WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?
Friendly Rating: Elementary age and up
Safety Rating: Usually very safe, sometimes bad behavior on the part of the ancestors is revealed. And the constant plugging of a certain website sponsor
Quality Rating: Getting better and better
Season Three premieres tonight at 8 p.m. on NBC
I keep liking this show more and more each season. Okay, maybe it’s also because I have a major soft spot for Martin Sheen – whose forebears are featured tonight. But his family, like many families, has an interesting background. Sheen who is well-known for his activism for peace and social justice, wanted to find out if there might have been a genetic component to his activism, and there certainly is. But it’s when he dives even deeper into the Spanish side of his family that he finds a rather amazing coincidence that probably isn’t quite so amazing considering the rather closed and compact nature of societies in that part of Spain.
On the plus side, we only got one plug for that website for genealogists. Please note, there are other free sources you might want to try first before signing up you-know-where.
But this is one of those shows that does encourage you to get off your backside to see what you can discover about your ancestors. I have to say, since last season, I got a little taste of the genealogy, myself, after visiting my grandfather’s grave. It is so much fun! I found a death certificate for my great-grandfather and an obit for him – which did not give the family names I was hoping for. I got some memories out of my dad, which I’ve never gotten before. It’s an addicting hobby and all about your family.
Plus it’s a terrific way to bring history to life. I learned a tremendous amount about the Spanish and Irish Civil Wars that I didn’t know before and it was real in a way that it isn’t usually because you have real people, not just famous ones, that you’re hearing about. So I encourage you to watch this show with your kids, not because there might something questionable, but for the questions it will raise and perhaps spark a family passion.
