Finding Your Roots

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Narrator

We couldn't trace Maggie or Robert's Jewish ancestors much further than there great-grandparents, which is actually quite common among Eastern-European-Jewish people. Persecuted for centuries across Europe, Jewish records were often burned in violent pogroms, or lost in forced migrations from place to place. However, on the other sides of Maggie and Robert's family trees, the genealogical records are intact and thorough. With a paper trail leading all the way back to the middle ages. This is your family tree, here. You wanna undo the (mumbles) ribbon? Yeah. So, this is my dad's side? Yeah, this is your dad's side. Okay. - Just your father's side. Okay, wow. Now, look at that! Oh my god. Unbelievable. (gentle guitar music) -

Narrator

We showed Maggie her family tree, which stretches back almost a thousand years. When we follow these lines into the past, they travel through many of the most important events in European history. In this case, back to the time of the first crusade. Maggie, you descend from Henry, the king of England. Wow. Henry The First. Henry The First. In what year? - Born in 1068. Wow. I don't understand how you know that. (laughs) (soft guitar music) -

Narrator

We were able to trace Maggie's bloodline so far back, because she descends from nobility. From kings and queens, earls and dukes, in England, France and Sweden. Before the printed word, the aristocracy were often the only people who kept records of their existence. In order to establish monarchies and determine inheritance. (mumbles) of nobility in Stockholm collects the names of all the Swedish nobles. -

Narrator

Outside of Philadelphia, we tracked down a member of the Gyllenhaal family, who's done extensive research on the family's noble lines. Maybe, this is the baronial number. -

Narrator

He also happens to be Maggie's cousin, although they've never met....for the coat of arms. -

Narrator

We talked to Ed Gyllenhaal and his wife in the Great Room of the Glencairn Museum where he works. All of the Swedish nobles, whether they live in Sweden or abroad, are listed in the Swedish Peerage Book. We can see, here, that Maggie's father, Steven Gyllenhaal, is listed as are Maggie and Jake. -

Narrator

And, of course, Ed's lineage is not lost on his wife. You know, I'll tease him about, "Ah yes, you think you don't have to clean that up because you're a noble, you know, you need the peasantry to take care of these things." So-- I'll take any excuse I can get. (soft viola music) -

Narrator

I wonder what Maggie had heard about the origin of her family's nobility. Did you grow up hearing a lot of stories about your family? I heard the story that I kind of always thought was sort of a myth about Gyllenhaal, that my great-great-great-great somebody or other on my dad's side studied butterflies and that he'd made such a beautiful book about butterflies that the King of Sweden sent all of his minions out to find this poor farmer, or whatever he was, who happened to have made this beautiful book and brought him back to the palace to talk to him and ended up making him some kind of Swedish royalty and putting him up to live in a golden hall and that Gyllenhaal meant golden hall. Oh, what a sweet story, you should write that story, it's a total myth, but-- (both laughing) Here it is. -

Narrator

The real story behind the Gyllenhaal's elevation to nobility isn't quite what Maggie had heard. "We wish," this is Queen Christina speaking-- -

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Ed Gyllenhaal set the record straight for us. "...and his legitimate descendants, male, as well as female, those born as well as--" The Gyllenhaal's became noble in 1652 when Nils Gunnarsson Hal was knighted by Queen Christina for bravery in the Thirty Years War and it was the tradition at that time when a soldier was knighted, that he could change his name. And so, his last name, which had been Haal, was changed to Gyllenhaal, Gyllen meaning golden in Swedish. So, golden hall. (bright guitar music) -

Narrator

But, Maggie did have one piece of the family legend almost right. Could you please turn the page? That's your 4th great-grandfather, Leonard Gyllenhaal, and he was born December 3rd, 1752. -

Narrator

Maggie's 4th great-grandfather, Leonard Gyllenhaal,

had a particular passion

collecting beetles. Oh my god, wow. Leonard's collection of insect species is still used today at the University of Uppsala. I love how it turned into butterflies, but, really, it was beetles. (both laughing) The myth of your family origins was all true, except it was rearranged. I had no idea. I think it's cool! No, it is! - You know. It is cool to see it, you know, to have evidence that the things I've heard are true. Yeah.