Tonight on Who Do You Think You Are?, actress Julie Bowen finds out one of her ancestors was an abolitionist who risked his life to help free fugitive slaves.
The Modern Family star is blown away by the incredible discoveries from her past that are revealed on the TLC show.
One of the biggest revelations is that her 3x paternal great-grandfather Francis Julius LeMoyne was a radical abolitionist.
And he put both his own life and those of his family at risk to stand up what he believed in and help fugitive slaves find freedom.
LeMoyne, who lived from September 1798 to October 1879, was a medical doctor by profession and also founded Washington’s first public library and created America’s first ever crematory.
But the episode also reveals how Julie finds out about another ancestor who she “may have to find a way to forgive”.
Her maternal great-grandfather Charles Daniel Frey was head of the controversial American Protective League during WWI, an organization helped track down suspected German sympathizers — and also tried to counter radicals, anarchists, anti-war activists, and left-wing labor and political organizations.
Next week’s Who Do You Think You Are? features Dirty Dancing star Jennifer Grey, who finds out about a grandfather who became a respected member of his community after surviving adversity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alsLhjcsLRw
Who Do You Think You Are? airs Sundays at 10/9c on TLC.