Finding Your Roots

(light music) -

Narrator

We'd already introduced Gloria to her white Jewish relatives on her father's side of the family. Now we wanted to introduce her to the black relatives on her mother's side of the family. For this, we headed straight back to Jamaica. Remarkably, we were able to trace her mother's family back five generations, where we discovered the names of two of her slave ancestors, Thomas Higgins and Elizabeth Martin, Gloria's third great grandparents. (acoustic music) The Jamaican slave registries allowed us to make a very rare breakthrough. One that most African Americans can only wish for. This is a Jamaican slave register from the year 1870. Can you read that name? Leonorah. Leonorah is your great great great great great grandmother. Oh my god! But can you read the transcribed line? Leonorah, 50 years old, African. That is your original African ancestor. You found her name, her age, and her birthday. No body has found that. No body. This is something black people only dream of finding and you found her. She is your link to the continent. She came her in the middle passage. What's it like to see the name of your ancestor listed as property? It's unsettling to say the least. When you're ranking Lincoln did you think about slavery in your own family tree? No. I didn't think there was any. But just because I didn't know. Sure, sure. Look at this. (laughs) This Gloria Elizabeth Reuben is your family tree. Unwrap that sucker. (gasps) Wow. Trace up this line. Here you are. Yep. - Go all the way up. Who's at the top? Leonorah! I cannot tell you, this is as rare as genealogically as rare it can get. (laughs) It's like hitting the genealogical slave lottery. (laughs) Wow. You've just gone today from having no family tree, to the richest family tree back to slavery that we have ever traced. (laughs) Wow.