00:20:45,760 Maybe, or maybe he just didn't know. 440 00:20:45,761 --> 00:20:47,175 Yeah, maybe he didn't know. 441 00:20:47,176 --> 00:20:49,833 Maybe it's just a casual... 442 00:20:49,834 --> 00:20:51,110 Maybe. 443 00:20:51,111 --> 00:20:52,215 We like, we don't know. 444 00:20:52,216 --> 00:20:53,527 We don't know. Hmm. 445 00:20:53,528 --> 00:20:54,631 That's one thing I guess we'll never know. 446 00:20:54,632 --> 00:20:55,736 Never know. 447 00:20:55,737 --> 00:20:58,048 Well, I hope there was some feeling involved. 448 00:20:58,049 --> 00:20:59,912 But what's interesting is that Jane, 449 00:20:59,913 --> 00:21:03,261 according to my father, and the source of this 450 00:21:03,262 --> 00:21:06,540 must have been his grandfather. 451 00:21:06,541 --> 00:21:07,851 Mm-hmm. 452 00:21:07,852 --> 00:21:09,267 Told the five children that they all 453 00:21:09,268 --> 00:21:11,441 had the same father and that he was White. 454 00:21:11,442 --> 00:21:12,891 That was it. 455 00:21:12,892 --> 00:21:14,133 Mm-hmm. 456 00:21:14,134 --> 00:21:15,894 But it's the kind of thing that you would, 457 00:21:15,895 --> 00:21:18,414 um, say to protect your reputation. 458 00:21:18,415 --> 00:21:19,656 Mm-hmm. 459 00:21:19,657 --> 00:21:21,106 You know, you want your children not to 460 00:21:21,107 --> 00:21:23,488 think that they have assorted fathers, 461 00:21:23,489 --> 00:21:25,317 that they're all related to each other. 462 00:21:25,318 --> 00:21:27,008 So how do you think your father would react 463 00:21:27,009 --> 00:21:31,081 to learning this, that you are Kelleys on that 464 00:21:31,082 --> 00:21:32,462 direct paternal line? 465 00:21:32,463 --> 00:21:34,050 Oh, I think he, no question. 466 00:21:34,051 --> 00:21:35,707 He would believe you. 467 00:21:35,708 --> 00:21:36,880 Overwhelmingly. 468 00:21:36,881 --> 00:21:38,054 Would he be happy about it or not so happy? 469 00:21:38,055 --> 00:21:41,644 Um, he would wonder about the Brady story. 470 00:21:41,645 --> 00:21:42,679 Mm-hmm. 471 00:21:42,680 --> 00:21:43,818 But he would definitely, I mean, 472 00:21:43,819 --> 00:21:45,682 he loves science, this is scientifically, 473 00:21:45,683 --> 00:21:47,097 uh, accurate. 474 00:21:47,098 --> 00:21:49,237 He would make jokes forever about "Death by Lightning." 475 00:21:49,238 --> 00:21:50,929 . 476 00:21:50,930 --> 00:21:52,655 No question about that. 477 00:21:52,656 --> 00:21:55,555 But no, he would definitely accept this. 478 00:21:56,245 --> 00:21:58,661 By this time, I too, of course, 479 00:21:58,662 --> 00:22:02,837 had accepted CeCe's news, and I soon realized that 480 00:22:02,838 --> 00:22:06,255 it carried a silver lining. 481 00:22:06,497 --> 00:22:11,812 The fact that Charles is my second great-grandfather 482 00:22:11,813 --> 00:22:16,127 means that his ancestors are my ancestors. 483 00:22:17,232 --> 00:22:21,685 And CeCe was able to introduce me to a host of them. 484 00:22:22,686 --> 00:22:27,103 Starting in the 1850 census where she found 485 00:22:27,104 --> 00:22:32,454 Charles living in a very crowded household. 486 00:22:32,661 --> 00:22:36,043 "Charles Kelley, age 26, farmer; 487 00:22:36,044 --> 00:22:37,044 Hannah Kelley." 488 00:22:37,045 --> 00:22:38,321 Whoa. 489 00:22:38,322 --> 00:22:40,703 "Age 46. Jacob Stotler, age 50. 490 00:22:40,704 --> 00:22:42,187 Amanda Kelley, 18. 491 00:22:42,188 --> 00:22:45,673 Mary Kelley, 12 and Fanny, 10." 492 00:22:45,674 --> 00:22:47,537 So this is the 1850 census for 493 00:22:47,538 --> 00:22:49,297 Allegany County, Maryland, 494 00:22:49,298 --> 00:22:50,851 do you recognize any of their names? 495 00:22:50,852 --> 00:22:52,128 Yes, Charles Kelley. 496 00:22:52,129 --> 00:22:53,232 Right. 497 00:22:53,233 --> 00:22:55,821 And someone 20 years older named Hannah, 498 00:22:55,822 --> 00:22:58,168 I am guessing is his mother, 499 00:22:58,169 --> 00:23:00,654 which would make her my third great-grandmother. 500 00:23:00,655 --> 00:23:02,276 Right. You're jumping way ahead. 501 00:23:02,277 --> 00:23:03,588 You know how this goes. 502 00:23:03,589 --> 00:23:05,244 That's cool. 503 00:23:05,245 --> 00:23:07,246 So as you know, the 1850 census doesn't 504 00:23:07,247 --> 00:23:11,285 spell out the relationships, but it seemed very likely that 505 00:23:11,286 --> 00:23:14,357 the 46-year-old woman named Hannah is Charles' mother, 506 00:23:14,358 --> 00:23:17,429 while the three women ages 10 to 18 were his sisters. 507 00:23:17,430 --> 00:23:18,810 Mm-hmm. 508 00:23:18,811 --> 00:23:20,639 And DNA supports this conclusion. 509 00:23:20,640 --> 00:23:21,882 Mm-hmm, that's great. 510 00:23:21,883 --> 00:23:23,470 So this means that you just met your 511 00:23:23,471 --> 00:23:25,955 great-great-great grandmother, 512 00:23:25,956 --> 00:23:27,335 a woman named Hannah. 513 00:23:27,336 --> 00:23:29,199 That is so cool. Now, that's great. 514 00:23:29,200 --> 00:23:31,719 This is the first addition up the tree. 515 00:23:31,720 --> 00:23:33,790 Mm-hmm. Uh-huh, that's great. 516 00:23:33,791 --> 00:23:34,964 That's fabulous. 517 00:23:34,965 --> 00:23:36,552 Now there's someone else on that census 518 00:23:36,553 --> 00:23:38,657 that stands out Jacob Stotler age 50. 519 00:23:38,658 --> 00:23:39,969 Yeah, who is this dude living on the farm 520 00:23:39,970 --> 00:23:42,558 in isolation with an unmarried woman? 521 00:23:42,559 --> 00:23:45,664 Any guesses? Um, her brother. 522 00:23:45,665 --> 00:23:47,321 Mm-hmm, good guess. I'm pretty good. 523 00:23:47,322 --> 00:23:49,150 Yeah. Oh, that's great. 524 00:23:49,151 --> 00:23:51,394 So we believe that he was Hannah's older brother 525 00:23:51,395 --> 00:23:52,464 and let me show you why. 526 00:23:52,465 --> 00:23:53,603 Please turn the page. 527 00:23:53,604 --> 00:23:54,880 Pretty good, huh? 528 00:23:54,881 --> 00:23:56,295 Pretty good. 529 00:23:56,296 --> 00:23:58,090 So this is a marriage record. 530 00:23:58,091 --> 00:23:59,437 Mm-hmm. 531 00:23:59,438 --> 00:24:01,335 From 1822 in Allegany County, Maryland. 532 00:24:01,336 --> 00:24:02,543 Wow, cool. 533 00:24:02,544 --> 00:24:04,683 "James Kelley married Hannah Stotler." 534 00:24:04,684 --> 00:24:06,236 Mm-hmm. Nice. 535 00:24:06,237 --> 00:24:08,204 So I'm a Stotler too. 536 00:24:08,205 --> 00:24:10,206 You keep reading my script for me. 537 00:24:10,207 --> 00:24:11,690 That's right. 538 00:24:11,691 --> 00:24:12,933 That's great. 539 00:24:12,934 --> 00:24:14,141 You are a Kelley and a Stotler. 540 00:24:14,142 --> 00:24:15,556 And a Stotler. Mm-hmm. 541 00:24:15,557 --> 00:24:16,902 That's cool. 542 00:24:16,903 --> 00:24:18,248 Had you ever heard the Stotler name 543 00:24:18,249 --> 00:24:19,353 around Cumberland? 544 00:24:19,354 --> 00:24:20,561 I've never heard of the Stotler 545 00:24:20,562 --> 00:24:23,323 name around anywhere. 546 00:24:24,393 --> 00:24:27,430 As it turns out, the Stotlers have lived in 547 00:24:27,431 --> 00:24:31,608 and around Cumberland since the early 1800s. 548 00:24:32,609 --> 00:24:35,714 And learning that I was part of this family 549 00:24:35,715 --> 00:24:39,511 would lead to a startling discovery. 550 00:24:39,512 --> 00:24:42,341 In all our years of researching Jane, 551 00:24:42,342 --> 00:24:45,275 no one had ever been able to uncover even a 552 00:24:45,276 --> 00:24:49,073 single detail about her life in slavery. 553 00:24:50,730 --> 00:24:53,560 But as our team combed through the documents that 554 00:24:53,561 --> 00:24:58,185 the Stotlers left behind, they found what had eluded 555 00:24:58,186 --> 00:25:03,155 generations of Gates', an estate record listing 556 00:25:03,156 --> 00:25:07,506 Jane as a piece of property. 557 00:25:07,851 --> 00:25:09,196 Ohhh! 558 00:25:09,197 --> 00:25:10,508 Okay, hold on. 559 00:25:10,509 --> 00:25:11,957 Let me introduce you to this record. 560 00:25:11,958 --> 00:25:13,200 Okay. 561 00:25:13,201 --> 00:25:14,960 You're looking at a part of the estate file 562 00:25:14,961 --> 00:25:18,308 of Christian Stotler, your great-great-great-grandmother 563 00:25:18,309 --> 00:25:20,207 Hannah Stotler's brother. 564 00:25:20,208 --> 00:25:22,554 So remember Hannah had the brother, Jacob, 565 00:25:22,555 --> 00:25:24,487 she also has a brother Christian. 566 00:25:24,488 --> 00:25:28,560 He died just outside of Cumberland on March 4th, 1859, 567 00:25:28,561 --> 00:25:31,149 only seven months before the death of his nephew, 568 00:25:31,150 --> 00:25:34,359 your great-great-grandfather, Charles Wesley Kelley. 569 00:25:34,360 --> 00:25:36,568 Wow, these are the, this is the guy who owned 570 00:25:36,569 --> 00:25:38,363 Jane and her children. 571 00:25:38,364 --> 00:25:39,571 That's amazing. 572 00:25:39,572 --> 00:25:43,024 Mm-hmm. That is amazing. 573 00:25:43,403 --> 00:25:45,370 Mm, mm, mm. 574 00:25:45,371 --> 00:25:47,061 "An inventory of the personal property 575 00:25:47,062 --> 00:25:50,237 of Christian Stotler, late of Allegany County deceased, 576 00:25:50,238 --> 00:25:55,035 Negro woman, Jane, 37 years old, $500. 577 00:25:55,036 --> 00:25:58,590 Negro girl, Clara, 11, $800. 578 00:25:58,591 --> 00:26:02,283 Negro girl, Alice, nine years, $750. 579 00:26:02,284 --> 00:26:04,596 Negro boy Henry seven..." 580 00:26:04,597 --> 00:26:06,149 That's was the source, by the way, 581 00:26:06,150 --> 00:26:08,842 of all the Henrys in family, down to me. 582 00:26:08,843 --> 00:26:13,294 "...$500 and Negro boy Edward, 18 months, $200." 583 00:26:13,295 --> 00:26:15,158 I can't believe you found this. 584 00:26:15,159 --> 00:26:19,059 It is so stunning. 585 00:26:19,060 --> 00:26:22,165 I am just floored. 586 00:26:22,166 --> 00:26:23,684 Did you ever imagine you would see this? 587 00:26:23,685 --> 00:26:26,169 No, never, mm-mm. 588 00:26:26,170 --> 00:26:28,344 You've asked a lot of your guests this in the past, 589 00:26:28,345 --> 00:26:31,623 but how does it feel to see their names with 590 00:26:31,624 --> 00:26:33,211 dollar values assigned? 591 00:26:33,212 --> 00:26:35,454 Oh, it's just, uh, I have tears my eyes, 592 00:26:35,455 --> 00:26:37,871 you know, it's, uh, I can't believe it. 593 00:26:37,872 --> 00:26:42,392 I, this is the most amazing discovery that, 594 00:26:42,393 --> 00:26:44,118 um, I could have. 595 00:26:44,119 --> 00:26:48,088 This is more amazing even than the identity of, 596 00:26:48,089 --> 00:26:50,780 uh, uh, Edward's father, really. 597 00:26:50,781 --> 00:26:52,748 That's what led us to this. 598 00:26:52,749 --> 00:26:55,060 We had to make that discovery to find this. 599 00:26:55,061 --> 00:26:56,441 Oh, that's, it's amazing, 600 00:26:56,442 --> 00:26:57,925 I can't believe it. 601 00:26:57,926 --> 00:27:01,066 I just can't believe it after all this looking, 602 00:27:01,067 --> 00:27:02,723 I just can't believe it. 603 00:27:02,724 --> 00:27:05,623 Mm. Wow. 604 00:27:05,624 --> 00:27:07,555 That's amazing, that is astonishing. 605 00:27:07,556 --> 00:27:10,731 This is just gonna floor everybody. 606 00:27:10,732 --> 00:27:13,045 I'm floored. 607 00:27:13,873 --> 00:27:17,220 Based on this record, it seems that Jane met 608 00:27:17,221 --> 00:27:20,292 Charles Kelley when she was enslaved by his 609 00:27:20,293 --> 00:27:23,606 uncle Christian Stotler. 610 00:27:23,607 --> 00:27:26,436 We don't know if Christian had any knowledge 611 00:27:26,437 --> 00:27:30,578 of the relationship, but in March of 1859, 612 00:27:30,579 --> 00:27:34,375 he made out his will, in reading it, 613 00:27:34,376 --> 00:27:38,138 I realized that if he had familial feelings towards 614 00:27:38,139 --> 00:27:42,522 Jane and her children, they were decidedly mixed. 615 00:27:44,697 --> 00:27:48,217 Well, he freed Jane, that's the good news. 616 00:27:48,218 --> 00:27:49,908 Then I read the second half. 617 00:27:49,909 --> 00:27:52,324 Okay, this is a good news, bad news document. 618 00:27:52,325 --> 00:27:53,705 Mm-hmm. 619 00:27:53,706 --> 00:27:55,362 "I desire that my servant woman, Jane, 620 00:27:55,363 --> 00:27:57,709 be free after further servitude of three years..." 621 00:27:57,710 --> 00:27:59,780 So that would be 1862, 622 00:27:59,781 --> 00:28:02,472 the middle of what would become the Civil War. 623 00:28:02,473 --> 00:28:04,060 "...because of her faithful service to my 624 00:28:04,061 --> 00:28:08,099 family, however, I desire that my servant boys, 625 00:28:08,100 --> 00:28:10,549 Henry and Edward sons of Jane, 626 00:28:10,550 --> 00:28:14,312 my servant woman, be sold at private sale to 627 00:28:14,313 --> 00:28:18,661 good masters in the county or state and not be allowed 628 00:28:18,662 --> 00:28:21,629 to be sold out of state." 629 00:28:21,630 --> 00:28:24,563 Hmm, boy, that's cold. 630 00:28:24,564 --> 00:28:26,324 He, you know, he was freeing the mother, 631 00:28:26,325 --> 00:28:29,292 but keeping her sons in bondage. 632 00:28:29,293 --> 00:28:30,569 Though, he did say 633 00:28:30,570 --> 00:28:32,779 "They couldn't be sold out of state." 634 00:28:32,780 --> 00:28:35,091 Yeah, but Maryland's got a whole lot of state. 635 00:28:35,092 --> 00:28:36,403 Yeah. 636 00:28:36,404 --> 00:28:37,749 You know, you could be sold all the way 637 00:28:37,750 --> 00:28:39,164 down to the Eastern Shore where Frederick Douglass 638 00:28:39,165 --> 00:28:41,615 was from all the way from up here in 639 00:28:41,616 --> 00:28:43,962 western Maryland in the mountains. 640 00:28:43,963 --> 00:28:45,757 That's cold and cruel. 641 00:28:45,758 --> 00:28:46,931 Yeah. 642 00:28:46,932 --> 00:28:48,553 I wonder how Jane must have felt about that. 643 00:28:48,554 --> 00:28:49,657 What do you think? 644 00:28:49,658 --> 00:28:51,764 It would've been devastating. 645 00:28:52,938 --> 00:28:57,011 Jane would soon have to face this devastation head on. 646 00:28:57,977 --> 00:29:00,910 Following Christian Stotler's death 647 00:29:00,911 --> 00:29:03,983 her family was torn apart. 648 00:29:04,604 --> 00:29:07,089 Her two daughters were bequeathed to other members 649 00:29:07,090 --> 00:29:09,747 of the Stotler family. 650 00:29:09,748 --> 00:29:14,959 Meanwhile, Jane and her young sons were sold. 651 00:29:14,960 --> 00:29:17,893 With the boys "purchased for life" 652 00:29:17,894 --> 00:29:21,829 and Jane for a term of two years. 653 00:29:22,519 --> 00:29:25,072 It was terrible to contemplate. 654 00:29:25,073 --> 00:29:28,006 But the family historian in me could not help but 655 00:29:28,007 --> 00:29:30,975 be intrigued by something. 656 00:29:30,976 --> 00:29:33,598 Hidden within the cold legal language of these 657 00:29:33,599 --> 00:29:37,809 transactions was a singular detail, 658 00:29:37,810 --> 00:29:39,984 "Additional list of the sales..." 659 00:29:39,985 --> 00:29:41,157 Oh. 660 00:29:41,158 --> 00:29:43,297 "...On the personal property of Christian Stotler, 661 00:29:43,298 --> 00:29:45,575 late of Allegany County, deceased to wit, 662 00:29:45,576 --> 00:29:49,372 Merriam Stotler, and JH Stotler, two rifle guns, 663 00:29:49,373 --> 00:29:51,029 $16. 664 00:29:51,030 --> 00:29:54,964 And to Samuel Brady, servant Jane, 665 00:29:54,965 --> 00:29:57,104 and her two children." 666 00:29:57,105 --> 00:30:01,523 . 667 00:30:02,283 --> 00:30:03,697 There it is. There it is. 668 00:30:03,698 --> 00:30:06,010 That is amazing. 669 00:30:06,011 --> 00:30:09,911 Boy, that shows you the power of oral tradition. 670 00:30:10,187 --> 00:30:12,154 Yeah, it wasn't out of nowhere. 671 00:30:12,155 --> 00:30:15,502 No, it wasn't out of nowhere. 672 00:30:15,503 --> 00:30:19,057 According to this record, Jane and her two boys, 673 00:30:19,058 --> 00:30:22,060 including my great-grandfather, Edward, 674 00:30:22,061 --> 00:30:27,480 were purchased by none other than Samuel Dunlap Brady. 675 00:30:28,827 --> 00:30:31,552 Meaning that the man my family had long believed 676 00:30:31,553 --> 00:30:34,383 to be the father of Jane's children had actually 677 00:30:34,384 --> 00:30:38,801 been the last man who owned her. 678 00:30:38,802 --> 00:30:41,114 They were close, they just didn't get it right. 679 00:30:41,115 --> 00:30:42,184 Isn't that the way it is with 680 00:30:42,185 --> 00:30:43,426 family stories, though? 681 00:30:43,427 --> 00:30:45,739 There's usually a kernel of truth I have found, 682 00:30:45,740 --> 00:30:48,121 but it's often not quite right. 683 00:30:48,122 --> 00:30:51,987 Yeah, this is astonishing. 684 00:30:51,988 --> 00:30:57,268 This is, I could never have imagined that, 685 00:30:57,269 --> 00:31:00,961 um, any of this had been found. 686 00:31:00,962 --> 00:31:03,482 Nothing. 687 00:31:03,827 --> 00:31:07,485 I had now learned more about Jane than I'd ever 688 00:31:07,486 --> 00:31:09,694 dreamed possible. 689 00:31:09,695 --> 00:31:13,767 She was no longer just my oldest Gates ancestor, 690 00:31:13,768 --> 00:31:18,323 suddenly she was a woman with a story, 691 00:31:18,324 --> 00:31:22,363 and that story had another beat to it. 692 00:31:22,639 --> 00:31:24,951 We'd seen that Jane was part of Christian Stotler's 693 00:31:24,952 --> 00:31:29,403 estate when he passed away in 1859, 694 00:31:29,404 --> 00:31:33,442 and in the 1840 census, we saw that Christian owned 695 00:31:33,443 --> 00:31:39,069 three female slaves, likely Jane and two daughters. 696 00:31:40,208 --> 00:31:44,419 But there was still a question in front of us. 697 00:31:44,764 --> 00:31:46,075 How did Christian Stotler come 698 00:31:46,076 --> 00:31:47,421 to own Jane Gates? 699 00:31:47,422 --> 00:31:48,733 Mm-hmm. 700 00:31:48,734 --> 00:31:50,045 We found no indication he owned 701 00:31:50,046 --> 00:31:52,806 any enslaved people prior to 1840. 702 00:31:52,807 --> 00:31:54,187 Mm-hmm. 703 00:31:54,188 --> 00:31:55,671 And indeed, we don't have a document 704 00:31:55,672 --> 00:31:57,155 that shows Christian acquiring any slaves, 705 00:31:57,156 --> 00:31:59,019 including your great-great-grandmother, Jane, 706 00:31:59,020 --> 00:32:00,331 at any time. 707 00:32:00,332 --> 00:32:02,471 So we can't be certain, but as we dug deeper 708 00:32:02,472 --> 00:32:03,610 into the paper trail, 709 00:32:03,611 --> 00:32:04,956 we found a very interesting clue. 710 00:32:04,957 --> 00:32:07,200 Okay. Please turn the page. 711 00:32:07,201 --> 00:32:11,964 . 712 00:32:12,240 --> 00:32:14,621 Now this is one of several obituaries of your 713 00:32:14,622 --> 00:32:16,278 great-great-grandmother, Jane, 714 00:32:16,279 --> 00:32:18,901 it was published on January 7th, 1888 in 715 00:32:18,902 --> 00:32:20,868 "The Cumberland Daily Times." 716 00:32:20,869 --> 00:32:22,180 "Death of Aunt Jane Gates. 717 00:32:22,181 --> 00:32:25,149 Last night at 11 o'clock, Aunt Jane Gates, colored, 718 00:32:25,150 --> 00:32:26,874 a family servant of the Stover's." 719 00:32:26,875 --> 00:32:28,221 I've seen this before. 720 00:32:28,222 --> 00:32:29,463 Mm-hmm. 721 00:32:29,464 --> 00:32:30,706 But I never could figure out who the Stovers were. 722 00:32:30,707 --> 00:32:31,879 Mm-hmm. 723 00:32:31,880 --> 00:32:33,502 "Died in the 75th year of her age. 724 00:32:33,503 --> 00:32:35,469 She's lived for a long time on Green Street where 725 00:32:35,470 --> 00:32:36,746 her death occurred." 726 00:32:36,747 --> 00:32:38,300 So it's the Stovers. 727 00:32:38,301 --> 00:32:39,508 Yes. 728 00:32:39,509 --> 00:32:40,612 That's the smoking pistol. 729 00:32:40,613 --> 00:32:41,993 That's right. 730 00:32:41,994 --> 00:32:45,549 CeCe had indeed uncovered a smoking pistol. 731 00:32:46,723 --> 00:32:49,967 Based on this obituary we now knew that Jane worked 732 00:32:49,968 --> 00:32:54,143 as a domestic servant for a family named Stover 733 00:32:54,144 --> 00:32:57,560 at the end of her life, which got our team wondering 734 00:32:57,561 --> 00:33:00,287 if Jane might've had a relationship with the 735 00:33:00,288 --> 00:33:04,464 Stover family earlier than that. 736 00:33:04,465 --> 00:33:09,710 This led us back almost 50 years to a document 737 00:33:09,711 --> 00:33:13,612 I couldn't imagine even existed. 738 00:33:14,406 --> 00:33:16,441 This was published in a local Cumberland 739 00:33:16,442 --> 00:33:18,547 newspaper called "The Phoenix Civilian" 740 00:33:18,548 --> 00:33:20,825 on September 21st, 1839. 741 00:33:20,826 --> 00:33:23,069 Would you please read the transcribed section? 742 00:33:23,070 --> 00:33:25,140 "By virtue of deed of trust to me, 743 00:33:25,141 --> 00:33:29,109 executed by Solomon Stover and Harriet, his wife, 744 00:33:29,110 --> 00:33:33,493 I will sell at public sale at the residence of said 745 00:33:33,494 --> 00:33:36,392 Stover in Cumberland, one Negro woman and 746 00:33:36,393 --> 00:33:39,119 her two children, one an infant and 747 00:33:39,120 --> 00:33:41,121 the other about three years old. 748 00:33:41,122 --> 00:33:42,571 Slaves for life." 749 00:33:42,572 --> 00:33:47,058 Geez, boy that's cold, "Slaves for life." 750 00:33:47,059 --> 00:33:48,646 So Skip, we believe you're looking at 751 00:33:48,647 --> 00:33:50,372 an advertisement for the sale of your 752 00:33:50,373 --> 00:33:51,787 great-great-grandmother, Jane Gates, 753 00:33:51,788 --> 00:33:53,064 and her two young daughters. 754 00:33:53,065 --> 00:33:54,169 Mm. 755 00:33:54,170 --> 00:33:56,723 So they're owned by the Stovers. 756 00:33:56,724 --> 00:33:57,965 Mm-hmm. 757 00:33:57,966 --> 00:33:59,139 And they're being sold. 758 00:33:59,140 --> 00:34:00,554 Right. There you go. 759 00:34:00,555 --> 00:34:01,969 "The Phoenix Civilian," never heard of it. 760 00:34:01,970 --> 00:34:03,454 What's it like to look at it and what did 761 00:34:03,455 --> 00:34:06,353 you think Jane would've been feeling? 762 00:34:06,354 --> 00:34:09,770 You know, I've seen 1,000 bill of sales... 763 00:34:09,771 --> 00:34:11,082 Mm-hmm. 764 00:34:11,083 --> 00:34:13,119 But to know that that one Negro woman is 765 00:34:13,120 --> 00:34:14,844 my great-great-grandmother. 766 00:34:14,845 --> 00:34:16,191 Mm-hmm. 767 00:34:16,192 --> 00:34:17,675 No, she must have been horrified. 768 00:34:17,676 --> 00:34:19,297 Yeah. 769 00:34:19,298 --> 00:34:20,919 Yeah, I'll be thinking about this page 770 00:34:20,920 --> 00:34:23,440 for a long, long time. 771 00:34:23,889 --> 00:34:27,133 CeCe told me that our researchers couldn't be certain, 772 00:34:27,134 --> 00:34:30,964 but they believe this represents the moment 773 00:34:30,965 --> 00:34:35,072 when Jane and two of her daughters were purchased 774 00:34:35,073 --> 00:34:37,936 by Christian Stotler. 775 00:34:37,937 --> 00:34:39,973 What's more, it appears that one of the daughters 776 00:34:39,974 --> 00:34:44,840 was named Maria and that her very existence 777 00:34:44,841 --> 00:34:48,776 had been lost within my family's story. 778 00:34:49,397 --> 00:34:50,432 Maria, who is Maria? 779 00:34:50,433 --> 00:34:51,709 We never heard of her. 780 00:34:51,710 --> 00:34:53,193 We never had. Mm-hmm. 781 00:34:53,194 --> 00:34:54,608 So it looks like Jane has six. 782 00:34:54,609 --> 00:34:55,747 Jane had another child. 783 00:34:55,748 --> 00:34:56,886 Right, six children. 784 00:34:56,887 --> 00:34:58,302 Yeah, amazing, okay. 785 00:34:58,303 --> 00:34:59,924 So remember Christian Stotler owned 786 00:34:59,925 --> 00:35:01,822 three enslaved females by the time the 787 00:35:01,823 --> 00:35:04,135 1840 census was recorded. 788 00:35:04,136 --> 00:35:05,240 Right. 789 00:35:05,241 --> 00:35:06,620 So this suggests that one was Jane, 790 00:35:06,621 --> 00:35:07,828 one was Maria. 791 00:35:07,829 --> 00:35:09,485 Maria, who is a ghost, mm-hmm. 792 00:35:09,486 --> 00:35:10,624 And we searched high and low 793 00:35:10,625 --> 00:35:12,695 to try to find more information on Maria, 794 00:35:12,696 --> 00:35:15,146 and unfortunately we came up empty with her. 795 00:35:15,147 --> 00:35:16,389 Okay. 796 00:35:16,390 --> 00:35:18,149 But we believe if she was living or if 797 00:35:18,150 --> 00:35:20,565 she had children or grandchildren, 798 00:35:20,566 --> 00:35:22,395 Jane would've mentioned them in her will. 799 00:35:22,396 --> 00:35:23,637 Mm-hmm. 800 00:35:23,638 --> 00:35:25,087 Like she did her other children. 801 00:35:25,088 --> 00:35:26,468 Right and she didn't, okay. 802 00:35:26,469 --> 00:35:27,848 So she may have died early. 803 00:35:27,849 --> 00:35:29,091 Mm-hmm. 804 00:35:29,092 --> 00:35:30,092 Or she could have been sold away. 805 00:35:30,093 --> 00:35:31,162 Mm-hmm, she could have been. 806 00:35:31,163 --> 00:35:32,301 We don't know. 807 00:35:32,302 --> 00:35:33,302 Right. 808 00:35:33,303 --> 00:35:34,510 Would you please turn the page? 809 00:35:34,511 --> 00:35:35,649 Alright. 810 00:35:35,650 --> 00:35:36,961 That's it, we're starting and ending. 811 00:35:36,962 --> 00:35:38,756 That's great. 812 00:35:38,757 --> 00:35:41,276 Hey grandma. 813 00:35:41,277 --> 00:35:43,001 . 814 00:35:43,002 --> 00:35:44,589 I know a lot more about you than I did four hours ago, 815 00:35:44,590 --> 00:35:45,866 I'll tell you that. 816 00:35:45,867 --> 00:35:48,041 Wow, how fascinating. 817 00:35:48,042 --> 00:35:49,836 So what's it like looking at her now 818 00:35:49,837 --> 00:35:51,493 knowing all of this? 819 00:35:51,494 --> 00:35:55,117 Well, I see a lot of pain in those eyes. 820 00:35:55,118 --> 00:35:57,292 Hmmm. 821 00:35:57,293 --> 00:35:59,052 And now I know why. 822 00:35:59,053 --> 00:36:00,260 Mm-hmm. 823 00:36:00,261 --> 00:36:01,572 Did you see the pain before? 824 00:36:01,573 --> 00:36:03,781 Mm-mm. Hmm. 825 00:36:03,782 --> 00:36:08,682 No, no, not, not in the same way, no. 826 00:36:08,683 --> 00:36:10,719 She just looked fierce. 827 00:36:10,720 --> 00:36:12,583 That's my impression of her. 828 00:36:12,584 --> 00:36:15,310 Mm-hmm. Fierce, perfect word. 829 00:36:15,311 --> 00:36:19,003 Yeah, I'm overwhelmed really. 830 00:36:19,004 --> 00:36:22,282 It's deeply emotional too. 831 00:36:22,283 --> 00:36:24,665 Yeah. 832 00:36:26,770 --> 00:36:29,531 We'd already identified Laurence Fishburne's 833 00:36:29,532 --> 00:36:33,742 biological father solving a mystery that 834 00:36:33,743 --> 00:36:36,573 had haunted him for decades. 835 00:36:37,747 --> 00:36:41,508 Now we turn to Laurence's father's ancestors, 836 00:36:41,509 --> 00:36:44,511 men and women whose lives Laurence had never 837 00:36:44,512 --> 00:36:47,584 even contemplated before. 838 00:36:49,552 --> 00:36:53,866 As it turns out, one of them has an incredible story. 839 00:36:55,109 --> 00:36:59,250 It begins with the 1870 census for Ohio, 840 00:36:59,251 --> 00:37:03,150 where we found Laurence's great-great-grandfather, 841 00:37:03,151 --> 00:37:06,602 a man named Paul Sandridge. 842 00:37:06,603 --> 00:37:08,535 "Inhabitants in Jefferson Township in 843 00:37:08,536 --> 00:37:11,469 the county of Montgomery, state of Ohio. 844 00:37:11,470 --> 00:37:15,542 Paul Sandridge, age 28, Black, occupation, farmer, 845 00:37:15,543 --> 00:37:18,096 place of birth, Virginia." 846 00:37:18,097 --> 00:37:19,339 According to this census, 847 00:37:19,340 --> 00:37:25,276 your great-great-grandfather, Paul was born around 1842, 848 00:37:25,277 --> 00:37:28,003 which is 19 years before the outbreak of the Civil War... 849 00:37:28,004 --> 00:37:29,280 Mm-hmm. 850 00:37:29,281 --> 00:37:30,764 ...In Virginia, so you know what that means? 851 00:37:30,765 --> 00:37:31,972 Yes. About his status. 852 00:37:31,973 --> 00:37:33,319 He was enslaved. He was enslaved. 853 00:37:33,320 --> 00:37:34,527 Mm-hmm. 854 00:37:34,528 --> 00:37:35,735 Have you given much thought to your, you know, 855 00:37:35,736 --> 00:37:37,150 you saw "Roots," right, we all did, 856 00:37:37,151 --> 00:37:39,635 to your ancestors who may have been enslaved? 857 00:37:39,636 --> 00:37:41,188 All the time. Mm-hmm. 858 00:37:41,189 --> 00:37:42,845 All my life, I think... 859 00:37:42,846 --> 00:37:44,295 Mm-hmm. 860 00:37:44,296 --> 00:37:45,572 Without knowing who they were or 861 00:37:45,573 --> 00:37:46,918 what they might have endured. 862 00:37:46,919 --> 00:37:48,092 Right. 863 00:37:48,093 --> 00:37:50,853 I've always known and really had 864 00:37:50,854 --> 00:37:53,925 a connection to that experience. 865 00:37:53,926 --> 00:37:55,237 Mm-hmm. 866 00:37:55,238 --> 00:37:56,514 Um, I've thought about it. 867 00:37:56,515 --> 00:38:01,623 I've considered it, and I have used it as fuel to, 868 00:38:01,624 --> 00:38:04,972 uh, to make the most of my life. 869 00:38:06,249 --> 00:38:09,182 We now set out to learn whatever we could 870 00:38:09,183 --> 00:38:13,394 about how Laurence's ancestors experienced slavery. 871 00:38:14,292 --> 00:38:17,466 And immediately we faced a question, 872 00:38:17,467 --> 00:38:19,813 if Paul was born in Virginia, 873 00:38:19,814 --> 00:38:23,749 how did he end up in Ohio, roughly 300 miles away? 874 00:38:25,268 --> 00:38:28,684 Searching for an answer we eventually focused on 875 00:38:28,685 --> 00:38:33,345 Paul's mother, a woman named Lucy Carpenter. 876 00:38:34,795 --> 00:38:39,350 This led us to the archives of Amherst County, Virginia, 877 00:38:39,351 --> 00:38:41,732 where we found the estate records of 878 00:38:41,733 --> 00:38:45,495 a slave owner named Eaton Carpenter. 879 00:38:45,806 --> 00:38:49,291 They suggest that Eaton shaped the fate 880 00:38:49,292 --> 00:38:52,191 of Laurence's family. 881 00:38:52,813 --> 00:38:54,123 "I, Eaton Carpenter 882 00:38:54,124 --> 00:38:57,403 do make this to be my last will and testament. 883 00:38:57,404 --> 00:39:00,923 It is my will and desire that all my slaves that 884 00:39:00,924 --> 00:39:03,512 I am possessed of at the time of my death be 885 00:39:03,513 --> 00:39:06,239 emancipated and set free. 886 00:39:06,240 --> 00:39:08,828 It is my will and desire that all my estate, 887 00:39:08,829 --> 00:39:11,486 both land and perishable property, 888 00:39:11,487 --> 00:39:14,834 other than the slaves be sold by my executor upon 889 00:39:14,835 --> 00:39:19,217 such terms and in such manner as he shall think best, 890 00:39:19,218 --> 00:39:22,566 and the proceeds of the sales thereof be 891 00:39:22,567 --> 00:39:25,983 applied to the removal and settlement of the slaves 892 00:39:25,984 --> 00:39:28,123 to some of the free states. 893 00:39:28,124 --> 00:39:31,195 The money arising from the proceeds of the sales 894 00:39:31,196 --> 00:39:34,336 of my land and perishable property shall be divided 895 00:39:34,337 --> 00:39:37,408 equally amongst them all to buy lands, 896 00:39:37,409 --> 00:39:39,617 to settle them upon." 897 00:39:39,618 --> 00:39:43,241 Wow, that's amazing. 898 00:39:43,242 --> 00:39:44,415 That's amazing. 899 00:39:44,416 --> 00:39:46,244 So what do you make of this guy, 900 00:39:46,245 --> 00:39:47,625 old Eaton Carpenter? 901 00:39:47,626 --> 00:39:48,833 Old Eaton. 902 00:39:48,834 --> 00:39:49,938 Well, it makes me wonder what his relationship 903 00:39:49,939 --> 00:39:51,491 was to these people. 904 00:39:51,492 --> 00:39:53,044 Mm-hmm. 905 00:39:53,045 --> 00:39:54,736 That's what, that's the question. 906 00:39:54,737 --> 00:39:58,360 Yeah, and it makes you think... 907 00:39:58,361 --> 00:39:59,913 He loved them... Mm-hmm. 908 00:39:59,914 --> 00:40:01,536 ...He cared for them, yeah. 909 00:40:01,537 --> 00:40:04,608 And was probably related to some of them. 910 00:40:04,609 --> 00:40:07,749 I think those are reasonable assumptions. 911 00:40:07,750 --> 00:40:09,717 Mm-hmm. 912 00:40:10,338 --> 00:40:12,961 We believe that Eaton Carpenter was likely 913 00:40:12,962 --> 00:40:15,653 Paul's great-uncle, but he may have been 914 00:40:15,654 --> 00:40:19,692 his grandfather, or simply a right-minded man 915 00:40:19,693 --> 00:40:22,626 who wanted to free his slaves. 916 00:40:22,627 --> 00:40:24,973 We can't be certain. 917 00:40:24,974 --> 00:40:29,011 What we do know is that in the wake of Eaton's death, 918 00:40:29,012 --> 00:40:31,945 Paul and his mother and siblings journeyed 919 00:40:31,946 --> 00:40:37,468 north to Ohio, a free state where they took up farming. 920 00:40:37,469 --> 00:40:39,436 We also know that Paul would do more with 921 00:40:39,437 --> 00:40:42,854 his life than farm. 922 00:40:43,164 --> 00:40:48,410 In April of 1861, when he was about 20 years old, 923 00:40:48,411 --> 00:40:50,585 the Civil War erupted. 924 00:40:50,586 --> 00:40:53,898 Roughly 19 months later with the outcome 925 00:40:53,899 --> 00:40:57,902 still very much in doubt the union finally began 926 00:40:57,903 --> 00:41:01,666 recruiting African Americans into the Army. 927 00:41:03,702 --> 00:41:07,672 And Laurence's ancestor heeded the call. 928 00:41:08,431 --> 00:41:10,846 "27 USCT, Paul Sandridge. 929 00:41:10,847 --> 00:41:12,779 Private Company C. 930 00:41:12,780 --> 00:41:15,092 Where enlisted, Portsmouth. 931 00:41:15,093 --> 00:41:18,509 When, mustered in, January 19th, 1864. 932 00:41:18,510 --> 00:41:20,753 Where mustered in, Columbus. 933 00:41:20,754 --> 00:41:22,548 Your great-great-grandfather 934 00:41:22,549 --> 00:41:24,722 enlisted in the Union Army. 935 00:41:24,723 --> 00:41:26,552 And fought. And fought. 936 00:41:26,553 --> 00:41:27,587 God bless you. 937 00:41:27,588 --> 00:41:28,899 What's it like to know that? 938 00:41:28,900 --> 00:41:30,659 That's fantastic. 939 00:41:30,660 --> 00:41:33,766 180,000 Black men joined 940 00:41:33,767 --> 00:41:36,182 the United States Colored Troops 941 00:41:36,183 --> 00:41:37,942 to fight for the freedom of all 942 00:41:37,943 --> 00:41:39,599 their unfree brothers and sisters. 943 00:41:39,600 --> 00:41:41,083 Right, my great-grandfather 944 00:41:41,084 --> 00:41:42,188 was one of them. 945 00:41:42,189 --> 00:41:43,534 That's right. Wow. 946 00:41:43,535 --> 00:41:44,673 How about that? 947 00:41:44,674 --> 00:41:48,506 That's amazing, that's really amazing. 948 00:41:49,886 --> 00:41:51,646 Paul would quickly be forced to prove 949 00:41:51,647 --> 00:41:54,511 his worth as a soldier. 950 00:41:54,512 --> 00:41:56,616 Just months after he enlisted, 951 00:41:56,617 --> 00:41:59,723 his regiment was sent south to join what 952 00:41:59,724 --> 00:42:03,036 became known as the Petersburg Campaign, 953 00:42:03,037 --> 00:42:06,868 a sprawling series of battles fought across 954 00:42:06,869 --> 00:42:09,733 southern Virginia. 955 00:42:09,734 --> 00:42:14,738 The campaign lasted for almost a year and caused 956 00:42:14,739 --> 00:42:18,569 more than 70,000 casualties. 957 00:42:18,570 --> 00:42:20,985 It was some of the most brutal combat 958 00:42:20,986 --> 00:42:23,713 of the entire war. 959 00:42:23,989 --> 00:42:25,265 Oh my goodness. 960 00:42:25,266 --> 00:42:26,888 So, Laurence, I want you to think about something, 961 00:42:26,889 --> 00:42:28,821 Paul's military service took it back 962 00:42:28,822 --> 00:42:30,581 to Virginia where he had been enslaved. 963 00:42:30,582 --> 00:42:31,789 Where he'd been enslaved? 964 00:42:31,790 --> 00:42:33,377 . 965 00:42:33,378 --> 00:42:34,792 How about that? It's fantastic. 966 00:42:34,793 --> 00:42:36,000 The state in which he was born and 967 00:42:36,001 --> 00:42:38,209 enslaved until he was about 11 years old. 968 00:42:38,210 --> 00:42:39,417 Oh man. 969 00:42:39,418 --> 00:42:40,936 Yeah, what do you think that was like for him? 970 00:42:40,937 --> 00:42:41,972 He had skin in the game. 971 00:42:41,973 --> 00:42:43,180 Yeah. He was... 972 00:42:43,181 --> 00:42:44,561 And he's old enough to remember if he's 11. 973 00:42:44,562 --> 00:42:46,528 Yes, if he was 11, he remembers. 974 00:42:46,529 --> 00:42:47,564 Yeah. Yeah. 975 00:42:47,565 --> 00:42:49,013 So he was ready to give his life. 976 00:42:49,014 --> 00:42:50,187 Yeah. 977 00:42:50,188 --> 00:42:52,051 He was ready to stand up and take one 978 00:42:52,052 --> 00:42:53,328 and give one, yeah. 979 00:42:53,329 --> 00:42:55,779 Yeah, that took a nobility of soul. 980 00:42:55,780 --> 00:42:57,401 That's right, and, and you know, 981 00:42:57,402 --> 00:43:00,818 real self-sacrifice, like real act of service. 982 00:43:00,819 --> 00:43:02,613 Mm-hmm. You know? 983 00:43:02,614 --> 00:43:03,994 That's beautiful. 984 00:43:03,995 --> 00:43:05,133 It is. 985 00:43:05,134 --> 00:43:07,757 That's really beautiful, yeah. 986 00:43:08,033 --> 00:43:11,864 Paul would pay a heavy price for his convictions. 987 00:43:11,865 --> 00:43:16,144 On October 27th, 1864, he was shot through the 988 00:43:16,145 --> 00:43:20,527 ankle during a battle with Confederate troops. 989 00:43:20,528 --> 00:43:24,186 Four days later, he found himself in a hospital 990 00:43:24,187 --> 00:43:27,327 in Alexandria, Virginia. 991 00:43:27,328 --> 00:43:29,467 He'd remain there for months, 992 00:43:29,468 --> 00:43:34,266 likely in inconsiderable pain. 993 00:43:35,233 --> 00:43:38,960 But suffering did not dim Paul's spirit. 994 00:43:38,961 --> 00:43:42,170 To the contrary, we found his signature on 995 00:43:42,171 --> 00:43:47,037 a remarkable document, a petition protesting the 996 00:43:47,038 --> 00:43:50,904 way the Union was treating Black soldiers. 997 00:43:51,663 --> 00:43:53,699 Would you please read that transcribed section? 998 00:43:53,700 --> 00:43:55,286 "We, the undersigned convalescence 999 00:43:55,287 --> 00:43:57,979 of The Overture Hospital, learned that the government 1000 00:43:57,980 --> 00:44:00,809 has purchased ground to be exclusively 1001 00:44:00,810 --> 00:44:03,605 for the burial of soldiers of the United States Army, 1002 00:44:03,606 --> 00:44:06,366 and has also purchased ground to be used for the 1003 00:44:06,367 --> 00:44:09,680 burial of contrabands or freed men." 1004 00:44:09,681 --> 00:44:10,923 Mm-hmm. 1005 00:44:10,924 --> 00:44:12,131 "We are not contrabands, 1006 00:44:12,132 --> 00:44:14,443 but soldiers of the U.S. Army fighting side by side 1007 00:44:14,444 --> 00:44:17,412 with the White soldiers as American citizens. 1008 00:44:17,413 --> 00:44:20,726 We are now sharing equally the dangers and hardships 1009 00:44:20,727 --> 00:44:23,694 in this mighty contest and should share the same 1010 00:44:23,695 --> 00:44:26,111 privileges and rights of burial. 1011 00:44:26,491 --> 00:44:29,251 We ask that our bodies may find a resting place 1012 00:44:29,252 --> 00:44:32,116 in the ground designated for the burial of the brave 1013 00:44:32,117 --> 00:44:34,809 defenders of our country's flag. 1014 00:44:34,810 --> 00:44:37,674 Paul Sandridge." 1015 00:44:37,675 --> 00:44:39,192 What's it like to see that? 1016 00:44:39,193 --> 00:44:41,539 It's magnificent. 1017 00:44:41,540 --> 00:44:45,267 It's absolutely magnificent and very American. 1018 00:44:45,268 --> 00:44:47,753 Mm-hmm. Deeply American. 1019 00:44:47,754 --> 00:44:49,340 It is. 1020 00:44:49,341 --> 00:44:51,791 Yeah, that's what it is. 1021 00:44:51,792 --> 00:44:53,137 He put his life on the line. 1022 00:44:53,138 --> 00:44:54,276 Yes. 1023 00:44:54,277 --> 00:44:55,415 He went back to where he was enslaved. 1024 00:44:55,416 --> 00:44:56,520 That's right. 1025 00:44:56,521 --> 00:44:57,624 He didn't have to do that. 1026 00:44:57,625 --> 00:44:58,729 Didn't have to do that. 1027 00:44:58,730 --> 00:44:59,765 Volunteered to do that. 1028 00:44:59,766 --> 00:45:00,800 That's right. 1029 00:45:00,801 --> 00:45:02,112 And then when he susses out the fact 1030 00:45:02,113 --> 00:45:03,423 that there's this racial discrimination... 1031 00:45:03,424 --> 00:45:04,493 He's like, we're not... 1032 00:45:04,494 --> 00:45:05,494 ...Takes a stand. 1033 00:45:05,495 --> 00:45:06,772 ...Not standing for that. 1034 00:45:06,773 --> 00:45:08,497 And that's your great-great-grandfather. 1035 00:45:08,498 --> 00:45:11,708 That's incredible, that's incredible. 1036 00:45:11,709 --> 00:45:14,883 This story has a happy ending. 1037 00:45:14,884 --> 00:45:16,816 Paul's petition made its way to the 1038 00:45:16,817 --> 00:45:21,165 Quartermaster General of the United States Army 1039 00:45:21,166 --> 00:45:25,722 and led to real change as Black soldiers began to be 1040 00:45:25,723 --> 00:45:30,313 buried alongside their White comrades. 1041 00:45:31,107 --> 00:45:34,040 What's more, Paul survived his wound and 1042 00:45:34,041 --> 00:45:39,598 returned to Ohio where he married and started a family. 1043 00:45:41,255 --> 00:45:44,188 He would live to be 80 years old before 1044 00:45:44,189 --> 00:45:49,022 passing away on May 27th, 1921. 1045 00:45:50,575 --> 00:45:53,991 And his pension records suggests he worked almost 1046 00:45:53,992 --> 00:45:57,582 right up until the end of his life. 1047 00:45:58,928 --> 00:46:00,653 Until he was 80. Mm-hmm. 1048 00:46:00,654 --> 00:46:02,724 He kept trying... Yeah. 1049 00:46:02,725 --> 00:46:05,727 ...To be a man and, and be whole. 1050 00:46:05,728 --> 00:46:08,074 And to be productive. Right and useful. 1051 00:46:08,075 --> 00:46:12,252 Yeah. Wow, I love it. 1052 00:46:12,528 --> 00:46:14,149 With a, with a bum leg, right? 1053 00:46:14,150 --> 00:46:15,806 Yeah. With a bum ankle. 1054 00:46:15,807 --> 00:46:18,534 Mm-hmm. Amazing. 1055 00:46:19,880 --> 00:46:21,329 Believed in himself. Mm. 1056 00:46:21,330 --> 00:46:22,813 Believed in the future. Mm. 1057 00:46:22,814 --> 00:46:24,194 He would not capitulate... 1058 00:46:24,195 --> 00:46:25,333 Right. 1059 00:46:25,334 --> 00:46:29,475 ...To adversity. At 80 in 1921. 1060 00:46:29,476 --> 00:46:32,133 Yeah. 102 years ago. 1061 00:46:32,134 --> 00:46:33,513 Yep. 1062 00:46:33,514 --> 00:46:38,071 Damn, that's great, that's great. 1063 00:46:39,382 --> 00:46:40,589 Hmm, okay. 1064 00:46:40,590 --> 00:46:42,868 Please turn the page. 1065 00:46:42,869 --> 00:46:46,804 Hello. Look on your right. 1066 00:46:47,632 --> 00:46:50,910 No? You found his headstone? 1067 00:46:50,911 --> 00:46:53,395 Yes. What? 1068 00:46:53,396 --> 00:46:54,431 That is your 1069 00:46:54,432 --> 00:46:56,364 great-great-grandfather's headstone. 1070 00:46:56,365 --> 00:46:57,779 In Ohio or in Virginia? 1071 00:46:57,780 --> 00:47:02,163 Mm-hmm, in Dayton. Oh my gosh. 1072 00:47:02,164 --> 00:47:03,854 That's amazing. 1073 00:47:03,855 --> 00:47:07,824 He's buried in the lower Miami Cemetery in Dayton. 1074 00:47:07,825 --> 00:47:10,171 In Dayton, Ohio. Ohio. 1075 00:47:10,172 --> 00:47:12,621 Interesting. I'll have to go visit. 1076 00:47:12,622 --> 00:47:14,692 And on the left. Mm-hmm. 1077 00:47:14,693 --> 00:47:16,902 I don't know if you've ever been to the 1078 00:47:16,903 --> 00:47:19,559 African American Civil War Memorial in D.C. 1079 00:47:19,560 --> 00:47:21,216 I have not. 1080 00:47:21,217 --> 00:47:23,149 On the left is your great-great-grandfather 1081 00:47:23,150 --> 00:47:24,841 Paul Sandridge's name... 1082 00:47:24,842 --> 00:47:25,945 I see him right there in the center, 1083 00:47:25,946 --> 00:47:27,015 look at that. 1084 00:47:27,016 --> 00:47:30,054 ...Etched into the wall. 1085 00:47:30,537 --> 00:47:31,709 That's crazy. 1086 00:47:31,710 --> 00:47:36,887 Isn't that cool? That's, wow. 1087 00:47:36,888 --> 00:47:38,785 That's awesome. 1088 00:47:38,786 --> 00:47:40,649 What's it been like to learn Paul's story? 1089 00:47:40,650 --> 00:47:44,239 It's just, it's, it's pretty special. 1090 00:47:44,240 --> 00:47:45,827 It's very special. 1091 00:47:45,828 --> 00:47:50,038 I didn't expect any of this at all. 1092 00:47:50,039 --> 00:47:51,350 I know about these stories, 1093 00:47:51,351 --> 00:47:52,799 I've heard these stories, but I, 1094 00:47:52,800 --> 00:47:55,595 I didn't think that my, 1095 00:47:55,596 --> 00:47:57,908 I would be connected to one of them. 1096 00:47:57,909 --> 00:47:59,220 We didn't either. 1097 00:47:59,221 --> 00:48:00,462 I didn't think that you know... 1098 00:48:00,463 --> 00:48:01,774 We were just trying to find... 1099 00:48:01,775 --> 00:48:02,740 Yeah, we was trying to find Fishburne, right? 1100 00:48:02,741 --> 00:48:04,432 Yeah right. 1101 00:48:04,433 --> 00:48:05,882 . 1102 00:48:05,883 --> 00:48:07,193 We tryin' to find the boy's daddy. 1103 00:48:07,194 --> 00:48:09,092 . 1104 00:48:09,093 --> 00:48:13,406 The paper trail had now run out for Laurence and me. 1105 00:48:13,407 --> 00:48:14,683 That's yours. 1106 00:48:14,684 --> 00:48:15,926 Oh wow. 1107 00:48:15,927 --> 00:48:18,687 It was time for us to see our full family trees. 1108 00:48:18,688 --> 00:48:19,757 Wow. 1109 00:48:19,758 --> 00:48:22,451 There you go. Look at this baby. 1110 00:48:23,003 --> 00:48:24,693 Oh man. 1111 00:48:24,694 --> 00:48:26,488 This is your family tree brother. 1112 00:48:26,489 --> 00:48:30,941 Now filled with ancestors whose names we had long 1113 00:48:30,942 --> 00:48:33,840 hoped to learn. 1114 00:48:33,841 --> 00:48:37,362 For each of us, it was a profound sight. 1115 00:48:37,811 --> 00:48:40,295 This is so deeply moving, I mean, 1116 00:48:40,296 --> 00:48:41,918 stunningly powerful. 1117 00:48:41,919 --> 00:48:43,505 You're related to all these people, 1118 00:48:43,506 --> 00:48:44,851 what's that mean to you? 1119 00:48:44,852 --> 00:48:46,957 It means everything, man. 1120 00:48:46,958 --> 00:48:48,545 It means everything. 1121 00:48:48,546 --> 00:48:51,513 It means I have a history where before, 1122 00:48:51,514 --> 00:48:54,621 just when I walked in here today, I didn't. 1123 00:48:58,073 --> 00:48:59,936 My time with Laurence had come to 1124 00:48:59,937 --> 00:49:03,941 an end, but his journey was not yet over. 1125 00:49:04,631 --> 00:49:08,841 He was soon on his way to Los Angeles to meet 1126 00:49:08,842 --> 00:49:12,638 two brand-new members of his family. 1127 00:49:12,639 --> 00:49:14,640 Oh my God. 1128 00:49:14,641 --> 00:49:19,645 His half-siblings, Lisa and William Bohannan, 1129 00:49:19,646 --> 00:49:22,994 the younger children of his biological father. 1130 00:49:23,512 --> 00:49:25,168 This is when he was at his happiest. 1131 00:49:25,169 --> 00:49:26,997 The whole, you know, thing with 1132 00:49:26,998 --> 00:49:29,275 the records and DJing, that was his thing. 1133 00:49:29,276 --> 00:49:32,002 It was, we would wake up before Saturday 1134 00:49:32,003 --> 00:49:34,349 morning cartoons to jazz playing in the house. 1135 00:49:34,350 --> 00:49:35,972 Right, right, exactly. 1136 00:49:35,973 --> 00:49:37,939 Wow, handsome devil. 1137 00:49:37,940 --> 00:49:41,253 For all three it was a magical moment. 1138 00:49:41,254 --> 00:49:43,324 This is grandma? This is Dad. 1139 00:49:43,325 --> 00:49:45,533 A chance to forge bonds. 1140 00:49:45,534 --> 00:49:49,330 See. Share stories. 1141 00:49:49,331 --> 00:49:53,265 And celebrate the man who tied them together. 1142 00:49:53,266 --> 00:49:54,611 I love this. Yeah. 1143 00:49:54,612 --> 00:49:56,613 I absolutely love this. 1144 00:49:56,614 --> 00:49:58,166 Hey. 1145 00:49:58,167 --> 00:49:59,581 Family. 1146 00:50:02,965 --> 00:50:06,657 Just like Laurence, I too had a magical moment 1147 00:50:06,658 --> 00:50:08,452 awaiting me. 1148 00:50:08,453 --> 00:50:11,248 The day after my meeting with CeCe, 1149 00:50:11,249 --> 00:50:13,181 I went to a family reunion. 1150 00:50:13,182 --> 00:50:14,493 Good afternoon, everyone. 1151 00:50:14,494 --> 00:50:16,081 And told everyone what I'd learned... 1152 00:50:16,082 --> 00:50:19,084 ...Jane Gates, so the family story was passed down that 1153 00:50:19,085 --> 00:50:20,775 we were Brady's. 1154 00:50:20,776 --> 00:50:23,502 We were Brady's, property of the Brady's, 1155 00:50:23,503 --> 00:50:27,954 Samuel Dunlap Brady purchased Jane, Henry and Edward 1156 00:50:27,955 --> 00:50:30,957 on April 28th, 1860. 1157 00:50:30,958 --> 00:50:34,306 That's where the myth of the Brady family came in. 1158 00:50:34,307 --> 00:50:35,790 Isn't that incredible? 1159 00:50:35,791 --> 00:50:38,620 So all you Gates', you can have your 1160 00:50:38,621 --> 00:50:39,932 driver's license changed, 1161 00:50:39,933 --> 00:50:41,554 we have a special fee for that, 1162 00:50:41,555 --> 00:50:46,767 your birth certificates, your new surname is Kelley. 1163 00:50:47,492 --> 00:50:49,045 Isn't that amazing? 1164 00:50:49,046 --> 00:50:51,081 People were so close in the story... 1165 00:50:51,082 --> 00:50:53,980 The room was filled with my closest relatives, 1166 00:50:53,981 --> 00:50:57,605 my older daughter and granddaughter, my brother, 1167 00:50:57,606 --> 00:51:03,714 my nieces and nephews, and dozens of my beloved cousins. 1168 00:51:03,715 --> 00:51:07,304 Each of us, a direct descendant of 1169 00:51:07,305 --> 00:51:10,169 one incredible woman. 1170 00:51:10,170 --> 00:51:14,208 So now we have a continuous paper trail 1171 00:51:14,209 --> 00:51:20,317 for Jane Gates going back between 1830 and 1172 00:51:20,318 --> 00:51:24,978 her death on the 6th of January, 1888. 1173 00:51:25,254 --> 00:51:27,704 We know that she was owned by three different 1174 00:51:27,705 --> 00:51:30,879 White families, started with the Stovers, 1175 00:51:30,880 --> 00:51:33,606 then the Stotlers, and then the Bradys 1176 00:51:33,607 --> 00:51:38,785 between 1830 at least, and her freedom in 1862. 1177 00:51:39,475 --> 00:51:42,684 And that is the wizardry of CeCe Moore. 1178 00:51:42,685 --> 00:51:44,997 Please give it up. 1179 00:51:44,998 --> 00:51:47,862 It's hard even to be, begin to imagine what 1180 00:51:47,863 --> 00:51:51,797 Jane would've thought of all of this. 1181 00:51:51,798 --> 00:51:54,455 But my guess is that she would've been proud to 1182 00:51:54,456 --> 00:51:58,907 see that her legacy had proved to be so large 1183 00:51:58,908 --> 00:52:01,393 and so joyous. 1184 00:52:01,394 --> 00:52:05,155 That's the end for now of my search for 1185 00:52:05,156 --> 00:52:08,332 Laurence Fishburne's family and my own. 1186 00:52:09,643 --> 00:52:13,059 Please join me next time when we unlock the secrets 1187 00:52:13,060 --> 00:52:18,272 of the past for new guests on another episode of 1188 00:52:18,273 --> 00:52:20,344 "Finding Your Roots."