Finding Your Roots

(dramatic music) Born In 1754 in Sandwich, Massachusetts, he's Ken's Maternal fifth great-grandfather, and bares the unusual name of Eldad Tupper. wish I'd had that name, oh well, I don't have a boy, but Eldad is great. When your kids have kids. Eldad. Eldad right there. Well I'm gonna call up my daughter who is pregnant right now with the first son that we've seen for years. That's his name. So, Eldad, you know. (laughs) (pages turning) Now Ken, this is a Military Muster Roll from 1778 during the height of the American Revolution. Seconded Officers regiment they belonged to, Lieutenant Eldad Tupper. At this time Massachusetts of course, was a Patriot stronghold, but do you see the Massachusetts Brigade or State Infantry number here anywhere? Regiment, I don't see it. Is it here? Am I missing it? No Ken, there are no State Infantry Numbers, because the Continental Armies were not on this chart. Your ancestor was a Loyalist. Oh no, a Tory. (laughter) Now, God Help me. (men laughing) He fought for the Brits. Okay, let me just take back everything I said about Eldad and the name. This name Eldad is dying a final death back in 1832 in Brockville Canada. (laughter) See, of course he's in Brockville that should have been the kicker. We know why he's in Canada. You got that right. He was not down with George Washington. He was with King George. Your fifth great-grandfather was a Loyalist. He served aboard a British ship for more than a year. Nana nana nana (laughs) He was later Honorably discharged to his credit, in Halifax, and he moved to Elizabethtown Township in upper Canada to live out his days. Now what do you think of that? You have ancestors that fought on both sides of the American Revolution, they could have been shooting at each other. This is the thing I'm most ashamed of, this I'm humiliated by this part. Right. (laughter) Because I bleed red, white, and blue. And this is not the Union Jack. And this is terrible. (laughter) This is so cruel. I mean, this is the way it workds, right? You just tease with a Doctor here and a Lawyer there, and then all of a sudden you've got a slave owner. And then you've got a Tory. Genealogy giveth and Genealogy taketh away. (laughs)