This sort of mystery is what I was hoping to resolve when I submitted my DNA sample to Ancestry. My sister started work on our family tree there and made me an editor when I managed to solve a few riddles for her. My mother's grandfather, Charles McGrath, was born with no name listed on his birth certificate for his father. His mother Mary later married, but that man is 100% not Charles' genetic father. ThruLines is stuck on him right now, even after I removed him from Mary's profile. None of the DNA matches shown as "proof" are from his side of the family, either. Color me VERY frustrated. I'm very glad people like Carol Burnett and Julia Roberts learn things like this. Do I have to be famous to find my missing great-great-grandfather? Just for the record, this is not my birth name. It's my YT name that I borrowed from Second Life. The McGrath fun and games were in Worcester County, MA close to the turn of the 20th century. I also have no idea when Charles died except for a ten-year window defined by census records, but that's a different set of work to do.

I tried searching my family in the early 90s. Now I learned so much more about family members. I had a great uncle that contracted spinal meningitis when he was 4 years old. Found one picture of my great great grandfather holding his hand. It made me sad to see him all bent over. Then I found a short story a family member wrote about his life. He was normal mentally, and helped his father and brother in a boat rental business. He also trapped animals for furs to sell to fur companies. Sadly he died when he was 38. And His father grieved over him for 13 months. He then died himself in 1919. He was 75. Great great grandma, mentioned in a letter that she had a dream about her son, husband, and also her daughter, my great grandmother who died in her 40s.

i have felt confused by some things, but my biggest i have a form of thalassemia ( i don't what form) but can not find anyone that has it. and also my grandma had cancer and the dr. wrote a book about her that we've been told, but unable to find it. he treated her for many years. Dr. Skidmore in salt lake city utah.

Thank you Dr. for helping so many wonderful people find their truth. It's truly amazing.

I was looking for my biological father, and any siblings I may have out there. It took me nearly 30 years, but I found them. It's a whirlwind of emotions.

It was such a fulfilling experience to see Carol finally come face-to-face with her grandfather.

@@AncestryUS Y’all should do a show with normal people and reveal the famous / infamous ancestors in their family trees. I’ve discovered loads of people I’m related to - Pretty Boy Floyd, Woody Guthrie, Roy Bean, numerous movie stars, musicians (mostly country musicians- I often wonder if they know that they are related to each other), and loads of politicians. I’ve discovered I’m related to the Sarah Lawrence, and I’m a Brown. I’m related to Joseph Smith, the founder of the Whig party, and a few other political groups. The funny thing is that I’ve always been interested in politics, learning all things (except mathematics / physics), sang in choir (though my preference was drums), and was a writer from a young age. The number of writers I’ve found who share last names of my kin and come from the traditional hometowns of those folks is astonishing. I think it would be fascinating if a large study could be conducted whereby professions of people in family trees could be compared with the others in the same tree. I think evolution has developed skills of families with each generation. I don’t know anyone in my family who is good with math above algebra. Even that is a struggle. Science and history though… that’s where we shine. Followed by journalism / authorship. One of the things I find most fascinating is when a group of people from a small area come together (be it musicians, politicians, social reformers, etc), and they all have last names of families who have deep roots in the area and have historically been known to be related. Oftentimes I’ll see an article about such a group, normally a threesome, and no mention is made to the possible relationship of those involved. Anyway, keep up the great work! Y’all are awesome. 👍🏻

@@greywater3186 Wow! You must've been blown while discovering all of the noteworthy people connected to your family’s history. This information can give a lot of insight into our current interests. Thanks for sharing and for the awesome idea, Grey!

@@AncestryUS I am blown away! My great grandmother was from the same town as Woody Guthrie which lead me to research the link. I figured the town was so small the likelihood was pretty high for relation. I love that my grandmother and her siblings knew the Guthries. This was in Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl. Eventually everyone ended up in California. In my head I’ve created a fictional story that both families headed west together. My grandma’s family was very musical (her sister received a scholarship to UCLA for music). In this fictional story both families sit together at night around the fire and sing folk songs while some play the fiddle / guitar. One day this will be incorporated into a story. 👍🏻

Her sweet little thank you at the end is so cute.

Carol's comedy is timeless, we're so glad that you enjoyed this week's episode.

Your so right. Loved her

Ditto. was such a delight, and good wholesome fun.

Same, I love and loved Carol Burnette throughout my childhood that was abusive as well.

She was for many probably.

60s baby here and my 👪 especially mom would be in stitches laughing on Saturday night Carol 📺 on CBS Network. Such a golden era never to be duplicated even with 3 perhaps 4 channels. I prefer the older TV 📺 shows.

❤️

I hope you are feeling loved and safe now. ❤️

Hi Tracy, thank you for watching.It's wonderful that you have found some new brothers through DNA testing!

Aw, I am 100% HAPPY for you!

It truly was a genuine thank you. It was incredible watching Carol finally get the information that she has been searching for.

Sign me up!! Please!

She was a trip naw carol she was a tramp

Thanks so much for watching! We hope you enjoyed the clip. 😊

who will ever forget her immortal line, "i saw it in the window and i just couldnt resist!"?

Same here. I found my dad's parents through Ancestry.

A “rolling stone” is a really nice way to put it.

🤭😂😂😂 I was thinking that too. 😂😂😂

It's always heart-warming to see people finally get the answers that they've been seeking. Carol's "thank you" was the perfect ending.

Yes the resemblance is definitely there .

At the rate she's going, it could be awhile

@@Mental_PatientI hope you are right!

We're sure many can relate to this! Glad you enjoyed this episode, thanks for watching.

​@@AncestryUS I am serious!! Please let me know whom to contact, thanks!!

Hi there SK, and thanks for getting in touch. If you have any questions on getting started on your research, or need help in setting up your account, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us us here: support.ancestry.com/s/contactsupport/?language=en_US Just in case it helps a little, we'll link a fantastic video for starting your family tree here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/prt1p9WQx5yXc3U.html Thanks very much for stopping by!

@@AncestryUS Thanks! But unfortunately, I am aware that one can not do the research and keep the information personal and private solely for one's own use. Which is truly unfortunate. Many more people would do it otherwise. I don't want my DNA info available for anyone to access. Thanks tho!

To have a laugh or two!

We do hope that you've found researching your family history to be rewarding, @RubyLovesRocket! What were some of your most surprising discoveries? It would be awesome to learn more!

Put her on a stage with Julie Andrews and it is just a riot (the funny kind)

The search for these answers while daunting can be such a powerful and moving experience. It was amazing to see Carol finally get these answers.

@@AncestryUS yes, for sure.

Me too

Went with the Wind was hilarious! "thank you, I saw it in the window and just couldn't resist"

Thank you so much for watching, Cynthia! We hope you've enjoyed the new season of Finding Your Roots. Have an awesome day!

@@AncestryUS Thank you!😀

Hi Donna, some of us here at Ancestry are also big fans of Carol! Thank you for watching.

Some memories will never get old. So happy that this episode of Finding Your Roots was able to spark a trip down memory lane.

You should get on ancestry or one of those sites and test your DNA. Usually relatives get updates if your profile is public and you can see others with same genetics possibly.

@@spiritranger9202 Thanks for replying with that advice. I think at 76, it's more than likely too late for me - But will give it a try 🙂. Much Appreciated, JaneLee - in Suburban Philadelphia 3/6/23

@@janeleekeller well, you have such an amazing story! I wish you luck 🤞

@@spiritranger9202 Thank you so much for taking the time to reply 😊. JaneLee - in Suburban Philadelphia 3/7/23

​@@janeleekellerI hope you found out a bit of your past. Good luck in your quest- Melissa from Philadelphia 3/4/24

We couldn’t agree more! Following her along this journey of discovering her real grandfather's identity was such a treat.

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Thanks for watching, Benny! Are you interested in learning more about your family tree? The article below will address what you can expect from Ancestry. Please let us know if you have any questions and we'd be happy to help! support.ancestry.com/s/article/Why-Use-Ancestry

Carol and Tim were such an iconic duo 🙌

Hi Sheilagh and thanks for dropping by. Have you considered taking the AncestryDNA test? Our test is a great way of finding biological family as it will match you with any relatives who have also taken our test. DNA testing is becoming increasingly popular; there are currently 20 million people (and counting) in the AncestryDNA database and many of our members have found siblings, parents or cousins with our DNA test. You can message your matches for free which means members are able to collaborate with each other on their shared family history. Our test would provide you with an ethnicity estimate too which would show you exactly what you inherited from your parents. For an insight into what you could expect from the test, check out the following article: support.ancestry.com/s/article/What-to-Expect-from-AncestryDNA?language=en_US. Please let us know if you have any questions.

Start looking in Ancestry and Family Tree. Then get your DNA done

Thank you so much! Finding Your Roots is my favourite show EVER! So fascinating.

That's great, Robin! We are happy that you enjoyed this video.

@@AncestryUS ♥️

What a sweet memory! Thanks for sharing with us!