1 00:00:01,068 --> 00:00:03,269 Viewers like you make this program possible. 2 00:00:03,270 --> 00:00:05,339 Support your local PBS station. 3 00:00:16,016 --> 00:00:18,318 GATES: I am Henry Louis Gates, Jr. 4 00:00:18,319 --> 00:00:20,755 Welcome to "Finding Your Roots." 5 00:00:21,822 --> 00:00:23,089 In this episode, 6 00:00:23,090 --> 00:00:25,926 we'll meet Broadway superstar Kristin Chenoweth 7 00:00:26,861 --> 00:00:28,829 and iconic filmmaker Spike Lee. 8 00:00:30,297 --> 00:00:34,033 Two people who are known all over the world yet know 9 00:00:34,034 --> 00:00:37,138 nothing about their own family trees. 10 00:00:38,406 --> 00:00:39,672 CHENOWETH: I wanna know, 11 00:00:39,673 --> 00:00:43,544 was I from like a long line of like fighters, warriors? 12 00:00:44,412 --> 00:00:45,946 Who am I? 13 00:00:46,280 --> 00:00:48,415 LEE: I've been thinking all last night. 14 00:00:48,416 --> 00:00:50,484 What will I find out today? 15 00:00:51,152 --> 00:00:52,586 What's coming out the box? 16 00:00:53,754 --> 00:00:56,857 GATES: To uncover their roots, we've used every tool available. 17 00:00:57,892 --> 00:01:00,026 Genealogists comb through paper trails, 18 00:01:00,027 --> 00:01:02,062 stretching back hundreds of years. 19 00:01:02,396 --> 00:01:03,798 CHENOWETH: Oh my gosh. Oh my Gosh. 20 00:01:04,465 --> 00:01:07,801 GATES: While DNA experts utilize the latest advances in 21 00:01:07,802 --> 00:01:12,071 genetic analysis to reveal secrets that have lain hidden 22 00:01:12,072 --> 00:01:13,441 for generations. 23 00:01:13,741 --> 00:01:15,075 LEE: I know none of this. 24 00:01:15,276 --> 00:01:17,812 GATES: And we've compiled it all into a book of life, 25 00:01:18,612 --> 00:01:20,481 a record of everything we found. 26 00:01:22,049 --> 00:01:23,451 (excited gasp). 27 00:01:24,718 --> 00:01:26,654 LEE: Oh, you got this. 28 00:01:28,556 --> 00:01:29,689 Oh, thank you. 29 00:01:29,690 --> 00:01:32,026 GATES: And the window to the hidden past. 30 00:01:32,259 --> 00:01:33,293 CHENOWETH: Is that not freaky? 31 00:01:33,294 --> 00:01:34,461 GATES: That's freaky. 32 00:01:34,462 --> 00:01:35,930 CHENOWETH: That's nuts. 33 00:01:36,163 --> 00:01:37,464 LEE: I mean, that's, that's, see, 34 00:01:37,465 --> 00:01:38,765 that's why I'm here. 35 00:01:38,766 --> 00:01:41,469 I wanna learn about my family, my heritage, my ancestors. 36 00:01:42,102 --> 00:01:43,303 CHENOWETH: I'm so happy right now. 37 00:01:43,304 --> 00:01:45,138 You don't even know I, 38 00:01:45,139 --> 00:01:48,375 I, this like actually makes me so emotional. 39 00:01:49,343 --> 00:01:51,912 GATES: My guests are both independent spirits. 40 00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:55,616 Artists who blaze their own trails, 41 00:01:56,217 --> 00:01:59,520 and they are both in for some big surprises. 42 00:02:00,888 --> 00:02:02,322 In this episode, 43 00:02:02,323 --> 00:02:05,592 they're going to meet a cast of characters every bit as 44 00:02:05,593 --> 00:02:08,328 dramatic as the ones they brought to life on 45 00:02:08,329 --> 00:02:10,097 stage and screen, 46 00:02:10,464 --> 00:02:14,568 all hidden in the branches of their family trees. 47 00:02:20,708 --> 00:02:27,515 (theme music plays). 48 00:02:34,288 --> 00:02:37,857 ♪ ♪ 49 00:02:37,858 --> 00:02:39,026 (book closes). 50 00:02:42,329 --> 00:02:47,635 {\an8}♪ ♪ 51 00:02:56,810 --> 00:03:00,447 {\an8}♪ ♪ 52 00:03:01,849 --> 00:03:04,184 GATES: Spike Lee is a living legend. 53 00:03:05,152 --> 00:03:07,086 Over the past four decades, 54 00:03:07,087 --> 00:03:10,858 the prolific director has forever changed American cinema, 55 00:03:11,525 --> 00:03:14,528 working in a dizzying array of genres and styles, 56 00:03:15,496 --> 00:03:18,966 creating some of the most original films ever made. 57 00:03:20,367 --> 00:03:22,603 But as anyone who knows Spike is aware, 58 00:03:23,270 --> 00:03:25,471 the key to it all is simple. 59 00:03:25,472 --> 00:03:29,810 Spike is a proud product of his city and his family. 60 00:03:32,079 --> 00:03:36,783 Born in Georgia in 1957, Spike grew up in Brooklyn, 61 00:03:36,784 --> 00:03:38,619 the oldest of five children. 62 00:03:39,353 --> 00:03:42,789 His father was a celebrated jazz musician who sometimes 63 00:03:42,790 --> 00:03:44,592 struggled to earn a living. 64 00:03:44,992 --> 00:03:48,762 His mother, a beloved teacher, worked hard to fill in the gaps. 65 00:03:49,830 --> 00:03:52,932 And Spike was a keen observer of the creative 66 00:03:52,933 --> 00:03:57,037 cauldron of chaos that often defined his household. 67 00:03:58,772 --> 00:04:00,206 LEE: We were crazy. 68 00:04:00,207 --> 00:04:02,108 (laughter). 69 00:04:02,109 --> 00:04:04,944 I mean, my father was like, daddy, 70 00:04:04,945 --> 00:04:07,047 can we jump off the top of the stoop? 71 00:04:07,781 --> 00:04:09,215 Yeah, go ahead. 72 00:04:09,216 --> 00:04:10,583 So, that was my father. 73 00:04:10,584 --> 00:04:12,185 He was like, whatever you want do. 74 00:04:12,186 --> 00:04:16,255 And so my mother, she was put in a position of being... 75 00:04:16,256 --> 00:04:17,423 GATES: The policeman. 76 00:04:17,424 --> 00:04:18,758 LEE: Yes. GATES: Yeah. 77 00:04:18,759 --> 00:04:20,159 LEE: Because my, whatever you wanna do, my father didn't care. 78 00:04:20,160 --> 00:04:22,062 I mean, he cared, but was "Express yourself." 79 00:04:22,463 --> 00:04:24,063 Well, you know, "You break an arm, 80 00:04:24,064 --> 00:04:25,331 you know you'll be all right." 81 00:04:25,332 --> 00:04:26,899 GATES: Was she effective as a cop? 82 00:04:26,900 --> 00:04:28,469 LEE: Oh, yeah. 83 00:04:29,069 --> 00:04:33,273 We were like, "When is daddy coming home?" 84 00:04:34,642 --> 00:04:38,044 And, and I know that must have hurt her that, 85 00:04:38,045 --> 00:04:41,882 that for the most part, you know, her, her, her children, 86 00:04:42,416 --> 00:04:44,985 you know, daddy was like... 87 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:48,722 I don't remember ever saying, "When is mommy coming home?" 88 00:04:49,923 --> 00:04:51,724 GATES: Though Spike adored his father, 89 00:04:51,725 --> 00:04:53,494 he didn't try to follow in his footsteps. 90 00:04:54,361 --> 00:04:57,797 In fact, he told me he wasn't sure what he wanted to do with 91 00:04:57,798 --> 00:05:01,001 his life until the summer of 1977, 92 00:05:01,835 --> 00:05:04,103 when he returned from college to find his 93 00:05:04,104 --> 00:05:08,275 home city in turmoil, roiled by a financial crisis, 94 00:05:09,243 --> 00:05:11,845 with a citywide blackout looming. 95 00:05:12,479 --> 00:05:15,982 It was an infamous time in New York's history and 96 00:05:15,983 --> 00:05:17,718 a defining time for Spike. 97 00:05:19,586 --> 00:05:20,820 LEE: There were no jobs. 98 00:05:20,821 --> 00:05:22,221 So, I had nothing to do, 99 00:05:22,222 --> 00:05:24,258 and this one day changed my life. 100 00:05:24,491 --> 00:05:29,662 Vietta Johnson, who lived at the cross street of the park, 101 00:05:29,663 --> 00:05:31,097 Fort Greene Park, 102 00:05:31,098 --> 00:05:32,632 went to Stuyvesant High School. 103 00:05:32,633 --> 00:05:34,835 Now she, she's a doctor in Chicago. 104 00:05:36,136 --> 00:05:38,504 She was a friend. 105 00:05:38,505 --> 00:05:41,442 And that day I wasn't doing nothing. 106 00:05:41,742 --> 00:05:45,912 I said, I went over to across the park, rang the bell, 107 00:05:45,913 --> 00:05:47,313 and said, "Come on up." 108 00:05:47,314 --> 00:05:49,882 So I'm sitting there and she's studying for some type of test, 109 00:05:49,883 --> 00:05:51,384 and I said, what's in that box? 110 00:05:51,385 --> 00:05:53,953 She said, "This is a Super 8 camera." 111 00:05:53,954 --> 00:05:56,256 I said, "What's in this box?" 112 00:05:56,490 --> 00:05:59,193 She said, "That's the cartridge for the film. 113 00:05:59,927 --> 00:06:01,327 You can have it." 114 00:06:01,328 --> 00:06:02,462 GATES: Hmm. 115 00:06:02,463 --> 00:06:03,730 LEE: I said, "Who gave it to you?" 116 00:06:03,731 --> 00:06:06,299 "My father gave me but, I, I, I'm, yeah, you just take it. 117 00:06:06,300 --> 00:06:07,600 GATES: Hmm. 118 00:06:07,601 --> 00:06:09,236 LEE: And that day changed my life. 119 00:06:09,436 --> 00:06:10,803 GATES: Hmm. 120 00:06:10,804 --> 00:06:14,975 LEE: And so when the blackout happened of '77... 121 00:06:15,442 --> 00:06:18,377 Blacks, my brothers and sisters, 122 00:06:18,378 --> 00:06:20,614 my Puerto Rican brothers and sisters, started looting. 123 00:06:23,150 --> 00:06:24,184 I started filming it. 124 00:06:24,785 --> 00:06:26,085 GATES: Huh. 125 00:06:26,086 --> 00:06:28,955 LEE: It was also the first summer of disco, 126 00:06:28,956 --> 00:06:30,691 and so I was filming the block parties. 127 00:06:32,192 --> 00:06:34,261 So all this footage I shot the summer, 128 00:06:34,528 --> 00:06:38,766 went back to school that fall, and declared my major. 129 00:06:39,099 --> 00:06:40,299 GATES: Huh. 130 00:06:40,300 --> 00:06:41,901 LEE: Mass Communication, Film. 131 00:06:41,902 --> 00:06:43,302 GATES: And you had never thought about being 132 00:06:43,303 --> 00:06:44,837 a filmmaker before? 133 00:06:44,838 --> 00:06:47,474 LEE: I liked films, but I, that never occurred to me. 134 00:06:48,175 --> 00:06:49,509 GATES: But you picked this thing up, 135 00:06:49,510 --> 00:06:51,577 then how'd you figure out how to use it? 136 00:06:51,578 --> 00:06:52,745 LEE: Super 8 camera. 137 00:06:52,746 --> 00:06:55,215 Just put the cartridge in, and you pull the trigger. 138 00:06:55,783 --> 00:06:57,251 (laughter). 139 00:06:58,652 --> 00:07:00,419 GATES: Once he pulled that trigger, 140 00:07:00,420 --> 00:07:02,022 Spike never looked back. 141 00:07:02,790 --> 00:07:06,126 His graduate school thesis film won a Student Academy Award. 142 00:07:07,361 --> 00:07:09,396 His first feature was a breakout hit. 143 00:07:10,497 --> 00:07:13,500 And he's gone on to direct more than 25 movies, 144 00:07:14,067 --> 00:07:17,538 five documentaries, and a series of iconic commercials, 145 00:07:19,072 --> 00:07:22,676 winning virtually every major award along the way. 146 00:07:23,911 --> 00:07:27,014 But when I laid out all of his accomplishments in front of him, 147 00:07:27,447 --> 00:07:31,051 Spike turned the conversation back to where it began, 148 00:07:31,919 --> 00:07:34,121 with the joy that he takes from his life. 149 00:07:35,589 --> 00:07:38,624 Looking back at that incredible career... 150 00:07:38,625 --> 00:07:39,826 LEE: I'm not done! 151 00:07:39,827 --> 00:07:41,929 GATES: I know, but just looking back from where you are. 152 00:07:42,262 --> 00:07:43,362 LEE: Mm-hmm. 153 00:07:43,363 --> 00:07:44,965 GATES: What are you proudest of? 154 00:07:45,265 --> 00:07:47,234 LEE: What am I proud of? GATES: Yeah. 155 00:07:49,002 --> 00:07:53,106 LEE: Mmm, that, I tell this to my students, 156 00:07:54,975 --> 00:07:58,011 that people who 157 00:08:00,380 --> 00:08:03,951 are blessed making a living and doing what they love, 158 00:08:04,551 --> 00:08:05,651 you can't beat that. 159 00:08:05,652 --> 00:08:06,886 GATES: Mm-hmm. 160 00:08:06,887 --> 00:08:08,621 LEE: Because the majority these people on this earth, 161 00:08:08,622 --> 00:08:10,323 this God's earth, go to the grave having worked a 162 00:08:10,324 --> 00:08:11,324 job they hated. 163 00:08:11,325 --> 00:08:12,658 GATES: Mm-hmm. 164 00:08:12,659 --> 00:08:14,360 LEE: So if you, 165 00:08:14,361 --> 00:08:18,432 if you could make a living doing what you love, you won. 166 00:08:18,966 --> 00:08:20,534 GATES: You won. LEE: You won! 167 00:08:21,902 --> 00:08:24,871 GATES: My second guest is actor, singer, 168 00:08:24,872 --> 00:08:28,642 and Broadway Superstar, Kristin Chenoweth, 169 00:08:29,243 --> 00:08:31,377 famed for her groundbreaking performance as 170 00:08:31,378 --> 00:08:35,549 Glinda, the Good Witch of Oz in the Smash hit "Wicked." 171 00:08:37,150 --> 00:08:40,754 Kristen is blessed with perfect pitch, a radiant smile, 172 00:08:42,155 --> 00:08:45,525 and a story that sounds like its own Broadway show. 173 00:08:48,462 --> 00:08:52,164 As an infant, she was adopted by an Oklahoma couple named 174 00:08:52,165 --> 00:08:54,434 Junie and Jerry Chenoweth. 175 00:08:54,868 --> 00:08:57,204 They were engineers with no musical interest at all, 176 00:08:58,438 --> 00:09:01,140 but they embraced Kristen's talents from the 177 00:09:01,141 --> 00:09:02,843 moment they emerged. 178 00:09:05,078 --> 00:09:06,545 CHENOWETH: It started for me in church. 179 00:09:06,546 --> 00:09:07,780 GATES: Mm-hmm. 180 00:09:07,781 --> 00:09:09,482 CHENOWETH: I auditioned for a solo in the adult choir. 181 00:09:09,483 --> 00:09:10,750 My mom said, "It's for the adults." 182 00:09:10,751 --> 00:09:12,653 I said, "I don't care." I still wanted to try out. 183 00:09:13,320 --> 00:09:15,187 And I went to a pretty big church, 184 00:09:15,188 --> 00:09:16,522 First Baptist Church, Broken Arrow, 185 00:09:16,523 --> 00:09:17,657 was pretty big at the time. 186 00:09:17,658 --> 00:09:18,858 GATES: Mm-hmm. 187 00:09:18,859 --> 00:09:20,359 CHENOWETH: And I got the solo, 188 00:09:20,360 --> 00:09:22,495 and I remember going up to, in front of the crowd, 189 00:09:22,496 --> 00:09:24,597 and singing a song called, 190 00:09:24,598 --> 00:09:26,465 ♪ I'm Only 4'11, ♪ 191 00:09:26,466 --> 00:09:29,603 ♪ But I'm Going to Heaven and it makes me feel 10 feet tall. ♪ 192 00:09:30,604 --> 00:09:32,872 If I'd only known that's how tall I was gonna grow, Skip, 193 00:09:32,873 --> 00:09:34,441 I probably wouldn't have sang that song. 194 00:09:34,975 --> 00:09:37,810 But after it was over, 195 00:09:37,811 --> 00:09:40,714 people leapt to their feet and cheered. 196 00:09:41,214 --> 00:09:42,315 And I thought, 197 00:09:42,316 --> 00:09:44,283 and we were pretty calm congregation. 198 00:09:44,284 --> 00:09:47,187 And I remember thinking, I like that. 199 00:09:48,855 --> 00:09:50,589 GATES: Kristen didn't know it yet, 200 00:09:50,590 --> 00:09:53,659 but she'd found her calling, though there would be a few 201 00:09:53,660 --> 00:09:55,262 twists in the road ahead. 202 00:09:56,029 --> 00:09:57,830 After spending her high school years immersed 203 00:09:57,831 --> 00:09:59,498 in musical theater, 204 00:09:59,499 --> 00:10:02,501 she went to Oklahoma City University and 205 00:10:02,502 --> 00:10:05,205 ended up with a scholarship to train as an opera singer 206 00:10:06,006 --> 00:10:09,443 at the Prestigious Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia. 207 00:10:10,577 --> 00:10:12,946 And that's when things took a major turn... 208 00:10:14,381 --> 00:10:17,316 Just before my program started and we graduated, 209 00:10:17,317 --> 00:10:20,453 my best friend Denny Downs was moving to New York to 210 00:10:20,454 --> 00:10:22,155 try his hat at Broadway. 211 00:10:22,656 --> 00:10:24,357 The whole, the whole life, right. 212 00:10:24,358 --> 00:10:26,660 Well, that's really always what I wanted to do. 213 00:10:27,394 --> 00:10:29,128 But I was succeeding in opera, 214 00:10:29,129 --> 00:10:30,963 so I thought, well, I should do it. 215 00:10:30,964 --> 00:10:32,198 GATES: Mm-hmm. 216 00:10:32,199 --> 00:10:34,166 CHENOWETH: Because the teachers and, uh, 217 00:10:34,167 --> 00:10:37,003 so many guest teachers would come and say, 218 00:10:37,004 --> 00:10:38,504 you actually fit the roles. 219 00:10:38,505 --> 00:10:39,739 You, you're little. 220 00:10:39,740 --> 00:10:40,873 GATES: Mm-hmm. 221 00:10:40,874 --> 00:10:41,974 CHENOWETH: You know, you look like a doll, 222 00:10:41,975 --> 00:10:43,075 you will play the doll. 223 00:10:43,076 --> 00:10:44,377 You will, you know, you, you fit the parts. 224 00:10:44,378 --> 00:10:45,478 GATES: Right. 225 00:10:45,479 --> 00:10:47,246 CHENOWETH: Anyway, I went to New York with Denny. 226 00:10:47,247 --> 00:10:48,647 I decided, just for fun, 227 00:10:48,648 --> 00:10:50,850 to sign up at the Actors' Equity Building 228 00:10:50,851 --> 00:10:52,118 for an audition. 229 00:10:52,119 --> 00:10:53,185 I was not... 230 00:10:53,186 --> 00:10:54,286 GAETES: "Just for fun." 231 00:10:54,287 --> 00:10:55,955 CHENOWETH: Just for fun. GATES: Uh-huh. 232 00:10:55,956 --> 00:10:57,223 CHENOWETH: I had never, 233 00:10:57,224 --> 00:10:58,457 I did not have my equity card, 234 00:10:58,458 --> 00:10:59,859 so I waited 12 hours until the end of the day. 235 00:10:59,860 --> 00:11:01,227 And the, the guy came out and goes, 236 00:11:01,228 --> 00:11:02,361 "Oh, you're still here?" 237 00:11:02,362 --> 00:11:03,429 I said, "Yeah." 238 00:11:03,430 --> 00:11:04,563 And he goes, "I'll see what I can do." 239 00:11:04,564 --> 00:11:06,232 'cause I wasn't a union member. 240 00:11:06,233 --> 00:11:07,666 They were auditioning for a show called 241 00:11:07,667 --> 00:11:08,734 "The Animal Crackers." 242 00:11:08,735 --> 00:11:10,302 It was to be done at Paper Mill Playhouse. 243 00:11:10,303 --> 00:11:11,804 It was a Marx Brothers musical. 244 00:11:11,805 --> 00:11:13,506 And they'd been auditioning for this one 245 00:11:13,507 --> 00:11:15,809 part for many, many months. 246 00:11:16,476 --> 00:11:17,676 So I walk in, and I sang 247 00:11:17,677 --> 00:11:19,078 "On the Other Side of the Tracks" 248 00:11:19,079 --> 00:11:20,446 to show that I could belt. 249 00:11:20,447 --> 00:11:22,014 Then they asked me to read a little scene, 250 00:11:22,015 --> 00:11:23,283 and they said, 251 00:11:24,818 --> 00:11:26,619 "What are you doing, who are you?" 252 00:11:26,620 --> 00:11:28,387 And I said, "Well, actually, I'm gonna go to AVA, 253 00:11:28,388 --> 00:11:30,956 I'm just here to experience a New York audition." 254 00:11:30,957 --> 00:11:33,626 And Charlie Ripley, the director, who I will never, 255 00:11:33,627 --> 00:11:35,961 never forget him, sat me down and he said, 256 00:11:35,962 --> 00:11:38,864 "I know you're gonna do this other thing, 257 00:11:38,865 --> 00:11:41,700 but you're very unique in a world where there's not 258 00:11:41,701 --> 00:11:42,836 a lot of uniqueness... 259 00:11:43,103 --> 00:11:44,403 GATES: Mm-hmm. 260 00:11:44,404 --> 00:11:46,006 CHENOWETH: I would really like for you to take this part." 261 00:11:46,907 --> 00:11:50,209 GATES: Kristen heeded that advice and accepted the role, 262 00:11:50,210 --> 00:11:52,379 a decision that paid off spectacularly, 263 00:11:53,346 --> 00:11:55,514 launching one of the most acclaimed careers in the 264 00:11:55,515 --> 00:11:57,684 history of musical theater. 265 00:11:58,585 --> 00:12:00,119 Along the way, 266 00:12:00,120 --> 00:12:03,355 Kristen has also been able to add a happy chapter 267 00:12:03,356 --> 00:12:04,758 to her personal story. 268 00:12:05,859 --> 00:12:09,863 In 2012, she met her birth mother for the first time. 269 00:12:10,931 --> 00:12:13,266 And the two forged a close bond, 270 00:12:14,167 --> 00:12:17,203 a loving relationship that lasted right up until her 271 00:12:17,204 --> 00:12:20,273 mother's death in 2023. 272 00:12:22,075 --> 00:12:24,544 How did getting to know her change you? 273 00:12:25,479 --> 00:12:27,647 CHENOWETH: Oh Man. Everything made sense. 274 00:12:28,582 --> 00:12:34,954 Um, it's, it's a powerful thing to know in this world that you 275 00:12:34,955 --> 00:12:36,489 are like someone. 276 00:12:36,490 --> 00:12:37,756 GATES: Mm-hmm. 277 00:12:37,757 --> 00:12:39,091 CHENOWETH: You know, even when you look at entertainers 278 00:12:39,092 --> 00:12:40,426 that you relate to, 279 00:12:40,427 --> 00:12:42,496 why do you relate to cert-certain people? 280 00:12:42,762 --> 00:12:44,530 Because there's something about them, 281 00:12:44,531 --> 00:12:46,900 usually I find that's sort of like you, 282 00:12:47,100 --> 00:12:48,601 or that you can relate to. 283 00:12:48,602 --> 00:12:49,902 GATES: Mm-hmm. 284 00:12:49,903 --> 00:12:51,170 CHENOWETH: When I met and I, 285 00:12:51,171 --> 00:12:53,706 I met her and it was like, oh my gosh, 286 00:12:53,707 --> 00:12:56,509 looking into my future, like, that's me. 287 00:12:56,510 --> 00:12:57,810 GATES: Huh. CHENOWETH: That's me. 288 00:12:57,811 --> 00:12:59,211 GATES: And your bond was immediate? 289 00:12:59,212 --> 00:13:00,880 CHENOWETH: Immediate. GATES: Hmm. 290 00:13:00,881 --> 00:13:01,981 CHENOWETH: There was no, 291 00:13:01,982 --> 00:13:03,149 that could have gone either way, right? 292 00:13:03,150 --> 00:13:05,051 GATES: Yeah, oh yeah. CHENOWETH: But not with us. 293 00:13:05,252 --> 00:13:07,286 GATES: What do you miss most about her? 294 00:13:07,287 --> 00:13:10,890 CHENOWETH: You know, sometimes I've made decisions 295 00:13:10,891 --> 00:13:12,625 in my life that seem a little, 296 00:13:12,626 --> 00:13:14,694 are you sure you wanna do that, Kristie? 297 00:13:15,162 --> 00:13:17,230 Or what are you thinking over here, Kristie? 298 00:13:18,031 --> 00:13:22,736 She completely, um, accepted me. 299 00:13:23,436 --> 00:13:24,637 GATES: Mm-hmm. 300 00:13:24,638 --> 00:13:26,572 CHENOWETH: For all the rights and wrongs. 301 00:13:26,573 --> 00:13:28,274 GATES: Mm-hmm, unconditional love. 302 00:13:28,275 --> 00:13:29,676 CHENOWETH: Yeah, that's it. 303 00:13:34,314 --> 00:13:36,449 GATES: Kristen and Spike are both self-creations. 304 00:13:37,717 --> 00:13:40,153 They rose to the top on their talents alone, 305 00:13:41,321 --> 00:13:44,023 never knowing what their ancestors might have done to 306 00:13:44,024 --> 00:13:45,692 blaze the trail before them. 307 00:13:46,993 --> 00:13:49,129 But that is about to change. 308 00:13:51,598 --> 00:13:55,702 I started with Spike Lee and with his father, Bill Lee. 309 00:13:57,270 --> 00:14:00,139 Bill was a brilliant artist who struggled to 310 00:14:00,140 --> 00:14:03,677 support his family for the most artistic of reasons. 311 00:14:05,478 --> 00:14:07,981 In the 1960s, at the height of his fame, 312 00:14:08,748 --> 00:14:12,586 he refused to change as the music world changed around him. 313 00:14:13,920 --> 00:14:18,390 LEE: My father was the most requested jazz folk bassist. 314 00:14:18,391 --> 00:14:23,530 Bob Dylan, I mean, Theodore Bikel, 315 00:14:24,898 --> 00:14:26,699 Josh White, I mean, every folk artist... 316 00:14:26,700 --> 00:14:27,866 he on the first album, 317 00:14:27,867 --> 00:14:30,135 the first Simon and Garfunkel album, that's him. 318 00:14:30,136 --> 00:14:31,537 The first Gordon Lightfoot album. 319 00:14:31,538 --> 00:14:32,771 That's my father playing. 320 00:14:32,772 --> 00:14:34,073 GATES: I didn't know that. 321 00:14:34,074 --> 00:14:37,610 LEE: Yeah, and when Bob Dylan decided he's going electric, 322 00:14:37,611 --> 00:14:39,678 my father said, no. 323 00:14:39,679 --> 00:14:41,213 And so, when Bob Dylan went electric, 324 00:14:41,214 --> 00:14:42,414 everybody went electric, so... 325 00:14:42,415 --> 00:14:43,482 GATES: Mm-hmm. 326 00:14:43,483 --> 00:14:45,118 LEE: My father was not gonna play electric bass. 327 00:14:45,318 --> 00:14:46,719 GATES: Wow. LEE: He said, can't do it. 328 00:14:46,720 --> 00:14:50,490 So my mother had to work 'cause we would've starved. 329 00:14:51,925 --> 00:14:54,893 GATES: Spike's father would go on to score some of Spike's 330 00:14:54,894 --> 00:14:58,832 early films and compose several well-received jazz operas. 331 00:14:59,833 --> 00:15:02,369 But he never regained the popularity of his youth. 332 00:15:03,536 --> 00:15:05,204 And perhaps as a result, 333 00:15:05,205 --> 00:15:07,574 he rarely chose to discuss his past. 334 00:15:08,975 --> 00:15:11,811 So Spike knew that his father came from a musical family, 335 00:15:12,212 --> 00:15:16,549 but beyond that, his father's family tree was a blank slate. 336 00:15:17,651 --> 00:15:21,053 We set out to fill it in and immediately 337 00:15:21,054 --> 00:15:22,522 uncovered a surprise. 338 00:15:23,890 --> 00:15:26,126 The story begins with Spike's grandfather, 339 00:15:26,893 --> 00:15:28,962 a man named Arnold Lee. 340 00:15:29,663 --> 00:15:33,433 Arnold was born in Selma, Alabama, in 1892. 341 00:15:34,534 --> 00:15:37,202 He worked much of his life as a college instructor 342 00:15:37,203 --> 00:15:38,672 and band leader. 343 00:15:39,572 --> 00:15:42,308 But he also ran a family singing group that performed 344 00:15:42,309 --> 00:15:43,843 across the South. 345 00:15:44,411 --> 00:15:46,946 A group that included Spike's father. 346 00:15:48,982 --> 00:15:52,418 LEE: "One family musical performance by Negroes will 347 00:15:52,419 --> 00:15:54,353 be presented at the Selma University Chapel at 348 00:15:54,354 --> 00:15:55,921 8:00 Monday evening. 349 00:15:55,922 --> 00:15:59,758 Seats reserved for white friends, wishing to attend. 350 00:15:59,759 --> 00:16:02,562 The troop have appeared before numerous groups in the past." 351 00:16:03,096 --> 00:16:04,229 GATES: Isn't that wild? 352 00:16:04,230 --> 00:16:05,331 Have you ever seen that before? 353 00:16:05,332 --> 00:16:07,100 LEE: "Sound of Music," the Trap family. 354 00:16:07,634 --> 00:16:09,569 (laughter). 355 00:16:09,936 --> 00:16:11,705 ♪ So long, farewell... ♪ 356 00:16:13,173 --> 00:16:14,440 They weren't doing that. 357 00:16:14,441 --> 00:16:15,909 They weren't doing Oscar Hammerstein. 358 00:16:16,309 --> 00:16:17,543 GATES: No. 359 00:16:17,544 --> 00:16:20,446 There is your grandfather leading the family band in a 360 00:16:20,447 --> 00:16:22,582 performance at the Selma University Chapel. 361 00:16:23,650 --> 00:16:26,319 Your father would've been 11 years old at the time. 362 00:16:27,420 --> 00:16:29,522 Did your dad ever talk about those shows? 363 00:16:30,223 --> 00:16:31,557 LEE: Skip, I didn't know that. 364 00:16:31,558 --> 00:16:32,791 GATES: Mmm. 365 00:16:32,792 --> 00:16:34,026 LEE: I mean, that's, that's, see this is why I'm here. 366 00:16:34,027 --> 00:16:37,363 I wanna learn about my family, my heritage, my ancestors. 367 00:16:37,364 --> 00:16:40,100 Thank you for sharing this with me and the world, too. 368 00:16:40,800 --> 00:16:41,834 GATES: You've come to the right place. 369 00:16:41,835 --> 00:16:43,169 LEE: Yeah, I know that. 370 00:16:43,903 --> 00:16:46,171 {\an8}GATES: Spike wondered how Arnold ended up as 371 00:16:46,172 --> 00:16:47,340 {\an8}a band leader. 372 00:16:48,375 --> 00:16:50,876 {\an8}The answer seems to be that just like Spike, 373 00:16:50,877 --> 00:16:52,712 {\an8}he followed his dreams. 374 00:16:53,480 --> 00:16:55,314 His father was a carpenter. 375 00:16:55,315 --> 00:16:57,416 And for a time, it appeared that Arnold, 376 00:16:57,417 --> 00:17:00,553 too was destined for a life of labor. 377 00:17:01,821 --> 00:17:04,724 LEE: "Arnold Wordsworth Lee, age 24." 378 00:17:05,058 --> 00:17:06,091 GATES: Mm-hmm. 379 00:17:06,092 --> 00:17:08,328 LEE: "Date of birth, October 28th, 1892." 380 00:17:08,661 --> 00:17:09,828 GATES: Mm-hmm. 381 00:17:09,829 --> 00:17:11,131 LEE "What is your present occupation? 382 00:17:11,431 --> 00:17:12,831 Steam engineer. 383 00:17:12,832 --> 00:17:14,133 By whom employed? 384 00:17:14,134 --> 00:17:16,302 Buckeye Cotton Oil Company." 385 00:17:16,636 --> 00:17:18,604 GATES: There's your grandfather, 24 years old, 386 00:17:18,605 --> 00:17:21,940 working as a steam engineer at a factory. 387 00:17:21,941 --> 00:17:23,041 LEE: I thought he was a musician? 388 00:17:23,042 --> 00:17:25,111 GATES: Yeah, and that was a rough job. 389 00:17:25,912 --> 00:17:28,547 As a steam engineer, he operated machinery that 390 00:17:28,548 --> 00:17:31,317 processed cotton seeds into cottonseed oil. 391 00:17:31,885 --> 00:17:35,621 A popular ingredient used in supermarket fats and soap. 392 00:17:35,622 --> 00:17:38,257 He was essentially working on a factory floor, 393 00:17:38,258 --> 00:17:40,293 hot, humid, and loud. 394 00:17:40,760 --> 00:17:42,495 You think he could have handled that for a living? 395 00:17:42,762 --> 00:17:44,229 LEE: Nuh-uh. GATES: You know, in... 396 00:17:44,230 --> 00:17:48,067 LEE: And also you work from sunup to sundown, too. 397 00:17:48,568 --> 00:17:50,402 GATES: Oh, yeah. 398 00:17:50,403 --> 00:17:54,374 But he quit this job to follow his passion, which was music. 399 00:17:55,975 --> 00:17:57,177 LEE: Damn! 400 00:17:58,278 --> 00:17:59,679 GATES: Isn't that amazing? 401 00:18:00,346 --> 00:18:03,616 We wanted to trace the Lee family back in time, 402 00:18:03,917 --> 00:18:06,286 and we were able to identify Arnold's grandfather, 403 00:18:07,320 --> 00:18:11,191 who was likely born into slavery around 1825, 404 00:18:12,125 --> 00:18:14,193 but we couldn't go any further. 405 00:18:14,194 --> 00:18:18,330 Enslaved people were almost never listed by name 406 00:18:18,331 --> 00:18:19,732 in federal records. 407 00:18:20,333 --> 00:18:23,101 So to learn their stories, we need to find them in the 408 00:18:23,102 --> 00:18:24,771 records of the people who owned them. 409 00:18:25,839 --> 00:18:28,208 And we weren't able to do that for the Lees. 410 00:18:29,275 --> 00:18:31,043 But when we shifted to another line on 411 00:18:31,044 --> 00:18:32,946 Spike's father's family tree, 412 00:18:33,413 --> 00:18:35,248 our fortune seemed to change. 413 00:18:37,517 --> 00:18:40,118 Spike's third great-grandparents, 414 00:18:40,119 --> 00:18:42,789 a couple named Albert and Mariah Craig, 415 00:18:43,590 --> 00:18:45,991 were living in Dallas County, Alabama 416 00:18:45,992 --> 00:18:48,561 {\an8}after the Civil War, as was their son, 417 00:18:49,462 --> 00:18:50,597 {\an8}Harrison Craig. 418 00:18:51,664 --> 00:18:54,267 And in the 1850s census for that county, 419 00:18:54,767 --> 00:18:57,737 we found a white slave owner named John J. Craig. 420 00:18:58,905 --> 00:19:01,841 The shared surnames were impossible to ignore. 421 00:19:04,611 --> 00:19:06,979 So we kept looking through the records of 422 00:19:06,980 --> 00:19:08,381 this white Craig family, 423 00:19:08,848 --> 00:19:13,285 because the only way to trace black genealogy is 424 00:19:13,286 --> 00:19:16,755 to find the names of your ancestors listed 425 00:19:16,756 --> 00:19:18,057 in their documents. 426 00:19:19,025 --> 00:19:20,692 LEE: By the people enslaved, right? 427 00:19:20,693 --> 00:19:21,827 GATES: Yes. 428 00:19:21,828 --> 00:19:24,130 Like estate records in wills, whatever. 429 00:19:24,397 --> 00:19:26,366 Sometimes we get lucky, sometimes we're not. 430 00:19:26,766 --> 00:19:27,933 LEE: We get lucky? 431 00:19:27,934 --> 00:19:29,002 GATES: Please turn the page. 432 00:19:31,070 --> 00:19:32,604 You're looking at a file for the estate of a 433 00:19:32,605 --> 00:19:34,574 man named James Craig. 434 00:19:35,008 --> 00:19:37,143 He was John J. Craig's father. 435 00:19:37,977 --> 00:19:40,747 It was recorded on January 3, 1844. 436 00:19:41,314 --> 00:19:43,049 Would you please read the transcribed section? 437 00:19:43,483 --> 00:19:45,150 LEE: "We, the undersigned, 438 00:19:45,151 --> 00:19:47,719 met this day and proceeded to appraise, said Negroes. 439 00:19:47,720 --> 00:19:49,955 We then proceeded to put them into lots, 440 00:19:49,956 --> 00:19:52,225 which are drawn for as follows. 441 00:19:52,592 --> 00:19:55,261 Lot number one, Albert at $650." 442 00:19:56,229 --> 00:19:58,965 GATES: Mm-hmm. LEE: "Mariah and Child $575." 443 00:19:59,599 --> 00:20:03,136 GATES: Mm-hmm. LEE: Total $1,225. 444 00:20:04,537 --> 00:20:10,510 Lot number five. Harrison at $200 drawn by J.D. Craig. 445 00:20:10,777 --> 00:20:12,110 GATES: There you go. 446 00:20:12,111 --> 00:20:14,346 Those are your third great-grandparents listed 447 00:20:14,347 --> 00:20:19,285 by name with a valuation placed on 'em. 448 00:20:21,754 --> 00:20:25,058 LEE: $650. GATES: Yep. 449 00:20:25,458 --> 00:20:27,193 LEE: $575. GATES: Yep. 450 00:20:27,460 --> 00:20:29,528 LEE: $1,225. 451 00:20:29,529 --> 00:20:33,900 And Harrison at the cheap price of $200. 452 00:20:34,167 --> 00:20:37,170 GATES: $200. LEE: A human life, $200. 453 00:20:38,137 --> 00:20:39,639 GATES: That is your bloodline. 454 00:20:39,872 --> 00:20:41,307 What's it like to see that? 455 00:20:41,808 --> 00:20:42,874 LEE: It's amazing. 456 00:20:42,875 --> 00:20:44,977 And when you think about, and I, I, 457 00:20:44,978 --> 00:20:47,512 when you think about your ancestors... 458 00:20:47,513 --> 00:20:49,715 You think you're going through problems. 459 00:20:49,716 --> 00:20:50,949 And I, I've done this before. 460 00:20:50,950 --> 00:20:52,150 I said, what? 461 00:20:52,151 --> 00:20:53,518 And I got like, I hit myself in the head like, yeah, 462 00:20:53,519 --> 00:20:54,853 this ain't nothing. 463 00:20:54,854 --> 00:20:56,121 GATES: Nothing. 464 00:20:56,122 --> 00:20:58,123 LEE: This is light stuff compared to what our 465 00:20:58,124 --> 00:20:59,191 ancestors went through. 466 00:20:59,192 --> 00:21:01,094 GATES: Yeah. LEE: Holy living hell! 467 00:21:03,029 --> 00:21:05,163 GATES: Looking closer at the records that the white 468 00:21:05,164 --> 00:21:06,899 Craig family left behind, 469 00:21:07,800 --> 00:21:10,836 we soon realized just how much hell Spike's 470 00:21:10,837 --> 00:21:13,106 ancestors had endured. 471 00:21:14,641 --> 00:21:16,408 When James Craig died, 472 00:21:16,409 --> 00:21:18,443 Spike's third great-grandparents became 473 00:21:18,444 --> 00:21:20,545 the property of his son. 474 00:21:20,546 --> 00:21:23,649 But their son, Spike's great-great-grandfather, 475 00:21:23,650 --> 00:21:26,886 Harrison, was inherited by another Craig relative. 476 00:21:29,722 --> 00:21:33,091 That is the moment that your Craig family line 477 00:21:33,092 --> 00:21:34,694 was split apart by slavery. 478 00:21:34,894 --> 00:21:36,495 LEE: Mm-hmm. 479 00:21:36,496 --> 00:21:38,765 GATES: What's it like to see that? 480 00:21:40,099 --> 00:21:42,801 LEE: Well, you know, you think in your mind, 481 00:21:42,802 --> 00:21:46,105 you know what the ancestors went through, 482 00:21:46,406 --> 00:21:49,042 but this just makes it more, I mean, 483 00:21:49,275 --> 00:21:51,611 this is real right here, this is not like conjecture. 484 00:21:51,811 --> 00:21:52,878 This, this happened. 485 00:21:52,879 --> 00:21:54,012 GATES: Mm-hmm. 486 00:21:54,013 --> 00:21:55,681 LEE: And this is how our ancestors, not just my, 487 00:21:55,682 --> 00:21:57,049 but our ancestors were, 488 00:21:57,050 --> 00:22:01,721 were treated as a piece of property inhuman. 489 00:22:02,488 --> 00:22:03,722 GATES: Mm-hmm. 490 00:22:03,723 --> 00:22:06,058 LEE: And could be killed, discarded, raped, whatever. 491 00:22:06,059 --> 00:22:08,027 Uh, you know, and that's gonna happen. 492 00:22:09,095 --> 00:22:11,096 GATES: Spike, of course, is correct. 493 00:22:11,097 --> 00:22:15,101 Enslaved people had absolutely no control over their lives. 494 00:22:16,369 --> 00:22:19,605 And there was an added dimension to their torment. 495 00:22:19,872 --> 00:22:22,474 They had no idea that their enslavement would ever 496 00:22:22,475 --> 00:22:25,311 come to an end. 497 00:22:25,745 --> 00:22:28,980 Albert and Mariah and Harrison could not imagine 498 00:22:28,981 --> 00:22:31,818 if they'd ever be free or be together again. 499 00:22:33,720 --> 00:22:35,988 LEE: But you know what, though? 500 00:22:37,223 --> 00:22:38,957 I think they knew. 501 00:22:38,958 --> 00:22:42,260 They believed in God and be like, 502 00:22:42,261 --> 00:22:47,133 may not be me or my children, but somewhere down the line. 503 00:22:47,400 --> 00:22:50,168 GATES: Mm-hmm. A better day's coming. 504 00:22:50,169 --> 00:22:51,303 LEE: Better day's coming. 505 00:22:51,304 --> 00:22:52,905 GATES: Yeah? Please turn the page. 506 00:22:55,475 --> 00:22:59,478 This is a year after the Civil War, 1866, 507 00:22:59,479 --> 00:23:01,414 Dallas County, Alabama. 508 00:23:01,881 --> 00:23:03,750 Would you please read that transcribed section? 509 00:23:04,383 --> 00:23:06,819 {\an8}LEE: "Albert Craig. One male, 50 to 60 years old, 510 00:23:07,553 --> 00:23:09,922 {\an8}one female, 10 to 20 years old, 511 00:23:11,157 --> 00:23:13,392 {\an8}one female, 40 to 50 years old." 512 00:23:14,427 --> 00:23:16,495 {\an8}GATES: That is your third great-grandfather, 513 00:23:16,496 --> 00:23:18,530 Albert as a free man. 514 00:23:18,531 --> 00:23:22,201 He's head of a household, most likely, including his wife, 515 00:23:23,136 --> 00:23:24,669 that your third great-grandmother, 516 00:23:24,670 --> 00:23:27,939 Mariah, and their son, your great-great-grandfather, 517 00:23:27,940 --> 00:23:31,543 Harrison, was living with his wife on another property 518 00:23:31,544 --> 00:23:33,045 in the same county. 519 00:23:33,713 --> 00:23:35,514 So they survived, 520 00:23:35,515 --> 00:23:38,050 and they kept their family together. 521 00:23:38,484 --> 00:23:41,254 LEE: Religion, spirituality, you know, you had, uh, 522 00:23:43,956 --> 00:23:47,692 I believe that someday, maybe not themselves, 523 00:23:47,693 --> 00:23:50,462 but their children or grandchildren, that, that, uh, 524 00:23:50,463 --> 00:23:52,265 we be treated as human beings. 525 00:23:53,566 --> 00:23:56,068 GATES: Spike's words would prove prophetic. 526 00:23:56,869 --> 00:23:59,672 Freedom transformed his family. 527 00:24:00,339 --> 00:24:03,942 Within just two generations, the Craigs would see their 528 00:24:03,943 --> 00:24:06,279 horizons expand dramatically. 529 00:24:07,046 --> 00:24:10,081 As Harrison's daughter Alma gave birth to 530 00:24:10,082 --> 00:24:12,652 Spike's band leader, grandfather Arnold, 531 00:24:13,686 --> 00:24:16,856 the man who laid the groundwork for Spike's father's success, 532 00:24:17,657 --> 00:24:19,292 as well as his own. 533 00:24:19,926 --> 00:24:22,461 A fact that was not lost on Spike. 534 00:24:23,963 --> 00:24:26,431 LEE: I got a whole lot of people behind me. 535 00:24:26,432 --> 00:24:27,732 GATES: Yeah. 536 00:24:27,733 --> 00:24:29,267 LEE: Looking down on me and say like, 537 00:24:29,268 --> 00:24:31,369 come on now, come on now. 538 00:24:31,370 --> 00:24:33,705 What we went through and come on, lets, 539 00:24:33,706 --> 00:24:34,739 let's keep it going. 540 00:24:34,740 --> 00:24:35,974 Let's keep it going. 541 00:24:35,975 --> 00:24:39,811 Let's keep this, this family, this generational thing, 542 00:24:39,812 --> 00:24:44,450 and let's strive to make a positive mark in the world. 543 00:24:45,084 --> 00:24:46,318 GATES: Mm-hmm. LEE: You know? 544 00:24:46,319 --> 00:24:50,355 And so it's empowering to know that it's not just you. 545 00:24:50,356 --> 00:24:52,858 You know, there's some people, you got relatives... 546 00:24:52,859 --> 00:24:53,892 GATES: Yeah. 547 00:24:53,893 --> 00:24:56,428 LEE: Generations that paved the way. 548 00:24:56,429 --> 00:24:59,265 GATES: Right. By name, now. 549 00:24:59,565 --> 00:25:04,070 LEE: Yeah, so it's not no flim-flam, this is like... 550 00:25:04,537 --> 00:25:06,639 GATES: Yeah. LEE: Documented. 551 00:25:08,407 --> 00:25:11,743 GATES: Much like Spike, Kristen Chenoweth was about to 552 00:25:11,744 --> 00:25:15,815 find empowerment in a newfound branch of her family tree. 553 00:25:17,116 --> 00:25:19,352 The journey began with her biological mother, 554 00:25:20,486 --> 00:25:22,622 Wanda Lynn Cooper. 555 00:25:23,256 --> 00:25:25,523 When Kristen and Wanda reconnected, 556 00:25:25,524 --> 00:25:27,626 it was largely thanks to the efforts of 557 00:25:27,627 --> 00:25:31,530 Wanda's youngest daughter, Kristen's sister Jennifer. 558 00:25:33,099 --> 00:25:35,500 But there was another person who played a significant 559 00:25:35,501 --> 00:25:37,136 role in that effort. 560 00:25:37,503 --> 00:25:40,106 A man, Kristen never got the chance to meet. 561 00:25:40,506 --> 00:25:44,610 Wanda's father, Kristen's grandfather, Charles Cooper. 562 00:25:46,913 --> 00:25:50,248 Now I understand when your grandfather was on his deathbed, 563 00:25:50,249 --> 00:25:52,083 he told your sister Jennifer... 564 00:25:52,084 --> 00:25:53,184 CHENOWETH: Mm-hmm. 565 00:25:53,185 --> 00:25:55,153 GATES: About you being given up for adoption, 566 00:25:55,154 --> 00:25:59,759 which led her to register her DNA in an adoption database. 567 00:26:00,993 --> 00:26:04,696 So in a sense, he's the reason that you ended up here 568 00:26:04,697 --> 00:26:06,064 with me today. 569 00:26:06,065 --> 00:26:07,132 CHENOWETH: Yeah. 570 00:26:07,133 --> 00:26:08,300 GATES: So what's it like to think about that? 571 00:26:08,301 --> 00:26:09,501 CHENOWETH: You know what's funny? 572 00:26:09,502 --> 00:26:11,469 I've never thought about the connection with him. 573 00:26:11,470 --> 00:26:14,339 I've only just thought about her and my sister, my brother. 574 00:26:14,340 --> 00:26:15,407 You know what? 575 00:26:15,408 --> 00:26:16,574 I've never thought about grandpa. 576 00:26:16,575 --> 00:26:18,143 GATES: But he made that decision on his deathbed. 577 00:26:18,144 --> 00:26:19,444 I find that fascinating. 578 00:26:19,445 --> 00:26:20,545 CHENOWETH: I do too. 579 00:26:20,546 --> 00:26:22,480 I wonder, I mean, I've always wondered if he 580 00:26:22,481 --> 00:26:24,349 felt guilty about it. 581 00:26:24,350 --> 00:26:25,450 GATES: Mm-hmm. 582 00:26:25,451 --> 00:26:26,451 CHENOWETH: Or just sad. 583 00:26:26,452 --> 00:26:27,619 GATES: Mm-hmm. 584 00:26:27,620 --> 00:26:29,387 CHENOWETH: You know, wondering about that baby. 585 00:26:29,388 --> 00:26:30,889 GATES: As it turns out, 586 00:26:30,890 --> 00:26:33,224 Charles had many reasons to be sympathetic 587 00:26:33,225 --> 00:26:35,061 to his granddaughter. 588 00:26:35,594 --> 00:26:38,097 He'd experienced great suffering of his own. 589 00:26:39,799 --> 00:26:42,834 He lost his mother when he was a young man. 590 00:26:42,835 --> 00:26:46,405 And when he was 21 years old, he almost lost his own life. 591 00:26:48,741 --> 00:26:50,542 CHENOWETH: "The accident occurred last Saturday 592 00:26:50,543 --> 00:26:53,212 near Natchez, and the youth suffered six broken ribs." 593 00:26:53,579 --> 00:26:54,646 Ow. 594 00:26:54,647 --> 00:26:57,350 "Internal injuries and a punctured lung. 595 00:26:57,984 --> 00:27:00,218 Two blood transfusions have been given in an effort to 596 00:27:00,219 --> 00:27:01,620 bring him back to health." 597 00:27:02,088 --> 00:27:04,724 Wait, I didn't know that he'd had a bad accident. 598 00:27:05,257 --> 00:27:07,826 GATES: Your grandfather was in a terrible car accident. 599 00:27:07,827 --> 00:27:09,561 He had six broken ribs, internal injuries, 600 00:27:09,562 --> 00:27:11,029 and a punctured lung... 601 00:27:11,030 --> 00:27:12,197 CHENOWETH: Lucky to be here. 602 00:27:12,198 --> 00:27:13,631 GATES: And two blood transfusions. 603 00:27:13,632 --> 00:27:15,568 Can you imagine? 604 00:27:17,069 --> 00:27:19,104 CHENOWETH: Unfortunately, I can imagine. 605 00:27:19,105 --> 00:27:21,640 I've had a bad accident myself. 606 00:27:21,874 --> 00:27:24,276 Broken ribs alone will take you down. 607 00:27:24,677 --> 00:27:27,012 I mean, it doesn't sound like that big of a deal, 608 00:27:27,013 --> 00:27:28,046 but they hurt. 609 00:27:28,047 --> 00:27:29,414 GATES: Oh, it's a big deal. 610 00:27:29,415 --> 00:27:30,715 CHENOWETH: They hurt. 611 00:27:30,716 --> 00:27:32,150 GATES: According to another newspaper article, 612 00:27:32,151 --> 00:27:33,618 Charles was lucky to be alive, 613 00:27:33,619 --> 00:27:35,320 and he had to struggle to recover, 614 00:27:35,321 --> 00:27:38,823 but he ended up back home walking around in a month. 615 00:27:38,824 --> 00:27:40,525 Sounds like a tough guy. 616 00:27:40,526 --> 00:27:41,659 CHENOWETH: Yeah, tough. 617 00:27:41,660 --> 00:27:43,194 GATES: Is that how your mom remembered him? 618 00:27:43,195 --> 00:27:44,462 CHENOWETH: Yes. GATES: Mm-hmm. 619 00:27:44,463 --> 00:27:48,234 CHENOWETH: Big teddy bear. But outwardly, maybe tough. 620 00:27:50,136 --> 00:27:52,504 {\an8}GATES: Charles's toughness would soon be put 621 00:27:52,505 --> 00:27:54,106 {\an8}to another test. 622 00:27:54,507 --> 00:27:56,908 {\an8}Roughly four months after his accident, 623 00:27:56,909 --> 00:27:59,544 {\an8}Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, 624 00:27:59,545 --> 00:28:02,114 drawing the United States into World War II. 625 00:28:03,849 --> 00:28:05,583 Charles could have tried to avoid military 626 00:28:05,584 --> 00:28:09,889 service on medical grounds, but he chose a different route. 627 00:28:11,490 --> 00:28:12,957 CHENOWETH: "Cooper, Charlie E. 628 00:28:12,958 --> 00:28:14,960 Private, automotive maintenance company." 629 00:28:15,261 --> 00:28:16,628 Your grandfather was drafted. 630 00:28:16,629 --> 00:28:18,096 CHENOWETH: Sure was. 631 00:28:18,097 --> 00:28:20,632 GATES: He survives a car accident and still answers the 632 00:28:20,633 --> 00:28:22,700 call to serve his country. 633 00:28:22,701 --> 00:28:24,035 What do you make of that? 634 00:28:24,036 --> 00:28:25,336 CHENOWETH: I think he's pretty badass. 635 00:28:25,337 --> 00:28:26,571 Pardon me. 636 00:28:26,572 --> 00:28:28,907 I think that's pretty cool that he, you know, I, I, 637 00:28:28,908 --> 00:28:31,443 I would imagine that a lot of people could have chosen 638 00:28:31,444 --> 00:28:32,510 not to do it. 639 00:28:32,511 --> 00:28:34,346 GATES: Sure. CHENOWETH: But he did it anyway. 640 00:28:35,247 --> 00:28:38,683 GATES: Charles was assigned to an Army Ordnance Corps and 641 00:28:38,684 --> 00:28:42,221 ended up in France, maintaining equipment for frontline troops. 642 00:28:43,389 --> 00:28:46,257 Kristen told me that she believes the experience took an 643 00:28:46,258 --> 00:28:47,893 emotional toll on him, 644 00:28:48,294 --> 00:28:51,797 a toll that her mother, Wanda, observed firsthand. 645 00:28:52,631 --> 00:28:54,065 And as it turns out, 646 00:28:54,066 --> 00:28:57,335 Charles was not the first member of Kristen's family to 647 00:28:57,336 --> 00:28:59,905 face such challenges. 648 00:29:01,240 --> 00:29:03,375 Shifting to another branch of her mother's roots, 649 00:29:04,143 --> 00:29:06,946 we came to a man named Oscar McKinley Brown. 650 00:29:08,047 --> 00:29:09,915 He's Kristen's great-grandfather. 651 00:29:10,549 --> 00:29:14,186 And in 1917, when he was 24 years old, 652 00:29:14,954 --> 00:29:18,223 he joined the United States Army at the height of 653 00:29:18,224 --> 00:29:19,692 World War I. 654 00:29:21,327 --> 00:29:23,495 Now, we found this record in the National Archives. 655 00:29:23,496 --> 00:29:24,796 CHENOWETH: Oh! 656 00:29:24,797 --> 00:29:26,131 GATES: Would you please read the transcribed section 657 00:29:26,132 --> 00:29:27,232 over there? 658 00:29:27,233 --> 00:29:28,701 CHENOWETH: This is, look how handsome he was. 659 00:29:29,835 --> 00:29:31,436 "Passenger list." 660 00:29:31,437 --> 00:29:36,809 Ah, "Fourth sanitary train, date of sailing May 27, 1918. 661 00:29:37,543 --> 00:29:41,213 Port, New York. New York. Name: Oscar McKinley Brown. 662 00:29:41,981 --> 00:29:45,084 Rank: Medical Department, Wagoner. 663 00:29:46,185 --> 00:29:49,754 Notify in case of emergency, Mrs. Liz Lee Webb, sister. 664 00:29:49,755 --> 00:29:51,090 Address, Quentin, Oklahoma. 665 00:29:51,624 --> 00:29:55,027 GATES: In 1917, when he was 24, Oscar enlisted. 666 00:29:56,162 --> 00:29:58,397 And you could see Oscar there in his uniform. 667 00:29:58,998 --> 00:30:00,331 Any family resemblance? 668 00:30:00,332 --> 00:30:02,300 CHENOWETH: Yeah. The eyes. GATES: Mm-hmm. 669 00:30:02,301 --> 00:30:04,136 CHENOWETH: For sure. Very similar. 670 00:30:04,837 --> 00:30:06,371 GATES: Your great-grandfather was assigned to the 671 00:30:06,372 --> 00:30:10,608 fourth sanitary train of the fourth infantry division. 672 00:30:10,609 --> 00:30:13,077 Do you have any idea what a sanitary train is? 673 00:30:13,078 --> 00:30:14,112 CHENOWETH: No, what is that? 674 00:30:14,113 --> 00:30:15,613 GATES: Please turn the page. 675 00:30:15,614 --> 00:30:16,814 CHENOWETH: Um, I think it might be not something 676 00:30:16,815 --> 00:30:18,049 I would wanna do. 677 00:30:18,050 --> 00:30:19,317 GATES: I was thinking that. 678 00:30:19,318 --> 00:30:20,953 CHENOWETH: Oh, wow. 679 00:30:21,153 --> 00:30:24,155 GATES: Sanitary trains were medical units that operated 680 00:30:24,156 --> 00:30:26,458 field hospitals in combat zones. 681 00:30:27,793 --> 00:30:32,430 Oscar's job was to transport supplies and wounded soldiers 682 00:30:32,431 --> 00:30:35,100 along the trenches of the Western Front. 683 00:30:36,068 --> 00:30:38,370 It was dangerous, often deadly work, 684 00:30:38,904 --> 00:30:42,907 as evidenced by an account written by a fellow soldier in 685 00:30:42,908 --> 00:30:44,443 Oscar's unit. 686 00:30:45,911 --> 00:30:47,745 CHENOWETH: "One of our boys was at the 687 00:30:47,746 --> 00:30:50,682 dressing station helping a lieutenant dress up a wound 688 00:30:50,683 --> 00:30:52,818 when a shell hit the dugout, killing them both." 689 00:30:53,152 --> 00:30:54,285 GATES: Mmm. 690 00:30:54,286 --> 00:30:56,020 CHENOWETH: "Once the Germans let a bomb fall just 691 00:30:56,021 --> 00:30:57,121 outside our hospital, 692 00:30:57,122 --> 00:30:58,489 it shook up the chateau next door and smashed 693 00:30:58,490 --> 00:31:00,792 all the windows in our hospital. 694 00:31:00,793 --> 00:31:02,761 The air raid was the worst. 695 00:31:03,195 --> 00:31:04,829 You can hear the plane right over you, and you know, 696 00:31:04,830 --> 00:31:06,264 it has death load for someone, 697 00:31:06,265 --> 00:31:09,134 and you just lay there and wonder where it will fall." 698 00:31:09,501 --> 00:31:11,503 GATES: That is what your ancestor experienced. 699 00:31:12,304 --> 00:31:14,606 CHENOWETH: The stress, the not knowing whether 700 00:31:14,607 --> 00:31:15,840 you're gonna make it. 701 00:31:15,841 --> 00:31:18,176 You're in the line, truly the line of fire. 702 00:31:18,177 --> 00:31:19,911 GATES: Mm-hmm. CHENOWETH: Truly. 703 00:31:19,912 --> 00:31:21,646 GATES: Yeah. 24/7. No respite. 704 00:31:21,647 --> 00:31:22,880 CHENOWETH: No, thank you. 705 00:31:22,881 --> 00:31:24,449 GATES: So what do you think that was like for him 706 00:31:24,450 --> 00:31:25,783 to witness that carnage? 707 00:31:25,784 --> 00:31:27,385 CHENOWETH: I mean, now we always talk about our trauma, right, 708 00:31:27,386 --> 00:31:28,453 in today's times? 709 00:31:28,454 --> 00:31:29,520 GATES: Yeah, oh yeah. 710 00:31:29,521 --> 00:31:30,755 CHENOWETH: This is serious trauma. 711 00:31:30,756 --> 00:31:31,789 GATES: That's is serious trauma. 712 00:31:31,790 --> 00:31:33,858 CHENOWETH: Um, and that... 713 00:31:33,859 --> 00:31:35,994 GATES: Without even having a word for it. 714 00:31:35,995 --> 00:31:37,128 CHENOWETH: Right. 715 00:31:37,129 --> 00:31:38,596 GATES: You know, which makes it worse. 716 00:31:38,597 --> 00:31:39,731 CHENOWETH: Yeah, and I mean, 717 00:31:39,732 --> 00:31:41,165 he probably put it, put it down here. 718 00:31:41,166 --> 00:31:42,567 GATES: Yeah, as best he could. 719 00:31:42,568 --> 00:31:43,669 CHENOWETH: As best he could. 720 00:31:44,169 --> 00:31:45,770 GATES: We don't know how he did it, 721 00:31:45,771 --> 00:31:48,707 but Oscar was able to leave the war behind him. 722 00:31:49,408 --> 00:31:53,311 In 1919, he returned to America and set out to build 723 00:31:53,312 --> 00:31:54,747 a life for himself. 724 00:31:55,180 --> 00:31:56,347 The following year, 725 00:31:56,348 --> 00:31:58,250 he married Kristen's great-grandmother, 726 00:31:58,717 --> 00:32:00,386 a woman named Ola Blaylock, 727 00:32:00,986 --> 00:32:02,521 and started a family. 728 00:32:02,788 --> 00:32:05,957 He would help raise three children and support them by 729 00:32:05,958 --> 00:32:09,428 running a taxi service and later a farm. 730 00:32:10,796 --> 00:32:12,430 Surveying his life, 731 00:32:12,431 --> 00:32:14,967 Kristen's thoughts turned first to her mother, 732 00:32:15,768 --> 00:32:18,236 Oscar's granddaughter. 733 00:32:18,237 --> 00:32:19,738 CHENOWETH: When I think of Mama Lynn, 734 00:32:19,972 --> 00:32:21,139 I think about her resilience. 735 00:32:21,140 --> 00:32:22,774 That's really what stands out the most to me. 736 00:32:22,775 --> 00:32:23,841 GATES: Mm-hmm. 737 00:32:23,842 --> 00:32:27,845 CHENOWETH: Because of the trauma, if I may, 738 00:32:27,846 --> 00:32:29,781 that she went through of having me and giving me away. 739 00:32:29,782 --> 00:32:31,182 GATES: Yeah, oh yeah. 740 00:32:31,183 --> 00:32:32,917 CHENOWETH: Um, but continuing on. 741 00:32:32,918 --> 00:32:34,285 GATES: Mm-hmm. 742 00:32:34,286 --> 00:32:35,486 CHENOWETH: And staying tough. 743 00:32:35,487 --> 00:32:36,754 GATES: Mm-hmm. 744 00:32:36,755 --> 00:32:38,222 CHENOWETH: And life did hand, hand her a lot of lemons. 745 00:32:38,223 --> 00:32:39,490 GATES: Mm-hmm. 746 00:32:39,491 --> 00:32:40,892 CHENOWETH: But she made lemonade out of it. 747 00:32:40,893 --> 00:32:42,226 GATES: Yeah. 748 00:32:42,227 --> 00:32:43,494 CHENOWETH: And so did this guy. 749 00:32:43,495 --> 00:32:44,696 GATES: Mm-hmm. 750 00:32:44,697 --> 00:32:45,797 CHENOWETH: It's funny, I have this too. 751 00:32:45,798 --> 00:32:48,132 People don't always see me coming. 752 00:32:48,133 --> 00:32:50,001 They just don't know that I'm as tough... 753 00:32:50,002 --> 00:32:51,302 GATES: Uh-huh. 754 00:32:51,303 --> 00:32:52,804 CHENOWETH: But when push comes to it... 755 00:32:52,805 --> 00:32:54,005 GATES: Mm-hmm. 756 00:32:54,006 --> 00:32:55,407 CHENOWETH: I'm pretty tough. 757 00:32:56,775 --> 00:32:58,343 GATES: We'd already traced Spike Lee's 758 00:32:58,344 --> 00:33:00,312 father's roots in Alabama, 759 00:33:01,013 --> 00:33:03,882 exploring a family that ended up as a musical group. 760 00:33:05,684 --> 00:33:08,087 Now, turning to Spike's mother's ancestry, 761 00:33:08,754 --> 00:33:11,556 we found ourselves back in the deep south with 762 00:33:11,557 --> 00:33:13,225 a very different kind of family. 763 00:33:14,960 --> 00:33:17,363 The story begins with Spike's great-great-grandparents, 764 00:33:18,430 --> 00:33:20,733 Richard and Mary Paschal. 765 00:33:21,633 --> 00:33:24,970 They're listed in the 1880 census for Georgia, 766 00:33:25,904 --> 00:33:27,906 along with their seven children. 767 00:33:28,741 --> 00:33:31,610 And almost all of them had the same job. 768 00:33:33,345 --> 00:33:36,148 LEE: "Henry, age 16, son. Occupation: farm hand. 769 00:33:36,615 --> 00:33:39,184 Felix, age 14, son. Occupation: farm hand. 770 00:33:39,985 --> 00:33:43,021 Ida, age 11, daughter. Occupation: farmhand. 771 00:33:43,922 --> 00:33:47,226 Birch, age nine, daughter. Will, age seven, son. 772 00:33:47,926 --> 00:33:51,597 Jack, age five, son. Jerry, age three son." 773 00:33:52,431 --> 00:33:55,466 So you worked as soon as you could walk, you're working. 774 00:33:55,467 --> 00:33:57,101 GATES: You got it, farmhand. LEE: Yeah. 775 00:33:57,102 --> 00:33:58,469 GATES: That's why they had big families. 776 00:33:58,470 --> 00:33:59,537 LEE: Mm-hmm. 777 00:33:59,538 --> 00:34:00,738 GATES: So they're your great-great grandparents. 778 00:34:00,739 --> 00:34:03,142 LEE: That ain't the only reason. 779 00:34:04,243 --> 00:34:05,376 GATES: Yeah, well, there were no movies. 780 00:34:05,377 --> 00:34:07,612 Nothing was streaming. 781 00:34:07,613 --> 00:34:09,313 They're your great-great grandparents, 782 00:34:09,314 --> 00:34:12,351 Richard and Mary Paschal, living with their children. 783 00:34:12,684 --> 00:34:14,919 And as you could see, they were working on a farm, 784 00:34:14,920 --> 00:34:16,755 an 11-year-old working. 785 00:34:17,156 --> 00:34:19,123 Uh, think back when you were 11, 786 00:34:19,124 --> 00:34:21,427 how much cotton can you plant and pick, and clean? 787 00:34:22,461 --> 00:34:24,129 LEE: Not much. 788 00:34:25,063 --> 00:34:27,665 GATES: We estimate that Richard and Mary were both born in 789 00:34:27,666 --> 00:34:30,536 Georgia sometime in the 1830s. 790 00:34:31,837 --> 00:34:35,407 So, they were both almost certainly born into slavery. 791 00:34:36,408 --> 00:34:38,176 And when we set out to see if we could learn about their 792 00:34:38,177 --> 00:34:42,747 lives before emancipation, we kept hitting the same brick 793 00:34:42,748 --> 00:34:45,784 wall we'd hit with Spike's father's ancestors, 794 00:34:47,186 --> 00:34:51,355 like all enslaved people, their names were almost never 795 00:34:51,356 --> 00:34:53,392 recorded in federal records. 796 00:34:54,426 --> 00:34:57,696 But then one of our researchers noticed something unusual. 797 00:34:59,031 --> 00:35:01,866 In the years following the Civil War, 798 00:35:01,867 --> 00:35:05,737 Richard Paschal also went by the name Richard Wellborn. 799 00:35:07,372 --> 00:35:11,210 He used two surnames, more or less interchangeably. 800 00:35:11,844 --> 00:35:14,612 He said, I'm free, I'm gonna name myself. 801 00:35:14,613 --> 00:35:17,548 And some days he woke up, he was Richard Paschal. 802 00:35:17,549 --> 00:35:19,518 LEE: He sounds like a Lee. 803 00:35:20,018 --> 00:35:21,419 GATES: Isn't that amazing? 804 00:35:21,420 --> 00:35:22,453 LEE: Mm-hmm. 805 00:35:22,454 --> 00:35:23,754 GATES: So we don't see this often, 806 00:35:23,755 --> 00:35:26,324 and at first it was hard for us to understand the track, 807 00:35:26,325 --> 00:35:29,193 but there are multiple records listing your 808 00:35:29,194 --> 00:35:31,128 great-great-grandfather by both names. 809 00:35:31,129 --> 00:35:32,330 LEE: Both names, huh? 810 00:35:32,331 --> 00:35:34,999 GATES: At various times in the 1870s and the 1880s. 811 00:35:35,000 --> 00:35:37,835 And we know it's him, because as you could see, 812 00:35:37,836 --> 00:35:40,439 the names and ages of his children all remain the same. 813 00:35:42,574 --> 00:35:44,442 So you've never heard any stories about these people? 814 00:35:44,443 --> 00:35:45,476 LEE: I never heard that. 815 00:35:45,477 --> 00:35:47,612 I mean, a lot of stuff... 816 00:35:47,613 --> 00:35:50,616 Skip, this is, like, all new. 817 00:35:51,283 --> 00:35:52,350 GATES: Mm-hmm. 818 00:35:52,351 --> 00:35:53,952 LEE: All new. 819 00:35:55,420 --> 00:35:58,190 {\an8}GATES: Spike was about to learn much more that was new, 820 00:35:58,624 --> 00:36:01,126 {\an8}but some of it would prove painful. 821 00:36:02,427 --> 00:36:06,197 {\an8}Discovering that Richard used the surname Wellborn led us to 822 00:36:06,198 --> 00:36:09,268 a white Georgia planter named Abner Wellborn. 823 00:36:10,235 --> 00:36:13,471 When he passed away in 1842, 824 00:36:13,472 --> 00:36:16,408 Abner owned 72 human beings, 825 00:36:17,409 --> 00:36:20,077 and his estate records assigned a name and a dollar 826 00:36:20,078 --> 00:36:21,880 value to each of them. 827 00:36:23,382 --> 00:36:26,050 LEE: "We have this day proceed to make said division to 828 00:36:26,051 --> 00:36:29,120 Miss Martha Wilburn, we've allotted and assigned Negroes, 829 00:36:29,121 --> 00:36:30,722 Harriet and five children. 830 00:36:31,323 --> 00:36:35,794 Mertus, Richard, Polina, Martha, George value, 831 00:36:37,329 --> 00:36:42,067 let's see, five children valued at $1,600." 832 00:36:43,001 --> 00:36:45,503 GATES: There's your great-great-grandfather 833 00:36:45,504 --> 00:36:48,740 Richard, part of Abner Wellborn's estate, 834 00:36:49,875 --> 00:36:52,511 alongside his four siblings and their mother. 835 00:36:53,178 --> 00:36:54,245 You just met your 836 00:36:54,246 --> 00:36:57,348 great-great-great-grandmother, Harriet. 837 00:36:57,349 --> 00:37:00,351 And that's your family listed together as property in the 838 00:37:00,352 --> 00:37:01,753 estate of that white man. 839 00:37:02,020 --> 00:37:03,287 LEE: Human beings, property. 840 00:37:03,288 --> 00:37:04,689 GATES: Human being as property. 841 00:37:04,690 --> 00:37:07,326 After Abner's death, they were inherited by his daughter, 842 00:37:08,460 --> 00:37:10,761 Martha Wellborn from... 843 00:37:10,762 --> 00:37:12,363 Like an heirloom man. 844 00:37:12,364 --> 00:37:13,564 "Oh, you get the piano." 845 00:37:13,565 --> 00:37:15,701 LEE: Or an old coat. GATES: Yeah. 846 00:37:16,668 --> 00:37:19,136 In 1847, three years after that record, 847 00:37:19,137 --> 00:37:21,238 Martha Wellborn married a man named 848 00:37:21,239 --> 00:37:23,809 Lodowick Merriweather Hill, 849 00:37:24,610 --> 00:37:26,344 who was a prominent plantation owner... 850 00:37:26,345 --> 00:37:28,079 LEE: I don't like him already, that name. 851 00:37:28,080 --> 00:37:29,547 (laughter). 852 00:37:29,548 --> 00:37:30,716 GATES: Please turn the page. 853 00:37:33,051 --> 00:37:34,385 LEE: Mm. 854 00:37:34,386 --> 00:37:36,788 GATES: That is the main house at Lodowick Merriweather Hills 855 00:37:37,022 --> 00:37:39,958 Plantation in Wilkes County, Georgia. 856 00:37:40,292 --> 00:37:41,960 LEE: Woo. Lord. 857 00:37:42,160 --> 00:37:46,331 GATES: Your ancestors saw that house every day of their lives. 858 00:37:47,032 --> 00:37:48,566 That was the big house. 859 00:37:48,567 --> 00:37:51,703 Spike, he owned 7,000 acres of land. 860 00:37:52,004 --> 00:37:53,604 LEE: 7,000? 861 00:37:53,605 --> 00:37:55,740 GATES: 7,000. LEE: Is all cotton? 862 00:37:55,741 --> 00:37:58,377 GATES: Produced a variety of crops, including cotton. 863 00:37:58,877 --> 00:38:00,211 LEE: Mm. GATES: Cotton was money. 864 00:38:00,212 --> 00:38:01,746 LEE: High cotton. 865 00:38:01,747 --> 00:38:04,281 GATES: Did you ever imagine you'd see a picture of the big 866 00:38:04,282 --> 00:38:07,085 house on a plantation where your family was enslaved? 867 00:38:10,622 --> 00:38:12,557 LEE: Nooka, never. 868 00:38:14,426 --> 00:38:17,829 GATES: Lodowick Hill was a significant figure in his day. 869 00:38:18,797 --> 00:38:21,032 A wealthy farmer and businessman who left a 870 00:38:21,033 --> 00:38:23,001 substantial legacy behind. 871 00:38:24,369 --> 00:38:25,870 Combing through it, 872 00:38:25,871 --> 00:38:27,772 we were not only able to give Spike a 873 00:38:27,773 --> 00:38:30,241 glimpse of his plantation, 874 00:38:30,242 --> 00:38:33,745 we were also able to show Spike his face. 875 00:38:37,115 --> 00:38:38,483 LEE: Oh, now. 876 00:38:40,185 --> 00:38:43,622 GATES: That is the man who owned your ancestors. 877 00:38:43,989 --> 00:38:45,022 So not only do you... 878 00:38:45,023 --> 00:38:46,457 LEE: He looks evil! 879 00:38:46,458 --> 00:38:47,858 GATES: Yeah. What's it like to see that? 880 00:38:47,859 --> 00:38:49,561 What are you feeling when you look at that? 881 00:38:50,295 --> 00:38:51,962 LEE: That's a evil man. 882 00:38:51,963 --> 00:38:53,899 GATES: Mm. LEE: Slavery was evil. 883 00:38:56,001 --> 00:38:58,636 I mean, he just, he just, I don't think this guy was 884 00:38:58,637 --> 00:39:00,137 capable of a smile. 885 00:39:00,138 --> 00:39:01,873 GATES: Mm. 886 00:39:03,275 --> 00:39:07,578 We believe that Lodowick Hill held Spike's family in bondage 887 00:39:07,579 --> 00:39:09,548 for roughly 18 years... 888 00:39:10,282 --> 00:39:12,484 And that wasn't the end of their ordeal. 889 00:39:13,685 --> 00:39:16,654 When freedom finally came, white southerners were 890 00:39:16,655 --> 00:39:20,459 determined to suppress the rights of the formerly enslaved 891 00:39:21,993 --> 00:39:25,030 and willing to use violence to achieve those goals. 892 00:39:26,765 --> 00:39:30,701 Paramilitary groups like the Ku Klux Klan emerged almost 893 00:39:30,702 --> 00:39:34,672 immediately after the Civil War ended to terrorize 894 00:39:34,673 --> 00:39:36,241 African Americans. 895 00:39:36,775 --> 00:39:39,710 But Spikes' great-great- grandfather was not 896 00:39:39,711 --> 00:39:41,880 a man to be intimidated. 897 00:39:42,681 --> 00:39:44,682 LEE: "State of Georgia, county of Wilkes, 898 00:39:44,683 --> 00:39:47,986 personally appeared on the fifth day of August, 1867. 899 00:39:48,386 --> 00:39:51,922 Richard Paschal, who makes oath as follows, I Richard Paschal, 900 00:39:51,923 --> 00:39:54,225 do solemnly swear in the presence of Almighty God that 901 00:39:54,226 --> 00:39:56,994 I am a citizen of the state of Georgia and I resided 902 00:39:56,995 --> 00:39:58,362 in said state for 12 months. 903 00:39:58,363 --> 00:40:00,698 I now reside in the county of Wilkes in said state. 904 00:40:00,699 --> 00:40:03,501 I will faithfully support the Constitution and obey the laws 905 00:40:03,502 --> 00:40:06,036 of the United States, and do the best of my ability, 906 00:40:06,037 --> 00:40:07,371 encourage others to do so. 907 00:40:07,372 --> 00:40:08,472 So help me God. 908 00:40:08,473 --> 00:40:10,142 Richard Paschal." 909 00:40:10,475 --> 00:40:14,846 GATES: Your ancestor registered to vote as soon as he could. 910 00:40:15,614 --> 00:40:17,715 LEE: Heroic. GATES: Mm-hmm. 911 00:40:17,716 --> 00:40:19,550 LEE: I mean, he's doing something new. 912 00:40:19,551 --> 00:40:24,189 There could be some, uh, be killed, family killed, 913 00:40:25,757 --> 00:40:27,058 burned off the land. 914 00:40:27,259 --> 00:40:30,262 You know, just, he knew there was consequences of his action, 915 00:40:30,529 --> 00:40:33,031 but he had to do, I don't wanna say do the right thing, 916 00:40:33,231 --> 00:40:34,932 I'm just saying that he had to do what he had to do. 917 00:40:34,933 --> 00:40:36,467 He knew who was just. 918 00:40:36,468 --> 00:40:37,701 GATES: Yeah. 919 00:40:37,702 --> 00:40:41,006 LEE: And he knew that had to do that for his children. 920 00:40:41,606 --> 00:40:42,673 GATES: Mm-hmm. 921 00:40:42,674 --> 00:40:44,042 LEE: Had to do that for generations... 922 00:40:45,777 --> 00:40:46,844 For me! 923 00:40:46,845 --> 00:40:48,045 GATES: That's right. 924 00:40:48,046 --> 00:40:51,249 LEE: My, my, my sisters, my, my sister, my siblings. 925 00:40:51,616 --> 00:40:53,685 For us to, he can't even... 926 00:40:55,086 --> 00:40:57,022 Somewhere, he's like this... 927 00:40:57,489 --> 00:40:58,589 "Somewhere down the line, 928 00:40:58,590 --> 00:41:01,058 I don't know how long it's gonna be. 929 00:41:01,059 --> 00:41:02,259 This is gonna make an impact." 930 00:41:02,260 --> 00:41:03,427 GATES: That's right. 931 00:41:03,428 --> 00:41:05,230 LEE: So he's looking forward. 932 00:41:05,664 --> 00:41:07,798 GATES: We'd already traced Kristin Chenoweth's 933 00:41:07,799 --> 00:41:09,568 biological mother's roots, 934 00:41:10,268 --> 00:41:13,071 uncovering a tradition of toughness and bravery. 935 00:41:15,440 --> 00:41:18,576 Now turning to Kristen's biological father, 936 00:41:18,577 --> 00:41:21,112 we encountered a very different kind of tradition. 937 00:41:21,947 --> 00:41:23,615 One of creativity. 938 00:41:24,482 --> 00:41:27,452 Kristen's father, a man named Billy Etheridge, 939 00:41:28,119 --> 00:41:31,089 was a talented musician who played with the Chessmen, 940 00:41:31,556 --> 00:41:33,258 a seminal rock band. 941 00:41:33,892 --> 00:41:37,261 But Kristen had no idea that she and Billy had an even 942 00:41:37,262 --> 00:41:41,498 deeper connection until we showed her a newspaper clipping 943 00:41:41,499 --> 00:41:43,235 from his childhood. 944 00:41:45,136 --> 00:41:46,503 CHENOWETH: The Junior Player's Guild 945 00:41:46,504 --> 00:41:48,073 stage production of the... 946 00:41:50,442 --> 00:41:52,142 of the "Wizard of Oz," 947 00:41:52,143 --> 00:41:54,345 opening at 8:00 PM Friday in the Great Hall of 948 00:41:54,346 --> 00:41:55,746 St. Matthew's Cathedral. 949 00:41:55,747 --> 00:41:57,883 The cast for the Wizard is as follows: 950 00:41:58,550 --> 00:42:01,286 Oz, Billy Eugene Etheridge." 951 00:42:01,653 --> 00:42:04,456 Are you kidding me, are you kidding me? 952 00:42:05,957 --> 00:42:06,991 Oh my gosh. 953 00:42:06,992 --> 00:42:08,092 That is, is that not freaky? 954 00:42:08,093 --> 00:42:09,527 GATES: That's freaky. 955 00:42:10,829 --> 00:42:12,797 CHENOWETH: That's nuts. 956 00:42:14,199 --> 00:42:16,201 "The Wizard of Oz?" 957 00:42:17,369 --> 00:42:19,503 Wow. 958 00:42:19,504 --> 00:42:20,872 GATES: Hmm. 959 00:42:21,239 --> 00:42:22,807 CHENOWETH: Well, we were a lot alike. 960 00:42:23,041 --> 00:42:24,476 GATES: And that's not your only connection. 961 00:42:24,776 --> 00:42:26,510 Growing up, Billy was in musical productions of 962 00:42:26,511 --> 00:42:27,745 "The King and I." 963 00:42:27,746 --> 00:42:29,714 "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court." 964 00:42:30,482 --> 00:42:32,984 And he also participated in a dance review, 965 00:42:33,318 --> 00:42:35,253 a music club, and the school choir. 966 00:42:37,455 --> 00:42:39,624 CHENOWETH: You know, I think of Billy as a rockabilly. 967 00:42:40,558 --> 00:42:42,326 GATES: Mm-hmm. 968 00:42:42,327 --> 00:42:44,561 CHENOWETH: I mean, he was an incredible guitarist and, 969 00:42:44,562 --> 00:42:46,664 and also pianist and, 970 00:42:46,665 --> 00:42:49,234 but I don't think of him as this music theater kid. 971 00:42:49,801 --> 00:42:50,834 GATES: Yeah. 972 00:42:50,835 --> 00:42:52,002 CHENOWETH: But he was... 973 00:42:52,003 --> 00:42:53,370 GATES: But he was, that makes you believe in fate. 974 00:42:53,371 --> 00:42:54,805 CHENOWETH: It, right. 975 00:42:54,806 --> 00:42:56,040 GATES: Yeah. 976 00:42:56,041 --> 00:42:57,274 CHENOWETH: Right there. 977 00:42:57,275 --> 00:42:59,510 Oh, I wish he was alive so I could just be like, 978 00:42:59,511 --> 00:43:01,012 "Look at this." 979 00:43:01,646 --> 00:43:04,748 GATES: As it turns out, Billy was not the only creative 980 00:43:04,749 --> 00:43:07,285 spirit in Kristen's newfound family tree. 981 00:43:08,853 --> 00:43:10,355 Moving back along his mother's line, 982 00:43:11,289 --> 00:43:12,990 we came to another, 983 00:43:12,991 --> 00:43:15,459 Kristen's third great-grandfather, 984 00:43:15,460 --> 00:43:17,862 a man named Peter Delbrel. 985 00:43:19,097 --> 00:43:22,633 Peter passed away in Texas in 1859, 986 00:43:22,634 --> 00:43:25,270 just a few hundred miles from where Kristen was born. 987 00:43:26,504 --> 00:43:28,806 But as we looked into Peter's life, 988 00:43:28,807 --> 00:43:31,910 we found ourselves in an unexpected place... 989 00:43:32,477 --> 00:43:34,679 The archives of Bordeaux, France. 990 00:43:36,147 --> 00:43:39,517 CHENOWETH: "January 23, 1811 appeared Mr. François Delbrel, 991 00:43:40,385 --> 00:43:45,089 who presented an infant of the masculine sex born the morning 992 00:43:45,090 --> 00:43:50,228 before at six o'clock to the Declarant and to Ann Coast... 993 00:43:50,595 --> 00:43:51,962 GATES: Coast, uh-huh. 994 00:43:51,963 --> 00:43:54,499 CHENOWETH: His wife and to whom he gives the forename of Pierre. 995 00:43:56,067 --> 00:43:58,102 GATES: You just read your third great-grandfather's birth 996 00:43:58,103 --> 00:44:00,171 record from France. 997 00:44:00,638 --> 00:44:02,139 Did you know you had French roots? 998 00:44:02,140 --> 00:44:04,174 CHENOWETH: No, I didn't. 999 00:44:04,175 --> 00:44:05,843 GATES: I assume you've been to France. 1000 00:44:05,844 --> 00:44:07,478 CHENOWETH: I sang at the Paris Opera. 1001 00:44:07,479 --> 00:44:08,846 I love France. 1002 00:44:08,847 --> 00:44:10,414 That's probably my best language. 1003 00:44:10,415 --> 00:44:11,682 GATES: Well... 1004 00:44:11,683 --> 00:44:13,350 CHENOWETH: Uh, foreign language. GATES: It comes natural. 1005 00:44:13,351 --> 00:44:14,585 CHENOWETH: Yeah... GATES: Because... 1006 00:44:14,586 --> 00:44:16,020 CHENOWETH: It's in my DNA. GATES: It's in your DNA. 1007 00:44:16,021 --> 00:44:17,888 CHENOWETH: That's crazy. 1008 00:44:17,889 --> 00:44:19,256 GATES: According to this record, 1009 00:44:19,257 --> 00:44:21,392 Peter's father was a barrel maker. 1010 00:44:21,393 --> 00:44:25,462 It was an ancient occupation and crucial to the economy of 1011 00:44:25,463 --> 00:44:28,533 Bordeaux, but it was also backbreaking work, 1012 00:44:29,868 --> 00:44:31,770 and it seems that Peter wanted more for himself. 1013 00:44:33,438 --> 00:44:35,473 So rather than take up his father's trade, 1014 00:44:36,408 --> 00:44:37,876 he boarded a ship. 1015 00:44:39,978 --> 00:44:42,881 So Peter got to America, let's see how he got there. 1016 00:44:43,214 --> 00:44:44,314 CHENOWETH: Okay. 1017 00:44:44,315 --> 00:44:45,482 GATES: Um, please turn the page. 1018 00:44:45,483 --> 00:44:47,285 CHENOWETH: Wow, wow, wow. This is so cool. 1019 00:44:47,552 --> 00:44:48,952 Oh gosh. 1020 00:44:48,953 --> 00:44:50,587 GATES: Now, there are no records because Ellis Island 1021 00:44:50,588 --> 00:44:52,956 wouldn't open until 1891. 1022 00:44:52,957 --> 00:44:54,058 CHENOWETH: Mm-hmm. 1023 00:44:54,059 --> 00:44:56,427 GATES: But he arrived sometime in the 1830s, 1024 00:44:56,428 --> 00:45:00,098 and this is the kind of ship that he'd likely sailed on. 1025 00:45:00,565 --> 00:45:01,799 CHENOWETH: Oh my gosh. 1026 00:45:01,800 --> 00:45:03,300 GATES: It would held around 200 people. 1027 00:45:03,301 --> 00:45:04,368 CHENOWETH: Oh, wow. 1028 00:45:04,369 --> 00:45:06,270 GATES: Almost all of them immigrants. 1029 00:45:06,271 --> 00:45:07,972 The trip would've taken about six weeks, 1030 00:45:08,606 --> 00:45:10,908 and there would've been no running water and 1031 00:45:10,909 --> 00:45:14,044 no, uh, sanitation facilities. 1032 00:45:14,045 --> 00:45:15,345 CHENOWETH: Are you sure we're related? 1033 00:45:15,346 --> 00:45:16,814 I wouldn't be able to handle it. 1034 00:45:16,815 --> 00:45:18,849 GATES: Man, I often, think that. 1035 00:45:18,850 --> 00:45:21,319 Whoa, I bet you could smell that ship. 1036 00:45:21,786 --> 00:45:24,189 CHENOWETH: Yeah, they knew it was coming. 1037 00:45:25,156 --> 00:45:28,993 GATES: Peter arrived in America sometime in the 1830s 1038 00:45:29,294 --> 00:45:31,129 when he was in his 20s. 1039 00:45:31,763 --> 00:45:34,766 By 1838, he'd settled in Texas, 1040 00:45:35,467 --> 00:45:38,870 which at the time was an independent nation 1041 00:45:39,070 --> 00:45:41,039 not yet part of the United States. 1042 00:45:42,674 --> 00:45:45,309 Texas offered opportunities that Peter never could have 1043 00:45:45,310 --> 00:45:46,945 found back in France. 1044 00:45:48,246 --> 00:45:52,784 But it was also an unstable and sometimes a violent place. 1045 00:45:54,452 --> 00:45:56,720 So what do you think it was like for your ancestor? 1046 00:45:56,721 --> 00:45:59,089 CHENOWETH: Listen, I think they were probably 1047 00:45:59,090 --> 00:46:00,424 in a state of shock. 1048 00:46:00,425 --> 00:46:02,193 GATES: Oh, you say "Damn" in French? 1049 00:46:02,494 --> 00:46:03,594 CHENOWETH: Right. 1050 00:46:03,595 --> 00:46:04,728 (grunts). 1051 00:46:04,729 --> 00:46:06,330 GATES: But think about this... 1052 00:46:06,331 --> 00:46:10,934 It's likely that he never saw Bordeaux or his 1053 00:46:10,935 --> 00:46:12,504 parents ever again. 1054 00:46:15,974 --> 00:46:17,441 CHENOWETH: Because he came by himself. 1055 00:46:17,442 --> 00:46:19,076 GATES: That was a big decision to make... 1056 00:46:19,077 --> 00:46:21,246 CHENOWETH: That's hard. GATES: ...to immigrate. 1057 00:46:21,513 --> 00:46:23,213 What do you think that was like for him? 1058 00:46:23,214 --> 00:46:25,749 CHENOWETH: Lonely, and I wonder if he had 1059 00:46:25,750 --> 00:46:28,920 any Frenchmen that came with him and that he knew. 1060 00:46:29,487 --> 00:46:30,821 GATES: Well, we know he was single, 1061 00:46:30,822 --> 00:46:32,589 so he didn't come with a wife. 1062 00:46:32,590 --> 00:46:34,159 Do you think the sacrifice was worth it? 1063 00:46:36,594 --> 00:46:38,362 CHENOWETH: Heck yeah. 1064 00:46:38,363 --> 00:46:39,931 Said like a true American girl. 1065 00:46:41,599 --> 00:46:43,635 {\an8}GATES: Peter would prove Kristen right. 1066 00:46:44,169 --> 00:46:47,739 {\an8}He soon settled down in Galveston, an Island City, 1067 00:46:48,206 --> 00:46:52,609 {\an8}on the Texas coast, where he started a family and launched 1068 00:46:52,610 --> 00:46:54,179 an unusual business. 1069 00:46:56,147 --> 00:46:58,449 CHENOWETH: "Occupation, restaurant keeper, 1070 00:46:59,484 --> 00:47:01,686 value of real estate owned $300. 1071 00:47:02,520 --> 00:47:05,223 Theresa, age 20," I guess that's his wife. 1072 00:47:05,557 --> 00:47:06,657 GATES: Mm-hmm. 1073 00:47:06,658 --> 00:47:08,091 CHENOWETH: "Francis, age six. 1074 00:47:08,092 --> 00:47:09,326 Charles, age five. 1075 00:47:09,327 --> 00:47:12,095 Selena or Selena, age three." 1076 00:47:12,096 --> 00:47:13,096 So those were his kids. 1077 00:47:13,097 --> 00:47:14,364 GATES: That's right. 1078 00:47:14,365 --> 00:47:16,033 That's Peter living with his wife. 1079 00:47:16,034 --> 00:47:18,235 You just met your great - great-great-grandmother. 1080 00:47:18,236 --> 00:47:19,269 CHENOWETH: That's nuts. 1081 00:47:19,270 --> 00:47:20,704 GATES: And he was a restaurant keeper. 1082 00:47:20,705 --> 00:47:23,273 He started an oyster house. 1083 00:47:23,274 --> 00:47:24,341 You like oysters? 1084 00:47:24,342 --> 00:47:25,676 CHENOWETH: Oh, no. 1085 00:47:25,677 --> 00:47:28,712 GATES: San... San Jacinto Oyster House. 1086 00:47:28,713 --> 00:47:30,147 CHENOWETH: Stop. 1087 00:47:30,148 --> 00:47:33,350 GATES: Well, you don't get all everything from and through DNA 1088 00:47:33,351 --> 00:47:34,451 from your ancestor. 1089 00:47:34,452 --> 00:47:35,653 CHENOWETH: That's right. 1090 00:47:36,254 --> 00:47:38,021 GATES: When Peter started his business, 1091 00:47:38,022 --> 00:47:39,924 restaurants were a rarity in Texas. 1092 00:47:41,192 --> 00:47:43,962 But the waters off Galveston were filled with oyster beds, 1093 00:47:45,296 --> 00:47:47,265 and Peter put those oysters to good use. 1094 00:47:48,666 --> 00:47:49,866 Did you ever... 1095 00:47:49,867 --> 00:47:51,134 CHENOWETH: No. 1096 00:47:51,135 --> 00:47:52,970 GATES: ...Imagine that you descended from a restaurateur? 1097 00:47:52,971 --> 00:47:56,040 CHENOWETH: No, no, that's cool though. 1098 00:47:56,741 --> 00:47:58,141 GATES: Your ancestors did very well. 1099 00:47:58,142 --> 00:47:59,142 Turn the page. 1100 00:47:59,143 --> 00:48:00,344 CHENOWETH: Oh my goodness. 1101 00:48:00,345 --> 00:48:01,946 This is so neat. 1102 00:48:03,715 --> 00:48:06,284 GATES: Kristen, this is from a newspaper published in 1850, 1103 00:48:06,551 --> 00:48:09,820 it's an advertisement, and from a Galveston, Texas 1104 00:48:09,821 --> 00:48:11,923 paper called "The Semi Weekly Journal" 1105 00:48:12,490 --> 00:48:14,425 March 26th, 1850. 1106 00:48:14,659 --> 00:48:16,527 Would you please read what we've transcribed here? 1107 00:48:16,828 --> 00:48:18,662 CHENOWETH: I mean, I've been offered to play this role. 1108 00:48:18,663 --> 00:48:19,730 Jenny Lind. 1109 00:48:19,731 --> 00:48:20,897 GATES: Isn't that amazing? 1110 00:48:20,898 --> 00:48:22,299 CHENOWETH: It says, "Jenny Lind, 1111 00:48:22,300 --> 00:48:24,034 the "Swedish Nightingale" is coming to enliven this land 1112 00:48:24,035 --> 00:48:25,802 of liberty with her sweet music. 1113 00:48:25,803 --> 00:48:28,673 She said to be the sweetest singer in the world. 1114 00:48:29,007 --> 00:48:33,043 But the best, freshest, and fattest oysters are to be had 1115 00:48:33,044 --> 00:48:36,513 at the San Jacinto House where all orders will be promptly 1116 00:48:36,514 --> 00:48:39,616 attended to for raw or roasted, stewed or steamed, 1117 00:48:39,617 --> 00:48:40,885 broiled or fried." 1118 00:48:41,586 --> 00:48:43,187 That's crazy. 1119 00:48:43,721 --> 00:48:46,390 GATES: Jenny Lind was a world-famous opera singer who 1120 00:48:46,391 --> 00:48:50,795 toured America in the 1850s, often drawing huge crowds. 1121 00:48:51,963 --> 00:48:54,365 And it seems that Peter felt she could help him 1122 00:48:54,632 --> 00:48:56,234 promote his restaurant. 1123 00:48:56,868 --> 00:48:57,934 CHENOWETH: He was a marketer. 1124 00:48:57,935 --> 00:48:59,403 GATES: He was, and guess what? 1125 00:48:59,404 --> 00:49:01,238 We looked high and low. 1126 00:49:01,239 --> 00:49:03,140 We don't think Jenny, Jenny Lind ever came. 1127 00:49:03,141 --> 00:49:04,976 CHENOWETH: Oh, well, he probably false advertised right here. 1128 00:49:05,543 --> 00:49:06,678 Anything to get 'em in town. 1129 00:49:07,145 --> 00:49:08,412 GATES: Peter was a busy man. 1130 00:49:08,413 --> 00:49:10,381 Not only did he have a restaurant to run, 1131 00:49:10,748 --> 00:49:13,985 a family to raise, he was also a lighthouse keeper. 1132 00:49:14,686 --> 00:49:17,888 He sounds like an extremely enterprising guy. 1133 00:49:17,889 --> 00:49:19,189 CHENOWETH: Yeah. 1134 00:49:19,190 --> 00:49:22,259 GATES: You see any of those traits in yourself, Kristin? 1135 00:49:22,260 --> 00:49:23,560 CHENOWETH: Same. 1136 00:49:23,561 --> 00:49:27,565 The adventurous, the a little bit entrepreneurial, 1137 00:49:28,132 --> 00:49:29,433 a little bit. 1138 00:49:29,434 --> 00:49:31,968 GATES: Mm-hmm. 1139 00:49:31,969 --> 00:49:34,504 CHENOWETH: Um, and, and pardon the word, but hustler. 1140 00:49:34,505 --> 00:49:35,907 GATES: Yeah. 1141 00:49:37,842 --> 00:49:40,545 The paper trail had now run out for each of my guests. 1142 00:49:41,179 --> 00:49:44,881 It was time to show them their full family trees. 1143 00:49:44,882 --> 00:49:46,216 CHENOWETH: Oh my God. 1144 00:49:46,217 --> 00:49:47,551 GATES: This is your family tree. 1145 00:49:47,552 --> 00:49:49,354 CHENOWETH: My gosh. This is so cool. 1146 00:49:49,754 --> 00:49:53,091 GATES: They're now filled with names they'd never heard before. 1147 00:49:54,092 --> 00:49:56,661 I'm getting this framed, this is getting framed today, 1148 00:49:57,095 --> 00:49:58,496 the framer! 1149 00:49:58,696 --> 00:49:59,931 GATES: For each, it was a revelation, 1150 00:50:01,265 --> 00:50:04,569 but Kristen's newfound roots also contained 1151 00:50:04,836 --> 00:50:06,437 an unsettling discovery. 1152 00:50:07,505 --> 00:50:10,775 Her mother descends from at least eight slave owners. 1153 00:50:11,609 --> 00:50:12,809 CHENOWETH: They had slaves? 1154 00:50:12,810 --> 00:50:14,578 GATES: Yeah. 1155 00:50:14,579 --> 00:50:16,813 CHENOWETH: You know, look, it's a part of our history. 1156 00:50:16,814 --> 00:50:17,981 GATES: Mm-hmm. 1157 00:50:17,982 --> 00:50:20,016 CHENOWETH: Um, I'm glad to know that about my history. 1158 00:50:20,017 --> 00:50:21,251 GATES: Sure. 1159 00:50:21,252 --> 00:50:25,055 CHENOWETH: Um, I'd like to think that through education and 1160 00:50:25,056 --> 00:50:28,592 evolution, they would not make the same choice today. 1161 00:50:28,593 --> 00:50:29,793 GATES: Oh yeah. 1162 00:50:29,794 --> 00:50:32,095 CHENOWETH: But this is a real part of the truth, 1163 00:50:32,096 --> 00:50:33,564 and it's the ugly truth. 1164 00:50:33,898 --> 00:50:36,701 I wish it weren't, but it is a fact. 1165 00:50:37,335 --> 00:50:38,635 GATES: For Spike, 1166 00:50:38,636 --> 00:50:41,338 seeing his family's journey laid out from 1167 00:50:41,339 --> 00:50:45,309 slavery to freedom, provided nothing but joy. 1168 00:50:46,377 --> 00:50:48,078 LEE: Just one of greatest days of my life. 1169 00:50:48,079 --> 00:50:50,348 GATES: Mmm, thank you. 1170 00:50:51,649 --> 00:50:53,451 LEE: 'Cause I'm not here alone. 1171 00:50:55,019 --> 00:50:56,821 Not here alone. 1172 00:50:57,722 --> 00:50:58,822 Didn't get here alone either. 1173 00:50:58,823 --> 00:51:00,357 GATES: No. 1174 00:51:00,358 --> 00:51:03,694 LEE: A whole bunch of my ancestors are right here. 1175 00:51:03,961 --> 00:51:05,263 GATES: Yeah. 1176 00:51:05,797 --> 00:51:08,032 My time with my guest was running out, 1177 00:51:08,399 --> 00:51:10,701 but I still had one surprise to share. 1178 00:51:11,736 --> 00:51:14,905 When we compared Kristen's genetic profile to that of 1179 00:51:14,906 --> 00:51:17,207 others who've been in the series, 1180 00:51:17,208 --> 00:51:19,309 we found a match. 1181 00:51:19,310 --> 00:51:22,646 Evidence of a distant cousin she could never possibly have 1182 00:51:22,647 --> 00:51:24,482 imagined she had. 1183 00:51:25,516 --> 00:51:26,818 (excited gasp). 1184 00:51:28,119 --> 00:51:30,120 You are cousins. 1185 00:51:30,121 --> 00:51:31,188 CHENOWETH: Wanda Sykes? 1186 00:51:31,189 --> 00:51:32,723 GATES: Wanda Sykes. 1187 00:51:33,991 --> 00:51:35,459 CHENOWETH: I'm so happy right now. 1188 00:51:35,460 --> 00:51:36,827 You don't even know. 1189 00:51:36,828 --> 00:51:38,295 I love her so much. 1190 00:51:38,296 --> 00:51:41,231 I, I, this like actually makes me so emotional. 1191 00:51:41,232 --> 00:51:42,834 I love her. 1192 00:51:43,434 --> 00:51:45,836 GATES: Kristen shares a long segment of DNA 1193 00:51:45,837 --> 00:51:48,706 with comedian Wanda Sykes, 1194 00:51:49,140 --> 00:51:52,509 {\an8}which means that the two share a common ancestor 1195 00:51:52,510 --> 00:51:55,546 {\an8}somewhere in the branches of their family trees. 1196 00:51:56,647 --> 00:51:58,081 {\an8}CHENOWETH: She's my favorite. 1197 00:51:58,082 --> 00:51:59,483 {\an8}GATES: Well, she is your cousin. 1198 00:51:59,484 --> 00:52:01,051 {\an8}She's your absolute cousin. 1199 00:52:01,052 --> 00:52:02,152 {\an8}End of our journey. 1200 00:52:02,153 --> 00:52:03,921 {\an8}CHENOWETH: That's the best surprise ever! 1201 00:52:04,422 --> 00:52:08,091 {\an8}GATES: That's the end of our journey with Kristen Chenoweth 1202 00:52:08,092 --> 00:52:09,360 {\an8}and Spike Lee. 1203 00:52:09,894 --> 00:52:13,297 {\an8}Join me next time when we unlock the secrets of the past 1204 00:52:13,865 --> 00:52:17,767 {\an8}for new guests on another episode of 1205 00:52:17,768 --> 00:52:19,604 {\an8}"Finding Your Roots."