Season 6: All Episodes Talk

[Quof]

I think Groban and his family are intellectuals who aren't emotional - I noticed his restraint throughout his episode, whereas I would have been very emotional at the kind of discoveries he experienced.

 

Graham Norton talks about his experience filming and says the producers said to him "A lot of people would cry at this point" and Graham said "Really?  What part of this would make you cry?"  My feelings exactly. 

[SingleMaltBlonde]

Graham Norton talks about his experience filming and says the producers said to him "A lot of people would cry at this point" and Graham said "Really?  What part of this would make you cry?"  My feelings exactly. 

I am glad I don't hvae a job where I have to wait for Graham Norton to cry...he has never struck me as weepy.

[SingleMaltBlonde]

This happened in my family also - there's a whole pile of Norwegians in a small area of MN with that exact experience.

 

Scandinavians veered between "...sens" and "sons" when they arrived in the US. For example "Larsen" became "Larson." Also, in my family they completely changed a surname because the family had a religious schism in the 1800s.

We may be related....my family went from Lutheran to Methodist because GreatGrandma refused to attend a German Lutheran church rather than Norweigan.  On occasion relatives go on about their dedication to Methodistism and I can't help but giggle.

[millk]

Angie Harmon was painful! "I fight for justice because my ancestor did" Ug.

Lowest 10% of all episodes any country for me.

Was I the only one kinda wishing it was Mark Harmon? Not that I have any idea if they are related but yeah.

[Lovecat]

I live 15 minutes from Valley Forge, and was delighted to see it figure so prominently in tonight's story, but ugh, Angie Harmon. I bet if someone had mentioned King of Prussia, home of the East coast's largest mall, she would have heard of *that*, but Valley Forge? Uh...sounds familiar? Valley Forge Park is truly beautiful, especially in the fall, when they filmed, and is one of my favorite places for walks, biking, picnicking, and geeking out with my history buff boyfriend :)

[riverblue22]

 

Overall this was an example why I have always hesitated doing too much research...I am sure my ancestors are whiter and more boring than I fear.

 

Most everybody has at least one interesting story--you ought to take a look.  I have fooled around with the family trees of several friends, and they all had something that was interesting.  Actually the most boring to me was my friend with an entirely English lineage.  Her family came over with the Puritans, etc. but 80% of them spent the last few hundred years in one Massachusetts county and the rest in one Maine county.  I thought that was pretty boring, but she did have a Salem witch in there to spice things up!

[BusyOctober]

I am assuming this show has a bit of work to do to prepare for the guest of the week, no?  Don't they have to do some logistic things like reserve plane tickets, schedule hotels and car pick ups, ensure guests have valid passports etc?  So the production team must know in advance where the guest is flying off to do his/her research.  Can't one assistant to the assistant of the 3rd director's PA spend 5 minutes with the guest to check for ignorance levels? "OK, Ms. Harmon, you will be going to Valley Forge, PA.  Your ancestor was there in 1777. Does any of that ring a (Liberty) bell for you? No? Really??  Let me ask you this then...did you attend and/or graduate from 5th grade?"   I mean, I know the show wants it to be surprising to discover these nuggets of family history. That's why many celebs participate and why I watch. But all the lack of basic knowledge reveals to me is how dumb some of these people are.

 

I wonder if Angie Harmon or her daughters could qualify to be in the D.A.R.? Their 5 x's Great GF was German, but he was a soldier in the Revolutionary War for 3 years.

[Lovecat]

Can't one assistant to the assistant of the 3rd director's PA spend 5 minutes with the guest to check for ignorance levels? "OK, Ms. Harmon, you will be going to Valley Forge, PA.  Your ancestor was there in 1777. Does any of that ring a (Liberty) bell for you? No? Really??  Let me ask you this then...did you attend and/or graduate from 5th grade?"   I mean, I know the show wants it to be surprising to discover these nuggets of family history. That's why many celebs participate and why I watch. But all the lack of basic knowledge reveals to me is how dumb some of these people are.

It was like Chris O'Donnell and The Star-Spangled Banner all over again! Painful.

[Blergh]

Pardon me for dissenting but I actually liked the Angie Harmon episode. I would have liked to have learned exactly why Michael Harman [with an 'a]] left Germany to become an indentured servant in Philadelphia? Was it just a case of not having any land or was he an orphan with no family ties left or could he possibly have been a petty criminal who was sentenced to be exiled to the New World [less likely than the other cases since the German states weren't part of the British domain]? Oh, and unlike Chris O'Donnell's pitiful ignorance of the National Anthem, I think she'd had some vague knowledge of Valley Forge but hadn't given it much thought since having learned it in school so many years before. In any case, she DID appreciate not only what Michael likely had to endure but ALSO how vital Valley Forge's survival was to the embryonic nation's existence.  I'd have liked to have learned what led Michael to strike out for the Kentucky wilderness in the 1790s and had he met his wife before then or did he meet her there? And how much English did he learn to speak even if he never learned to write it? 

   Regardless, I thought it was absolutely amazing that not only did Miss Harmon get to bring her children to their 6-times great-grandfather's plot of land in Kentucky but that it was still a working farm AND still owned by the Harman Family by a descendent named Michael!  Since the Revolutionary Veteran didn't mention leaving any slaves to his wife or any of their [surviving]seven children, there's a possibility that he himself was not a slave holder. However; that grand house definitely looked as though it was antebellum AND therefore it's somewhat likely in the 50 years between Michael's evident death and the Civil War the family DID have slaves. I wonder how much Cousin Michael knew about their common ancestor beyond him having established the family farm? Also, the show failed to mention that none other than Abraham Lincoln himself had been born in Harrodsburg, Kentucky  in 1809 so if Revolutionary Vet Michael lived to that year, maybe he might have crossed paths with the infant 16th President in addition to having fought under the 1st US President.

[Lugal]

I always find it interesting when they go through Pennsylvania since all my family came through there.  I even remember a fifth grade field trip to Valley Forge.  I remember the episode with Zooey Deschanel a few years back, seeing Lancaster and Christiana, which is where most of my family still lives.

As for adding a T to Johnson, it could have been a correction, or it could have been a way to distinguish that family within what is a large population of Johnsons in this country.  Certain of my great-grandfather's siblings had their name changed from Jensen to Johnson when they immigrated.  They weren't told until it was too late that they didn't have to do that.  As the rest of the eleven siblings came over, they held their ground, spelling Jensen for officialdom as necessary.

Johnston (also spelled Johnstone) is the name of a clan in the Scottish Borders.  Many came to America through Ireland.  The T is often not pronounced, even in Scotland today, so I can see how it would have shifted, like the one historian said, spelling was pretty fluid back then.

[SongbirdHollow]

Angie tweeted that it was "disproved" that her ancestor had slaves and that having lived as an indentured servant he would not want to enslave others. FWIW.

(Edited for clarity, fighting a massive headache and Kindle autocorrect.)

Edited March 24, 2015 by SongbirdHollow

[sskrill]

Pardon me for dissenting but I actually liked the Angie Harmon episode. 

 

I did as well.  I appreciate that she was excited and that she made sure to involve her children. 

 

It amazes me that somehow these stories - fighting with George Washington - somehow get dropped from family history.  Its not like they didn't know he ended up being president.  How did that not carry on down the line? 

[bybrandy]

She seemed to understand that Valley Forge was a place that she should know so I'll give her a bit of a leg up over Chris O'Donnell.  

 

If Michael himself had owned slaves he would have willed them away so he didn't.  It wouldn't surprise me if his descendants did.  Although, really having her either show relief that her family didn't own slaves or being distraught over the fact that they did is a note this show has played a lot.  

I always knew my father's family had slaves.   And I wasn't proud of it, but it was always something I knew so I didn't feel a lot of guilt about it, either.  I mean I had literally nothing to do with it.  It was generations before I was born.   But when I saw the will where one my ancestors gave away various slaves by name and all of their children in perpetuity?   OUCH.  

 

I think if it had said, "to my daughter Elizabeth 4 slaves" it would have continued to be just a fact to me.  But it was "to my daughter Elizabeth I leave Bessie and Tom and Jim and Mary and all of their descendents in perpituity."   They are actual people, people who you know by name and you don't just get them, but any heirs they ever produce, ever.   Without the civil war I would own Jim's great-great-grandson, or I would have sold him last week to get my transmission fixed.    That made it more real in a very disturbing way for me.

That said, I don't need to see somebody discover it every other episode and I certainly don't need their hey, I'm so glad my ancestor was a good person and now I am too when it turns out they didn't own slaves.

Some people espeically those who suffered hardships in war don't share anything with their immediate family so there isn't anybody who knows to pass it on.  Other times people edit out the parts of their family stories that they think lack a ring of truth.  My father was in the revolutionary war and served with General Washington at Valley forge.   My grandfather served with General Washington.   My great-grandfather was in the revolutionary war and everything, but those people who say he served with general Washington?  I mean what are the chances of that?

 

My great-grandmother was the first woman to register to vote in her county.   It was in the newspaper.  It was kind of a big deal.   There was an editorial about it, "now that one brave woman has stepped forward and registered it is time more people to follow her lead...."   

Know how her son?  My grandfather found out?   It was in the paper "50 years ago today..."   She never mentioned it.  

[StaceyNotStacie]

I thought it was a really nice episode.  Seeing the property in Kentucky with her daughters was nice; I just wish they could have brought along her father since it was also his ancestor.

[SingleMaltBlonde]

I thought it was a really nice episode.  Seeing the property in Kentucky with her daughters was nice; I just wish they could have brought along her father since it was also his ancestor.

I wondered about his health given he wasn't on at all and there is usually a scene with the parents.

[SingleMaltBlonde]

 My father was in the revolutionary war and served with General Washington at Valley forge.   My grandfather served with General Washington.   My great-grandfather was in the revolutionary war and everything, but those people who say he served with general Washington?  I mean what are the chances of that?

 

While studying WWII in high school I spoke to my Grandfather about Gen Doolittle.  He had served under him during the war but didn't actually meet him until years later on a random flight.

 

I don't think most people think served with Gen whoever means they are fighting shoulder to shoulder.

Edited March 23, 2015 by SingleMaltBlonde

[zxy556575]

This show is interesting and all, but I may have to stop watching if the participants are going to continue to insist that specific personality traits -- but only positive ones! -- were somehow inherited from a random ancestor 200 or more years ago. Perhaps a person's parents, or their parents, or even great-grandparents, inculcated certain values and beliefs that were passed down, but that's learned behavior. I see no reason to be either proud and/or ashamed of far, far distant relatives. Jeez.

 

I may be too pragmatic for genealogy. Me and Graham Norton.

[kassygreene]

And also how modern feelings and opinions must have been in effect then.  Reba McEntire was an outsized example of this.  One of her ancestors went to America as a young child (10?), and his father remained behind.  How heartbreaking it must have been!  What a terrible choice the father must have made!  O the poor family!

 

Or the father got rid of the kid, or the kid arranged it himself to get away from an indifferent father, or the parish set it up, or...  Becoming a widowed father doesn't mean the father is going to be paternal.  And a ten year old in the 18th century wasn't exactly a child as we think of it.  

 

I enjoy this show, and I will keep watching it, but Gates' show seems to have more pragmatic people on it.

[AshleyLyn]

Loved Angie's episode and her enthusiasm and the fact she was so intent and invested in learning about her 5 or 6 times great grandfather. especially during the military part of his life.

[PRgal]

And also how modern feelings and opinions must have been in effect then.  Reba McEntire was an outsized example of this.  One of her ancestors went to America as a young child (10?), and his father remained behind.  How heartbreaking it must have been!  What a terrible choice the father must have made!  O the poor family!

 

Or the father got rid of the kid, or the kid arranged it himself to get away from an indifferent father, or the parish set it up, or...  Becoming a widowed father doesn't mean the father is going to be paternal.  And a ten year old in the 18th century wasn't exactly a child as we think of it.  

 

I enjoy this show, and I will keep watching it, but Gates' show seems to have more pragmatic people on it.

Likely the family was poor and needed to send one or more kids away.  Not too different from mui tsai in Cantonese speaking regions of China.  My great-grandmother brought along a mui tsai when she married my great-grandfather.  I think the girl was around eight or nine.  My great-grandmother would have been in her teens.  To my understanding my great-grandfather eventually took on the mui tsai as another wife (multiple wives were legal in 1930s Macau.  So yeah, she went from servant to sister wife).

[ChicagoCita]

This show is interesting and all, but I may have to stop watching if the participants are going to continue to insist that specific personality traits -- but only positive ones! -- were somehow inherited from a random ancestor 200 or more years ago. Perhaps a person's parents, or their parents, or even great-grandparents, inculcated certain values and beliefs that were passed down, but that's learned behavior. I see no reason to be either proud and/or ashamed of far, far distant relatives. Jeez.

 

 

I do genealogy, and I am continually surprised by what the 'cestors got up to.  The only thing I discovered that I watch out for in myself is that one line had a real predilection for alcoholism -- their story is full of accounts of several generations of them being arrested for disturbing the peace, for selling moonshine, for having stills out in the woods, for busting up bars, for drunkenly attempting to kill their wives and children late in life (probably insane from drinking heavily most of their lives). They mostly all died in brawls or from cirrhosis or cancer of the liver.  Knowing there's a genetic component to alcoholism, I do tend to watch how I imbibe, maybe a little more carefully than most people.

 

Since so many people featured on the show do mention traits in their ancestors that they feel are carried within themselves, I wonder if the person accompanying them on their adventures asks off-camera questions that lead in that general direction.

[Lizzing]

I also wanted Angie to go to Germany to find out why her ancestor decided to come to the Colonies.  That would have been interesting as well.  I liked her story though I could have done without the "my ancestor was X so that's why I'm X too" that so many of these shows have.  OTOH, if you're looking back at someone 200 years removed from you in your family line, I suppose it's just human nature to try to find something to connect with.  Not causality, but connection....I think they could phrase it better, like "hey, my five times great grandfather and I both liked X, how cool is it that we have that in common."  Though I do have a tough time with "we both stood up for what is right!" commonality.  Who would say "we both stood up for what is wrong"?  Haha!

 

After watching so many seasons of this show, I give the celebs a pass for not "knowing" significant historical moments on the show.  It's probably 50/50 on who knows and who doesn't, but I think it is 100% set up so the show can have either the VO guy or the historian give an historical background in a succinct way. It's either that, or giving the celeb a 30 second scripted recount of the historical event, which will sound just as fake.  Granted, the celebs could do better to cover, something along the lines of "Yes, I know Valley Forge was a significant encampment in the Revolutionary War, but tell me what my (relative) would have been doing there at that time and what were his particular conditions."  That covers for a lot of situations, allows the VO guy to come in, and the celeb doesn't come off as an idiot.

 

[ChicagoCita]

After watching so many seasons of this show, I give the celebs a pass for not "knowing" significant historical moments on the show.

 

I like to think I'm a reasonably intelligent person, but sometimes there's a brain fart between what you learn about history and what you learn about your ancestors, and you can seem like a dim bulb until you realize that people are what history is made of.  Example: an ancestor who came to the States from Germany worked as a beer bottler for most of his life.  When he died in the 1920s, his profession was given as "handyman."  I pondered for years wondering what would make a man in his 60s change his profession.  Then -- duh! -- I realized that the thing called Prohibition happened, not just in history books, but affected real lives, like my great-grandfather's!

 

I think that's one thing this show does very, very well, showing the effect that historical events have on regular folks.  I thought it came through really clearly on this episode, when Angie Harmon stood in the horrible little shack in Valley Forge and realized that her ancestor had stayed at that very spot in those very awful conditions.  I also thought the one where they went to the place where the Star Spangled Banner was written and explained the significance of the people there really not knowing the outcome of the battle, looking hopefully through the haze, was very effective.  (In fact, that one made me cry.)  This has to be history teacher's dream, humanizing history the way it does. 

[attica]

Valley Forge? Uh...sounds familiar?

 

This was the first time I got the distinct impression that Angie was hedging for the benefit of the viewers, not because she didn't know about Valley Forge. By saying "sounds familiar...tell me about it" she gave the historian the floor to put on his Exposition Fairy wings and fly. (I still think Chris O'D was ignorant of Ft. McHenry, for what that's worth.)

 

I'm used to Angie's performances in somewhat flinty roles, so it was a surprise to see how excited, lively, and charming she was. (I thought that military historian was going to ask her out!) I particularly liked her Momming her kids to "Mind your manners!" when they arrived at the farm.

 

I am assuming this show has a bit of work to do to prepare for the guest of the week, no?  Don't they have to do some logistic things like reserve plane tickets, schedule hotels and car pick ups, ensure guests have valid passports etc?  So the production team must know in advance where the guest is flying off to do his/her research.  Can't one assistant to the assistant of the 3rd director's PA spend 5 minutes with the guest to check for ignorance levels?

 

Yes, in fact there's usually quite a bit of time between each of the destinations the subject visits, while all the behind-the-scenes stuff goes on. Sometimes more than a month. But the production staff is inclined to not let the celeb in on what they discover prior to filming, as they want genuine, in-the-moment reactions. (I learned this from Alan Cumming's memoir, which although his ep was handled by a different production company, I'm betting the rules of reality television are somewhat universal.) Which may not be how I'd want to go about it, but that's their choice.

 

I share Angie's delight that the farm stayed in the family all these hundreds of years. I'm betting Farmer Michael is a star at the feed store these days, too.

[bybrandy]

In fairness I got from Alan Cumming's book that his month long break between shooting had more to do with his shooting schedule than theirs.  He had that mini-series in South Africa to shoot.   I think he said they usually tried to film over a two week period.

I suspect that turns out to be the issue with Lauren Graham not signing the releases for the show.   Something was revealed that she was uncomfortable with being put out there.   But she didn't know they filmed that bit.  

[alexa]

I really liked the Angie episode.  I don't think negatively about the celebrity at all if they are not totally descriptive and knowledgeable with historic events because quite frankly I need the narrator or historian to spell it out for me.  I have a very general understanding of history--I don't know all of the little details, and as said so well above, it helps the viewer understand how that event affected the people living in those times.  

[camom]

I liked Angie's enthusiasm and the story was pretty interesting.  I kind of wanted to know a little something, anything really, about the generations between Michael Harman and herself. 

[Kromm]

I haven't seen any of this season's crop yet, but am starting to watch them today.

It really is so weird they do so few of these per season. While there's certainly some expense in flying celebs around the world and lodging them there (why Dr. Gates' competing show is probably easier to do--no such overhead), it's STILL even with that probably cheaper to make these than 1 hour dramas.

Angie Harmon's episode suffered from a lot of the problems some of the worst episodes do. The whole projection aspect, for example, where they put ridiculous filters of people being "brave" on things instead of merely... surviving. Or in her case, ridiculous stuff like her projecting her need for a large family as connected to her distant ancestor having a large family.

I will give her credit though for involving her kids. Rather than being distressed at seeing the kids on TV, I thought this was actually a very appropriate venue to actually have such a thing. Loved the "are we there yet" kid in particular (she's also the one who said "jinx", clearly to annoy her sister).

Edited March 25, 2015 by maraleia

[alexa]

I guess I didn't see her episode as suffering/one of the worst episodes so I can't really agree.  But I don't really see any issue with someone projecting about what their family members did.  They personally find it interesting since it is their own ancestor, and they are trying to think of them as a real person.  And we could all have some personal traits that are a result of our ancestors.  Some of it is projecting a bit, but on the other hand we are all trying to make sense of who we are, and how we relate to our families.  I do think if someone fights in a war and survives that they are also quite brave.  How can you not be brave to survive a difficult war?  I guess I am saying I find it okay to ponder over what your ancestors did and come to some basic conclusions that some of who they are and what they did influences who you are.

[AshleyLyn]

I LOved Angie's, I liked Josh 's. I love genealogy in general. My Dad's side of the family (French) has been able to trace their family back to 1600s so I know quite a lot on my dad's side. What's frustrating is I barely know anything on my mom's side ( Irish and Scottish grandmother, Jewish grandfather) and if I had the money to do a proper search I'd probably find out more, so I kind of really enjoy watching this show. I found Josh 's ancestor interesting because of the conflict that was there and Angie just seemed to be so riveted with the story of her ancestor. The preview for Sean Hayes looks to be interesting... how many arrests was on that piece of paper genes looking at????

[chitowngirl]

I would love to get my hands on the naturalization records in the Cook County Building! My great grandparents all came from Luxembourg and Germany right to Chicago and their papers would be there. I suspect the average Joe just can't go paging through there. From what I remember about getting my own birth certificate for my passport, you take a number, wait, fill out a form, wait, and then you get your document. Maybe for doing genealogy research it is different.

[Arynm]

I also have a ton of family in Chicago and would kill to get my hands on those documents. I have a great aunt who got into some "trouble" in the 20s and was sent to a girls home. I would love to find out if she had a child or was just a delinquent. Records online are very bare at best. I watched the Sean Hayes episode looking for areas that I recognized from my own research, They were Irish, we are Jewish, so in those days, I'm sure the paths rarely crossed.

[ChicagoCita]

I would love to get my hands on the naturalization records in the Cook County Building!

 

Me three!  I have to wonder if they are available to regular folks.  I know you can join the Chicago History Museum and do research there.  I am keeping this episode on my DVR because of all the Cook County info.

 

Sean seemed very mellow -- well, anyone would compared to Jack, his character on Will & Grace -- but more insightful than most people we've seen on this show. I did very much appreciate his joy at seeing the actual records of his ancestors.

[maraleia]

Sean and I went to the same high school, Glenbard West, in Glen Ellyn, IL. He was a year ahead of me and I watched him perform in school productions. I never crossed paths with him because our school was so big (about 2000 students).

It was interesting to see him here because he seems way more serious than he was when he was younger. His husband seems to have mellowed him out quite a lot.

His family history was really interesting. I had no idea that he didn't have any kind of relationship with his dad.

FYI I live about 10 blocks from the Chicago History Museum and it's a great place to visit.

[alexa]

I thought this was a cool episode..... it went a little bit of a different direction than many of them.  I also liked how he remained interested in his family despite the not so positive information he was receiving.  He was very realistic about it all, and seemed to enjoy learning about all of them despite their flaws and issues.

[zxy556575]

Again, more questions than answers in my mind. There was oddly no mention of Sean's mother other than him saying she worked a lot. Is she still alive? Wouldn't she be able to answer some questions about his father? It would have been a simple matter to run down his father's current location but that story was quickly dropped in favor of the grandfather and great-grandfather. It's very likely there are cousins in Ireland who could have filled in a lot of details but that wasn't investigated that we saw.

[bybrandy]

I got the impression that his brother Dennis was in contact with his father just that Sean wasn't.   And I can appreciate that might not be a can of worms he wanted to open and if he did he certainly didn't want to open them on a television program.  I can see him being more interested in his father's history than his father himself.   Peoples family situations are complicated and it's a lot easier to face the distant past than the current one.   

[attica]

I found myself wondering if the quick splitsville to America wasn't the reason (or part of it, anyway) that Patrick got out of jail early. You know, like "We'll let you out if you get the hell out of Ballylongford and never darken our doors again!"

 

I also thought that the 10 years of not being arrested might have been due to being in jail, not being happily wed, so I was surprised that Sean leapt to the latter conclusion. Perhaps there was a bit edited from air that made that deduction more likely. Or maybe I'm just a cynic. Wouldn't be the first time!

 

When I saw the sign for the Cook County Hospital, my first thought was to keep an eye out for Kerry Weaver and Peter Benton! (I watch a lot of tv.)

[bybrandy]

My mind also immediately went to jail, as well.

And ER.  County General for the win!

[barbedwire]

I liked Sean's episode.  I wonder if the brother Dennis was just the keeper of the (little) family info they had.  I am from a large family and about 5 years ago the youngest starting having kids.  At that point suddenly he and sis-in-law were interested in our family history and asked me (parents are gone) a lot of questions.  So maybe Sean's interest is only recently.

 

Also, I wonder if his not speaking to his dad is not only because dad up and left, but maybe dad was only interested in Sean when he became famous/starting getting a big paycheck.  Who would want a relationship like that?  I am only loveable/interesting because I have money?  No thanks.

 

I enjoyed the episode.

[ChicagoCita]

I thought he handled well the ol' bugaboo of "My ancestor was like THIS, so I'm like THIS too!"  He said that his ancestors had certain traits and he did too, and that made him feel a closeness with people he was descended from, but didn't know much about.  Not that he was that way because of them.  I thought that was insightful. He seems like a likable, gentle person.

[maraleia]

I had heard that Sean bought his mom a better house in Glen Ellyn because she wanted to stay there.

[SingleMaltBlonde]

When I saw the sign for the Cook County Hospital, my first thought was to keep an eye out for Kerry Weaver and Peter Benton! (I watch a lot of tv.)

Harrison Ford in the Fugitive

[SingleMaltBlonde]

Also, I wonder if his not speaking to his dad is not only because dad up and left, but maybe dad was only interested in Sean when he became famous/starting getting a big paycheck.  Who would want a relationship like that?  I am only loveable/interesting because I have money?  No thanks.

Not to state the obvious but his dad may have issues with Sean being gay.

 

I would have been more interested in what took them to the orphanage.  My step father's older siblings were sent to an orphange after thier father was killed because their mom couldn't feed them.

 

I do have a client in Chicago which now works with children but in the day they were an orphanage and I have seen some great old pictures and even met one really interesting former resident.

 

I do like how Sean rolled with the news he was getting, he wanted better news but was realistic about what was there.

[Mittengirl]

I would have liked to have heard what happened to Patrick Jr. In the U.S. We know he drove a streetcar and was still alive when his son died, but what else did they learn about him? Other kids, where he lived, when he died, etc.

And why no more info on the kids going to the orphanage? Did their mother die or was she debilitated by whatever put her in the hospital? Why was no one else in the family able to take in the kids, if it was a temporary situation? Giving up the kids permanently seems extreme. (Or could they have been in the orphanage for a temporary stay?) I wish they had said what happen to the other kids.

I hope then Sean got more info on his Ireland kin while he was there. No mention of when Patrick Sr. died or if any of Juniors siblings went to the U.S. with him.

[weightyghost]

It was a refreshing episode, no more rags to riches story, fighting on the right side, type history. I've always enjoyed Sean and he killed me when he was like "I'm going to the court house to where my great grandfather ws charged....I'm so proud"

[ChicagoCita]

And why no more info on the kids going to the orphanage? Did their mother die or was she debilitated by whatever put her in the hospital?

 

 

I think it may have been not uncommon for kids to be put into orphanages during the Depression.  My dad and his sisters were raised in one because their father was a widower at 27 with four kids at home and a job as a laborer that required travel.  He was in Oklahoma when he met his next wife, who was also on the road trying to earn a living as a waitress, and she had three kids in a "home" (they still don't call it an orphange) back in Indiana.

 

When they married, a la Brady Bunch, all seven kids got sprung and came home to form a blended family.  Which leads me to believe it may have been how other families got through the Depression.

[Galloway Cave]

 

QUOTE

And why no more info on the kids going to the orphanage? Did their mother die or was she debilitated by whatever put her in the hospital?

 

I think it may have been not uncommon for kids to be put into orphanages during the Depression.

But the kids were put into the orphanage in 1947, with William dying in 1951 in the hospital and no word on when the mother passed away or what happened to her after her hips broke. It was strange they just gave up on so many parts of Sean's story. That is the thing I don't like about this series- they find the story line for the show (in this case, the fathers who leave) and they exclude the rest of the story to the point where we are begging for more answers. Hopefully the celeb gets the answers behind the scenes.

[camom]

I was trying to figure out how you break both hips at once.

[Chicklet]

Breaking both hips-If you are really unlucky, have osteoporosis or some combination of the two, or a bad car accident, since there were no seat belts at that time I can see it happening. Not to mention he didn't know the story well, she could have broken her pelvis and it got retold incorrectly.

Edited April 1, 2015 by Chicklet