The Hidden Truth in Viola Davis' Family Tree | Finding Your Roots | PBS 

This is everything.

❤

I think she should judge her great grandfather a little. To abandon your child is an evil thing and reverberates through that child’s life. Especially since we know from the orbituary that he grew up knowing who his real father was. Judge bad relatives😏

@@jakestroll6518 it doesn't make or a break her so why should she?

@@jakestroll6518 Exactly what do you get out of judging someone else - None of really have that right to do so.

Her hair is beautiful too

I was thinking the same thing.

I love me some Viola Davis. 🙏🏽🥰❤️

As a female you're aware of makeup right?

@@11274reece that is her real skin, she isn't gonna put makeup on her arms come on.

Amen, to that.

Most all families indeed especially those southern ones.

My first thought was that her grandfather's mother had unwilling sexually relations with John. Especially if he was married at the time. That she may have been r**ped.

Preach

@@marnasquires155 I’m

I feel that pain 😔😔

Thats such a sad and disgusting feeling to place on your family. Sad that some have felt this 😞🧡

Same here!!! 💜As a person who’s had such, a broken childhood, loss my dad, abandoned by my biological mom, & sadly recently lost my phenomenal adopted mom. I’ve had my many deepest, darkest, most heart wrenching moments.😔💔😢 Viola inspires me personally I love her.💫

Ditto from another messy truth child. I've always knew I was not alone and having such a beautiful person also having family secrets too makes it less messy.

I love Viola Davis too. Her beauty and talent inspire me!

Viola is a beautiful person--I could swim in her eyes. As I also am a Rhode Islander and alum of Rhode Island College, I like to claim her as a product of 'The Ocean State', at least in part.

I also love her, she seems so balanced. Also feel of pride, when ever I see her

couldn't have said it any better. Exceptional how she spoke on this situation.

Yea, I think when you do this kind of thing you really HAVE to be open to any kind of answers, even the sad or hurtful ones. The truth is not always comfortable, but it’s comforting to finally KNOW the truth. I don’t know if my family has any surprises like this, but seeing others stories and how common this was, I wouldn’t be surprised if so. People are just people, no matter the amount of decades that separates us.

The words "artistic genius" get thrown around, but Viola Davis is on the same level as Anthony Hopkins Daniel Day Lewis or Joaquin Phoenix.

That part right there shook me to my core.

Yes❤ love that she is so intoned that way❤

Her Grandfather was not Gable Logan who served in WW1, it was John Young the Farmer.

Her great-grandfather was not a WW1 vet.

Look up who owns the research centers and internet...it's the CCP

Yes, somewhere along the lines other's knew and shared that info. John must've repeated this information to someone very close- the informant on the death certificate. If the mother was still married, then it was automatically assumed to be the husband's. Momma's baby, daddy maybe type situation.

@@stephaniejames4940 Possibly, somewhere down the line, John Young returned to Charlotte City? to inform Henry himself, perhaps after his wife passed. OR possibly, the wife, once widowed came back to inform Henry. Or a letter could have been written. ...Or any one of those or their own children, Henry's half-siblings, may have crossed paths at some point and had that conversation....Lots of possibilities. It's even possible that Henry's own mother told him...perhaps as a young child or left a note for him to find later.

There’s a saying “Mama’s baby, Papa’s maybe”.

​@@Dharmarenee I still say that.

@@Dharmarenee h6

She is my favorite person. Her values are her virtue.

Beautifully written...

Well said! 👏🏾

That’s the truth, I was told my Grandfather was one person as a teen. Before my Daddy died I told him I wanted to find out for sure who his Dad was. So I found who suppose to be his baby brother, I can’t lie he has the same exact eyes as my Daddy, but he look like his Mom. What is also interesting is that if this is his younger brother, he is the son of one of the famous black quadruplets the Fultz sisters. I told my Daddy about him before he passed away, he was like I would have had a brother younger than my kids? He just laughed, but he told me to keep researching. But before I could take ancestry dna test he passed away. Now that I took the test and got in contact with my potential uncle, I told him he has to take a test too. Because if he is related, there maybe a bigger issue. My Daddy Father side is connected to SC, but he was suppose to be born and raised in NC. If that is his Father, that means the paternity of my Grandfather parents are now in question. My Grandma was adamant to my Daddy who his father really was, it just wasn’t told to us until we were older because his namesake was her husband who she was separated from, but apparently she always said my Daddy Father was someone else. To me I grew up knowing my Grandfather from my Mom side not sure why I didn’t question my Dad side. Either my Grandma was wrong or who suppose to be my Grandfather Parent is now in question. Crazy thing is I know who my Great Grandparents are on my Daddy Paternal side, just not my Grandfather. My Great Grandparents had 4 sons, 3 had ties to NC, 2 were stationed there. But as much as people moved around back then it’s unknown where and how the conception happened. I just know I have 1st cousins 1xremoved which mean those are my Daddy 1st cousins that I am connected to based on dna. It’s a big ol mess smh

That seems obvious

So deep and so true.

Seems obvious til you hear how it effects you personally… then it’s something less obvious

she sure is

🤣 My family secret is that one of my great-uncles used to rob banks. My family was well to do, he went to college but he strayed. For him there is a damnatio memoriae

Oh yes agree...mine🙂

My family had this. I’m 25 years old and I just found out that my great great grandfather murdered my great great grandmother. And this was casually brought up during Thanksgiving dinner! 😂

Absolutely

As is any person whether - white, pink, purple, brown, green, woman or male. Identifying as a distinct black woman yet blaming society for calling people of color not any other people’s but black, is because blacks continue to call themselves #black. It’s not racism, unless racism starts with blacks themselves. Stop the weakness. #racecard

@@Panini-sp9bw African American and Black with a capital. That’s how we do it.

SHE KNOWS HOW TO SPEAK IN SENTENCES I'M IMPRESSED 😁

All the Black writers and prominent speakers. You all cannot away from this racist tote by always acknowledging a blk person is articulate. Stop believing the stereotypes and learn about all the great black speakers, writers and scholars.

There always has to be one.

@@chenziramonashe4581 🤣

P

Iip

Thank you I will indeed purchase it today. ❤

A teenager and a young adult

​@@donny3926a child and a grown man

It's what happened then. Many married young

@@DanaC-ne7bc exactly

Many were married off by parents that young to have another care for them and lessen their load. Their main asset was child bearing and child rearing to the men who married them. The term “barefoot and pregnant” was a real thing.

Nanny, but you can locate distant relatives with DNA test . people do it all the time

I find him sorta annoying - wish they would replace him

Indeed she is. ❤

I really need to do better- She is an inspiration.

What's an EGOT?

@@jehoia87 Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards

​@@Hollergirlohio Hmmm!

She's an asset to the human race......no need to label her.

…And a blessing to all communities.

This was so interesting, so many of us have similar stories

Always with the "what if’s" What if you was exactly sleeping around and actually did that herself.. there’s always someone in the comments trying to remove all the blame from the woman…

*she

I heard about that. They have nothing but are racist. Mind-boggling

One only has to look at the royal families' trees--if they were merely messy, that would be a huge improvement.

I did some poking around on Ancestry for his childhood. In 1940 he’s 15 living with his Grandparents William and Minty Ravenel. His WW2 registration mentions Willie Ravenel as his next of kin. There was a William Jr and Sr so it could have been his Uncle or Grandfather who lived to 1953. I can’t find a census record for William or Minty (Mittie) in 1930 so I don’t know if he lived with them in 1930, but hopefully so. His mother had a sister Alice or Alicia and must have had another sister as gchildren named Burton are living with William and Minty in 1920 so he could have been with an Aunt or Uncles family as well. It definitely looks like based on the census I can find Henry’s grandparents kept family close.

His parents had 18 children, so there were probably older siblings there to support.

@@LostinMayberry Do you research people's lineage? Can you give me some tips?

@@angeliquediablo84 I’m just an enthusiastic amateur. Is there something I can help you with?

@@angeliquediablo84 Census records.