Julia Roberts' Family Name Isn't What She Thought | Finding Your Roots | PBS

[@KENNETHedwardMitchell]

Welcome to the family. Georgia Mitchells rock!

[@GailBrenner-vt9ou]

Learning anything new is fascinating to me. I don't care how high or low they were born. Anything king I can learn before I die is like a college education

[@Halli50]

I find it interesting that Julia's ancestors from Värmland, Sweden in the eighteen-hundreds were still using the patronymic system still in use in Iceland today. Elin Maria Johansdotter was the daughter of Johan Jansson who, in turn, was the son of Jan Person and Greta Larsdotter and so on. Likewise, Elin Maria's mother was Emma Kristina Karlsdotter, daughter of Karl Karlsson and Stina Maria Andersdotter - and so on. Regarding the occasional "cuckoo in the nest" part: This is as old as civilization itself. Modern genetics are overturning many old apple-carts which, by the way, does not change history one bit.

[@raymondbarrett9817]

Must be shocking to find out your mother isn't always the angel you thought she was

[@ciscokid4282]

You should keep the comments active on all your stories.

[@teresalegler2777]

So my question is about the Great-great-grandmother? Is there any more information about her background? Ms Sutton/Roberts, was a busy lady. But not a Mitchell.

[@tentobot]

I presume that would make Emma Roberts technically Emma Mitchell as well since she and Julia are part of the same family.

[@klippe2000]

Apparently, during and after the Civil War in the South, women outnumbered men by a large margin. There were many babies born with birth certificates that say father "unknown". It was very common for widows to use the name of their husband for all their babies, no matter how long it had been since their husband had died. From Civil War Talk: Before the War, Bastardy Bonds were required to ensure that the county did not become financially liable for supporting the child. The person who took out the bond was frequently the baby's father or the father of the baby's father. If the father was unknown, or refused to do his duty, the girl's father/grandfather/uncle would take out the bond.

[@eharper7]

I wish her brother had been there as well. I hope she told him, but it's unlikely.

[@pannachawangkul585]

I'm sure she would tell him. They have mend their fences after their mother passes away.

[@SarahRenz59]

I wonder if Julia is related to the late author Margaret Mitchell?

[@eharper7]

Likely not. Mitchell's far too common a surname.

[@TheSakebomb1]

Damn..I am related to Julia Roberts.. 🎉

[@hecklepig]

Like my family, my great great grandfather married the day he died and his son was 2 or 3. Was he illegitimate or not his child at all???

[@SueProv]

Is she related to Margaret Mitchell?

[@adpirtle]

I would find this show a lot more interesting if the guests were average people and not celebrities

[@shannonswift2233]

I agree with you & others that mention this to an extent; I’m an ardent fan of genealogy and feel-good stories, but the average person may not be into a show like this if there were no celebrities. Also, I believe the show’s intention with celebrities is to humanize them.

[@filmladyproduction]

That could be dangerous.

[@TheDanEdwards]

"I would find this show a lot more interesting if the guests were average people " - Few people would watch the show then. Celebrities are such because people follow their machinations. As it currently is, this show allows Dr. Gates to teach some American history via a method that will reach people who otherwise may not be interested in history.

[@Humma_Kavula]

The average person would not be able to afford to pay for something like this lol. This takes a LOT of time and a LOT of work. I also imagine it's easier to trace back the ancestry of someone who is famous since most of the time their families are well off and famous for other things, where the average person is just joe schmoe the plumber with no record of their past because who cares? You know? Also I really wouldn't care about some random person unless their background was that of some importance.

[@aaronblue76]

🙄

[@decembersveryown5935]

Am I the only one that thinks that this guy comes off as condescending?

[@meredithhoppin904]

Yes.