Actor Edward Norton came upon he has a really well-known ancestor — Pocahontas.
On the PBS present “Finding Your Roots,” wherein host Henry Louis Gates reveals the family tree of celebrities, Norton was informed Pocahontas is his 12th great-grandmother. The actor was shocked.
“I understand that was family lore,” Gates says. “Well, it is absolutely true.”
Norton, recognized for movies like “American History X” and “Birdman,” requested Gates how he may decide the relation, and the host replied: “Through the paper trail.”
Gates defined that there is a document of Pocahontas and John Rolfe marrying on April 5, 1614, in Jamestown, Virginia. Through different paperwork, Gates mentioned, Norton’s family tree may very well be traced again to them.
“This is about as far back as you can go,” Gates mentioned. To put into perspective simply how way back that was, he added that William Shakespeare died two years after Pocahontas and Rolfe married.
“This just makes you realize what a small piece of the whole human story you are,” Norton mentioned.
Pocahontas, born round 1596, was the daughter of Wahunsenaca, the paramount chief of the Powhatan Chiefdom, which had a inhabitants of about 25,000 at its top, based on the National Park Service.
According to the writings of Captain John Smith, Pocahontas saved his life after he had been captured by the Powhatan and was set to be executed. Before he may very well be killed, in Smith’s telling, Pocahontas positioned her head on prime of his, stopping his execution. There is, nevertheless, some historic debate as as to whether this occasion ever actually occurred, the park service notes.
After later being captured by the English, Pocahontas met widower John Rolfe and the 2 married. In 1614, she transformed to Christianity, was baptized “Rebecca,” and the pair had a child named Thomas. The household moved to England in 1616.
Several different celebrities have discovered attention-grabbing genealogical surprises by “Finding Your Roots.” Christopher Meloni of “Law and Order: SVU” fame came upon he was associated to Nancy Pelosi. TV persona and producer Andy Cohen is a distant relative of Scarlette Johansson. Glenn Close realized she is associated to each Princess Diana and Clint Eastwood. “CBS Mornings” co-host Gayle King realized about her circle of relatives tree in a 2021 episode.
Norton’s episode, which additionally featured Julia Roberts, kicked off Season 9 of the present on Tuesday.
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