Actress Tina Fey Discovers her Ancestor’s Art Hangs in The Met on Finding Your Roots | Ancestry®

[@AncestryUS]

Tina Fey comes across a transformative discovery about her fifth great-grandfather! What have you learned about your family history? Share your stories below.

[@cliffords.8341]

My father's father came from France to the U.S. in the 1930's or 40's and back then if you didn't have the money for your fair, you had to work on the ship. He became a cook and then then became an executive chef after his divorce to my fathers mother when he was five. He remarried twice and during his second marriage he worked in hotels in New York, Virginia and Miami Beach during the season. His second wife worked the same hotel as a maid. The founder of Burger King wanted my grandfather to become partner's in starting the company, but being a french excecutive chef, he declined the offer because he felt it wasn't real food. My mother's father came to the U.S. from the Bahamas when he was sixteen and worked at a bakery in Miami. During my parents wedding reception both of their father's were talking to each other and both said to the other, you look familiar. They found out my mother's father delivered bread to my father's father's restaurant in Miami. I really could be eating my way at Burger King had my grandfather helped start the company.

[@jarhead1371]

😮

[@markphillips7538]

Could you all adjust the volume of the outro so it doesn't blow my ears off? It is set so much higher than the videos it is attached to.

[@SavageGreywolf]

She's eligible to be a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution too.

[@Sashimiburger]

I did a little ancestry work and it's amazing what you learn. For example, I come from a long line of Irish alcoholics; real world-class drunks. And I'm proud to say I am keeping the legacy alive and strong.

[@PapagenoMF]

How's the liver these days?

[@jaredmclaren5571]

@@PapagenoMF deader

[@emmettmartin2639]

@@PapagenoMF probably pretty geneticly strong

[@TastemyAtrocity]

You’re joking but you’re also on point. What I’ve learned from this show is that success doesn’t blossom from a mud puddle. It takes generations to build. While it’s possible to pull oneself up into a higher station during a lifetime, true prosperity is decided by nature’s selection.

[@proserpine3332]

I’m Scottish on my moms side and Mexican on my dads side, MY alcoholic genes are STRONG 💪🏼

[@Amanda-cd6dm]

I love the way Gates said your grandfather's artwork because quilting really is an art

[@HomerMcPoT101]

I’m a firm believer that dna holds memories, which is why everyone who learns about their ancestors and sees photos along with hearing their names triggers a deep sense of belonging as if somehow you already knew that and is now remembering yourself. I can’t wait to do my own ancestry!

[@KimberlyGreen]

1774, comes from England to open a factory. 1775 joins the American Revolution as a Patriot. One year. The seeds of freedom were already in his heart.

[@winterwolf9797]

He’s a traitor 😂

[@jon8004]

Or he had no other choice as a factory owner… What, he’s going to fight for the British against all the men in his factory? Probably would be the end of his business.

[@jemmajames6719]

@@jon8004They left the Uk for a better life for whatever reason so I would assume all fought against the British why wouldn’t they.

[@jon8004]

@@jemmajames6719 There were many loyalists in the United States. Many people came to the States to earn money, just as many Americans move abroad to do the same. But loyalists were called that because they remained loyal to the crown. Not all Americans were revolutionaries.

[@Flirri]

@@jon8004 My family in the US at that time were Quakers and they were loyalists not because of the crown per se but because they didn't want their money to go toward war. It did not turn out well for them but at least they didn't have to flee to Canada.

[@3DJapan]

Wow if I was her I'd be heading directly to the Met to see my ancester's work hanging in a museum. That's crazy.

[@hensonlaura]

She's going to find a piece from a private collection to buy.

[@RandomStranger246]

Most of the Met's collection isn't hanging in the galleries. They have over 2million pieces and less than 100thousand are on display.

[@grottorabbit]

​@@RandomStranger246 I was going to say, it's probably warehoused like the Ark in _Raiders Of The Lost Ark_

[@beerbread]

Tell your children what you know. I was in a women's group once; most could not name their great grandmother. That's just 3 generations. 😲

[@BrooklynBaby100]

A lot of those families most likely have a lot of shameful, abusive and awful legacies which is why they hide them.

[@beerbread]

@@BrooklynBaby100 That's my point: the secrets are corrosive. Often the shame and trauma are stories that need to be aired out so the passing of inter-generational trauma is avoided. Say your great grandmother was raped and got pregnant; she hates the child. Grandma feels it but thinks it's her fault. Life is interpreted to be inherently unfair. She spends her life fighting depression and low self-esteem. When she's a mother herself, she can't love properly because she has no behavior to model. So maybe there's escape in a bottle, or drugs. And so it goes...

[@alonealien1474]

I agree. I am on the same boat. I regret not asking my late grandmother and my late father the name of my great-grandmother. It's too late now.

[@yvonneplant9434]

This show often has people who never knew all of their grandparents; I knew all four of mine.

[@zimnizzle]

Label your photos and write notes on the back. It is so helpful to the younger generation who may not be interested when they are younger but will be when they are older. If there are no printed photos, make photo books, or write a journal.

[@cjscala87]

What a renaissance man.. makes beautiful textiles and leads a militia .

[@lindalamb7512]

Renessance man!

[@kathleenaustin327]

I watch this program every week! Learning about history is wonderful!!

[@MrRutontuton]

Henry Louis Gates Jr. is a treasure. His work informs millions of people of where they came from - in part, who they are.

[@hensonlaura]

Lol! He's a host, he doesn't do the research. They have far cheaper resources for the grunt work.

[@loveinthematrix]

Her grandfather’s work is in the MET in the city she lives? These things blow my mind

[@roselentz230]

No the Met is in New York not in Philadelphia!

[@roselentz230]

I wish they would have shown the link between her family and the Palmer Cemetery in Fishtown in Philadelphia, PA

[@michaelharris8228]

I love this show, can't imagine why NBC turned him down! It's a big hit for PBS!!

[@nillyk5671]

They don't like it that people are reminded of where they come from. It doesn't fit their narrative.

[@scottfranson4215]

This TV Program IMHO will be one of the Greatest Programs in History. The More Folks are doing to Find out Just How they Are ,The Greater Their World /Spiritual View will change . The also people around them will learn ... Were are You From! Just Who are you From ! I love this Brother He has done so much to OPEN peoples EYE`s to many truths

[@liriogalvan9131]

Believe me this man is impossible to dislike his voice the way he talk and the way he listen and his emotions when he see the other person emotions is priceless unbelievable professionalism and I believe he love ❤️ what he does, congratulations 🎊 my beloved brother God bless you always amen and you whole family amen 🙏 good job 👏🌻💜🇩🇴🇨🇮🇮🇹🇺🇸

[@biegebythesea6775]

huh?

[@kekem1864]

I encourage everyone to watch full episodes of “Finding Your Roots” (I have it set to record on my DVR). Yes it’s about an individual person’s linkage, but it is also about our shared history of the American experience. Plus Henry Louis Gates Jr is a National treasure. With Tina Fey’s ancestor’s surname being “Hewson”, I wonder if she’s related to Paul Hewson, aka Bono…

[@AncestryUS]

Thanks for sharing!

[@HankAaronJoseph19]

Bono is Irish

[@patrickwilliams3108]

@@HankAaronJoseph19 That does not mean that all of his ancestors were. Nor does it mean that all of John Hewson's ancestors were English. There may be a distant connection.

[@mbd501]

I enjoy the show as much for the historical stories of their ancestors as anything else.

[@mbd501]

@@patrickwilliams3108 Yes, there were many English settlers to Ireland. They were usually given land and were the rich people, while the Irish were the peasants.

[@AnyoneCanSee]

A lot of Americans don't realise that many of the people fighting the British were themselves British or had British ancestry, like George Washington himself. You can visit the Washington family home in Washington in the UK. In fact, all but two or three of those that signed the declaration of independence had British ancestry and several were born in Britain. A lot of British people, myself included, don't see the Americans as the enemy in the war of independence but positively from the view of the British people who left Britain wanting to free themselves from the old class systems of aristocracy and King and Queens. To build a fairer and freer society. It took Britain several more years to follow suit and it wasn't until 1918 that working-class British people got the right to vote. So I think most Brits think good on them for standing up for what they believed. Everyone deserves the right to control their own destiny.

[@aaaah9568]

Idk what American person doesn't realize that the British were the primary founding stock of the US, so of course most of the revolutionary war was fought by British descendants. That's basic history, but then again American education isn't in a good place, maybe it's true a lot of us don't know? :D I mean, my family tree is old stock American and almost my entire family tree is English and Scots-Irish (which is kind of misnomer, because most of them weren't mixed with the native Irish at all, you use the term Ulster Scots in the UK.) so I've always known that. Plus, in most of Appalachia, where I'm from, most people I know strongly identify with English and/or Scottish ancestry. Appalachia is probably one of the last places in America where a lot of people are descended in an unbroken line from early British settlers, which explains the unique accent and dialect that's been preserved for so long

[@AnyoneCanSee]

@@mrsmith9597 - At the time of independence Britain was still massively involved in the slave trade including the King who they freed themselves from. Free and fairer than Britain at the time was nowhere near free by today's standards. The complete emancipation of miners and salters in Scotland did not occur until 1799, if you were born to a miners you were owned by the mines for life. This was white slavery. Most English are completely unaware of it. Americans generally had the right to free speech, the UK did not. White working-class men generally had the right to vote, in the UK working-class men did not get the right to vote until 1918 - after WWI and millions being sent to die as mere subjects of the King. The UK was ruled by a small group of elites and a King. Even today in the UK we have a House of Lords which can block a law voted on by elected representatives. The UK still has 26 unelected religious leaders voting on our laws in the UK and it is not a secular state. The only other nation with more unelected religious leaders voting on their laws is Iran. I agree that the genocide of natives would not have happened under British rule but they would still have been pressed as the Indians in India were.

[@joannathesinger770]

Wow! She can join the Daughters of the American Revolution...and there's her documentation! As far as her comment that her father looks like her ancestor...there's a lot more of that than you would think in families. I look like my 2nd great-grandfather...and someone posted a photo of my great-grandfather's older sister last month...and she and I bear a some resemblance through cheekbones and mouth. As well, I found a photo of this random man that shares our surname...and while I can't find how he ties in (he's11 years younger than my 2nd great-grandfather, so I'm assuming brother for now...but I don't know who their parents are)...my jaw dropped because he and my brother could be twins...born 150 years apart.

[@Mybpeterson]

My Mom went to Ireland and visited the home of her ancestors. She was greeted by distant relations who still lived there. They knew she was coming but they looked at her dumbstruck when they opened the door. Mom wasn't sure what she had done to provoke such a reaction. Had she come at the wrong time? Did her American clothing look weird to them? She understood when they showed her a picture of their common ancestor. My 7 times great grandmother looked exactly like her. Before the visit was over, they took the picture off the wall and gave it to her to keep.

[@joannathesinger770]

@@Mybpeterson What a cool story!!! At least they recognized her right away!!!

[@hensonlaura]

@@Mybpeterson besides the resemblance they must have loved her or they wouldn't have done that. 🤧 Very touching.

[@peacenow4456]

Love this show, so thank you. I've done my own research and was wonderfully, unexpectedly surprised!!

[@alphalifestyleacademy]

3:08 My 6th grandfather died fighting with George Washington at the great plains war 1776

[@AncestryUS]

Thank you so much for sharing this fascinating insight into your family history with us! What an amazing discovery.

[@marthagaluszka8888]

My Mother searched the ancestry of all 4 of my Grandparents. Paternal g-father was a Scot, g-mother was French Canadian. Maternal g-mother was Irish, g-father was Dutch. The Dutch line immigrated to NY before the Revolution. The namesake served in the war, so through the subsequent line of females she was eligible to join the DAR. She also registered me and my 2 sisters. There is a street in Brooklyn named for the ancestor and there was a family tavern in the Wall Street area which is still standing under a different name. Another same named relative was instrumental in the development of the Bronx Zoo, and there is a plaque dedicated to him because he was a world famous snake expert and caught them all over the world. He started the reptile garden there. Mother found many other ancestors and extended family with fascinating lives and stories. I have ring binders full..

[@EmanChuks]

Wow. This is amazing.

[@matthewmayhem9213]

Two of my Ancestors were part of the American Revolutionary War, as well -- although on separate sides, at first. Lieutenant Colonial William Stacy (who has a Wikipedia page) whom was a total badass during the War (you should read up on him, seriously), and Heinrich Printzhausen, a Hessian Mercenary that came over with the British but deserted to the American side whom fought bravely and lived happily.

[@AncestryUS]

Thank you for sharing!

[@terrimcfarland1152]

She'll be interested in collecting or exploring quilts now!

[@Artnotforthesakeofart]

😂

[@Hallows4]

While I don’t own any homemade quilts, my aunt was an absolute genius at knitting, and pretty much every household in the extended family has multiple items that she made over the years. In addition to the tallit bag she made for my bar mitzvah, one of my real treasures is a blanket she made in the last years of her life, the color scheme matching my redecorated “man-cave” (not my words originally, but they stuck).

[@sisigpapi]

Learning about your ancestry is something really special

[@jonathancineus6424]

The minute they showed the picture, I was like: That man actually looks like her.

[@michellexlawless]

That nose

[@jimwinn4452]

I recently found out that my ancestors served in the Revolutionary War.

[@tristinewalker]

I’m curious if you folks would do this for non famous people. Imagine who you could find is related to historical figures in the normal people population.

[@edieswearingen9652]

That was a fun journey for Tina and me. I love a good family find like this one. Thanks.

[@PapagenoMF]

Who are you, lol.

[@kcjd8659]

Part of the quilting hobby is not finishing quilts, Tina, so don’t let that define you as a non-quilter. 😂

[@SteveBottas-b7s]

Met her once. My mom was very good friends with Scott Adsit's parents in Northbrook. We went to their home for a Christmas party with our new born daughter. Had to be '96 or '97. They were in no way shape or form famous yet. She was this ultra quiet mousey little curmudgeon and not very friendly. I have know Scott since childhood so I didn't really think anything of him at the time. He was three years younger and not someone that my crowd would not have hung out with. Now look at them. Good for them.

[@rebeccamd7903]

Man! My last immigrant ancestors came over in 1749. I can’t even imagine coming over just a few months before the war. He definitely chose sides and probably before he even left England.

[@bradleybowen7286]

I was doing some research on my family if you go back far you will find a man named Rueben Johnson. He fought for the Americans and was a POW during the siege of Charlston. His Wife Nancy Greenlees great grandmother was Mildred Washington ( married a Willis ) who was George Washingtons Aunt.

[@AncestryUS]

Thank you for sharing with us.

[@caretaker158]

Love this show. Found out an ancestor of mine (12th great grandfather) was burned at the stake in 1555 by order of "Bloody Mary".... because he wouldn't renounce his religion.

[@Dr.LongMonkey]

Good we don’t need any more religious nuts around

[@caretaker158]

@@Dr.LongMonkey it's just such a shame we can't do anything about the other nuts.

[@Dr.LongMonkey]

@@caretaker158 no offense but we need to bring back burning at the stake

[@caretaker158]

@@Dr.LongMonkey and just who would you tie to it first?

[@hensonlaura]

@@Dr.LongMonkey shall we do you first? Take a vote everyone??

[@cielbleu6272]

🥰 Beautiful story 🥰... 🥰 Merci beaucoup 🥰

[@DebraHuewe10858]

I have uploaded much of the knowledge that has been given to me to Ancestry. I would love to know more of my father's family history. I have no idea when my mother's family came here. This show is very interesting, I 'd love to have some of this kind of information on my ancestors.

[@MrBananaCheeks]

I saw this after watching a bunch of SNL clips and I didn't see that the actual Ancestry account posted this, so I was waiting for the punchline. Very good video once I re-watched it lol

[@sisi5444]

its crazy to think future generations will be able to see even some thoughts or inner workings of their ancestors due to twitter and what not. kinda crazy

[@panjabipandit]

Didn't believe it but looked up her father and yep! Definitely looks very similar for sure.

[@hensonlaura]

Why on earth would she lie?

[@tigertiger1699]

What an amazing Lady🌹🙏

[@KristineMaitland]

I'm fascinated by the stories where we find the ancestor worked in the arts like Fred Armison's ancestor the dancer.

[@AncestryUS]

Hi Kristine! Thanks for stopping by. We love to hear you are enjoying all the stories on the show. We hope you continue to love the rest of the seasons just as much!

[@kindnessfirst9670]

That was just one of her thirty- two 5th great- grandfathers.

[@gwendolyn7462]

I love thqat Jacobian artworks

[@GenesisTheory23]

This is so incredible and she is just so beautiful it’s incredible.

[@RegebroRepairs]

Haha, I googled her dad and yes, they look so much the same. Same nose, same mouth! That's hilarious.

[@gwendolyn7462]

1:00 he looks just like her

[@Plissken68]

She is SO gorgeous!

[@TheKoyotetracker]

I miss this TV show so much.

[@sct4040]

It’s still on.

[@TheKoyotetracker]

@@sct4040 where might I imbibe? I never see it anywhere.

[@norasmith2474]

@@TheKoyotetracker it's on pbs. they just aired the newest season a couple months ago

[@bonniedavis2407]

WOW…WOW…WOW‼️‼️‼️

[@AncestryUS]

These discoveries never fail to surprise!

[@Amanda-cd6dm]

I love Tina Fey

[@PuzzledMonkey]

She's literally a Daughter of the American Revolution.

[@melissalease5476]

Absolutely amazing

[@deanpapadopoulos3314]

Amazing. Thank you.

[@christine570]

Where i can watch the full version?

[@patriciamorgan6545]

Your local PBS station. On mine, Finding Your Roots will be on tomorrow (Tuesday), I believe 8pm. Probably also can see on PBS Passport (streaming service).

[@christine570]

@@patriciamorgan6545im not from US region🥲

[@patriciamorgan6545]

@@christine570 Oh! Well, maybe try searching KZbin for Finding Your Roots, or Finding Your Roots PBS, or Finding Your Roots Tina Fey, etc., and see what turns up. It may be available on the PBS (Public Broadcasting System) website for a limited time as well.

[@christine570]

@@patriciamorgan6545 Thanks for the suggest, i'll be search it asap😉

[@patriciamorgan6545]

@@christine570 Hope you can find something about it. It's a good show! They feature two or three well-known people each week, and uncover fascinating stories about their forebears through genealogy. I don't know whether the Tina Fey episode has aired yet, if you have a particular interest in her story, but eventually someone will probably post something from it. Good luck!

[@garryferrington811]

"You descend from a patriot." That's kind of nice.

[@joshgellis3292]

Surprisingly entertaining!

[@claudine1928]

I would love to see hole episodes.

[@kittys.2870]

I found out Chief Justice James David Logan who worked for William Penn in Philadelphia is my 8th great grandfather.

[@m0t0b33]

Whoa... it goes so far back.. this makes me wonder what skeletons are in my family closet... I mean.. my dad's dad side.. it's a mystery, my dad's mom too cause she grew up in an orphanage, my mom's mom has an interesting cocktail of nationalities in the bloodline... well.. had... she passed last month... soo yeah.. Also, the little data I was able to collect led me to believe that my great grandfather might've been either a Polish refugee or a nazi according to the years of migration and the history of my hometown. I wish I were able to access the town's archives and figure out more.

[@debbieappelhans9055]

Beautiful wow 🥰

[@mmoore2006]

How amazing! I hope she joins us as a DAR :)

[@tontonjeannot6089]

My very first thought after watching this.

[@SuciGonzalez]

Where can I watch full episodes?

[@patriciamorgan6545]

Your local PBS station. On mine, Finding Your Roots will be on tomorrow (Tuesday), I believe 8pm. Probably also can see on PBS Passport (streaming service).

[@AncestryUS]

Discovering a new story can change everything. Learn more about your family history with Ancestry® now: www.ancestry.com/s119580/t45174/rd.ashx

[@rwhist528]

Was John Hewson related to William Hewson? Because on Metropolitan Museum of Art website, John Hewson befriended Benjamin Franklin who also had William Hewson (1739-1774) in his London home to give human anatomy lecture.

[@me-if1is]

Can u help me ?

[@lindajohnsonkaplan647]

Daughters of the American Revolution, Tina

[@distractionb]

I like it!

[@donelmore2540]

Great job Mr. Gates!

[@ericolsen4935]

She needs to join the D.A.R!

[@kelleylmiller]

Is there a Kensington, PA or was he referring to Kensington neighborhood in Philly?

[@roselentz230]

It is a neighborhood in Philadelphia. It was a hard-working class neighborhood at one time. It is now known for Kensington Ave. now. It is a drug infested area. The new Mayor Parker is trying to clean it up. She is working to open the homeless to social services. They will be housing those who want to get help. They are offering rehab, health services, food, a bed, training them for jobs, etc. I grew up in lower Kensington. My Irish and German relatives moved to the area because there was factory work. It makes me sick when I see news footage of what happened to my neighborhood. I no longer drive down there because it is dangerous. I continue to live in Philadelphia because I am a city girl. I was born and raised here. Soon it will be 72 years. I have worked on my family tree and my husband's for over 22 years with Ancestry. One side of my husband's family bought land from William Penn back in the 1600's. His family owned the first mill in the US. He is related to the Rittenhouse Family. It took me 15 years before I found this connection. If you can have a DNA test done and work on your family tree. I found two branches of my mother's family I never knew existed!

[@jackaustin3576]

Congratulations Tina....

[@homersimpson5821]

My mom from Chios. Tina got married in Church I belong to. And Mastic trees were burned.

[@whalecove1283]

Master Craftsman and O.G. Patriot, damn he had that archetypal American swagger. Well sorted, Ms. Fey.

[@2degucitas]

She's a Daught of the Revolution

[@patrickwoods2583]

Either these reactions are all staged, or Tina just really doesn't care so much about ancestry. If I found out these things about family, i would show a bit more excitement and wonder. Maybe even cry. She showed nothing.

[@keeshiabrie]

“doesn’t care so much about ancestry.” and yet, Tina agreed to share her personal information and appear in a show about ancestry 🤨 this video is about Tina’s family, not yours. of course you would have a different reaction if you found out things about your family, but you and Tina are not the same person and do not come from the same family.

[@patrickwoods2583]

@@keeshiabrie Therefore the answer is... "These reactions are all staged"

[@robertcooney1938]

Rich and famous people have always been in rich and famous families. Anderson Cooper for instance, is a Vanderbilt.

[@micahsnow346]

I love that Tina’s takeaway is “I tried quilting, couldn’t do it, don’t have any of those genes” 😂😂 what an incredibly Tina comment

[@leeh9420]

HLG, Jr. has a fantastic vibe :)

[@youtubeflagunit3893]

OK Tina. Your story checks out. Just watched episode 2 season 2 of *30 Rock* ; where you OPENLY confess to the grime of: "..not finishing the quilt" We're watching you, scatterbrain. - cheat police

[@tylerleblanc4305]

This is so cool, my ancestors were first cousins 😐

[@bestsleepsounds7370]

Tina is a Patriot

[@locustjohn3865]

Doesn't this mean that Tina can join the DAR?

[@jerrystern10marissanikki62]

With her medical situation if true. I feel bad for her. Hopefully they’ll go easy on her. If her story turns out to be correct. Sad story.

[@SarahRenz59]

U2's Bono's real name is Paul Hewson. I wonder if he and Tina are related?

[@amandahirschfeld7382]

That was cool

[@lmc2375]

Tina Fey, now you have to finish that quilt! It's only bananas, if you don't.

[@___David___Savian]

I would not be shocked if Amy Poehler's long great family members were friends with Tina Fey's family during the Revolutionary War. That would explain a lot.

[@mjade1673]

Hewson... 🤔she's related to Bono , wow 😄

[@christopherallen9580]

me too!

[@ajmosqueda6698]

gosh!! if our forefather have many achievements! i worry about mine haha lol

[@XD9scCC]

This was real? I was expecting it to be a skit from 30 Rock. I was disappointed when there was no punchline. (Now I remember Fey's name was Liz Lemon...still disappointed).

[@nancywysemen7196]

that was fun.

[@sealand000]

A hundred years from now - "You descended from a patriot." Uh... what kind of patriot?

[@andyroach420]

profound, indeed.

[@brandonslaugher4942]

Oh my gosh he does look exactly like the dad! Google him.

[@sallyb3]

Cheers 🍻

[@erikadash687]

Nice to see that he was humbled after selling her soul in this lifetime

[@Kuwandi]

NOT a Turncoat … But a Quilt coat 💯🇺🇸

[@GreenOrchid9]

Tina may be related to Bono the rock singer?,,😱

[@susanlegeza7562]

What todoif they are not interested?

[@samgunn12]

That guy doesn’t look at all like Buck Henry.

[@shotojukukai]

As I am a “Fey” I wonder where Tina’s Fey name comes from?

[@steveconn]

Thank good she finally found some luck

[@Literallyarealhuman]

Most of us can say the same if you have enough info