(audience cheering and clapping)
- Welcome Back.
I think this might be one
of the most popular things to do right now.
- Oh, totally. Yeah.
- And that is to follow your family's history
back generations to learn more
about your ancestors and their stories.
I mean, my family's so important to me.
- Oh right. Yeah.
- I feel so connected to them.
- Same.
- So I love this.
And who better to team up
with and take us on that journey than Ancestry.
- Yep. Ancestry.
Yep. We know them.
They wanna help people and their loved ones learn
meaningful new things about their families
and discover their stories.
And both Drew and I recently took the Ancestry DNA test.
We have no idea what the results are.
But here to take us through our results
and our family histories
is Ancestry's family historian Lisa Elsie.
- Hi Lisa.
- So we did the DNA test and you ran it through your lab.
What did you find out about us?
- So let's start with you.
Let's start with your ancestry DNA results.
- Okay.
- So you come from seven different regions across the world.
Your highest region is 47% from Norway.
Then you have 19% of your DNA from England.
- Oh.
- And then 14% from Sweden and Denmark.
And then 9% Finland.
- I'm like that Muppet.
(imitates the Swedish chef)
- The Swedish chef.
- You got a lot of Scandinavian in there.
- I did know that.
I mean, my whole family-
- You did?
- Yeah. Scandinavia, we eat things at Christmas
like Lutefisk and things like that, all Scandinavia.
So I did know that just because my grandma,
my Bunka who watches every day, 96 hi, Bunka.
She's a proud Scandinavian.
- Yeah.
- She has good genes.
- Yeah, she does.
- Where am I from?
- Okay, so Drew, your ancestry DNA results
your highest percentage is from Ireland at 34%.
We were able to pinpoint
the region your family's from in Ireland.
It's called Munster.
Munster's on the very western part of Ireland.
- Okay.
- And it's remote location made it the perfect place
for refuge for Irish Outlaws
who rebelled against their English leaders.
So much so, that even the City of Cork in that region
was called Rebel City.
It's in your DNA.
- Everybody go get an ancestry kit, right now.
Because I'm from Rebel City.
Oh my God.
This days changed my life.
- But then 19% of your DNA also comes from
Eastern Europe and Russia.
- That's my mom. Yeah.
My mom has that Hungarian blood
and DNA and I highly respect it.
- Yeah. So Drew, you obviously know a lot
about your family history already.
- Yeah.
- But we wanted to give you a few things through Ancestry
just to add to your family story.
- Please.
- So we have a newspaper article that was kind of
the last billing of your third great-grandmother
who was named Eliza Troutner Lane Kinlock.
And the headline said, oldest actress in the world.
She was 91 at the time of her death in Philadelphia.
- Go on Ross.
Because I just need to ponder my whole existence.
That makes so much sense.
- Yeah. Rebel City over here.
Okay, well what did you find out about my family?
- You actually have a lot
in common with your grandmother, Betty Louise Lenthal.
- That's Bunka.
- For instance
you were married last year to Wellington Garcia.
May, 2022.
- [Ross} Look at us. Yes.
And Drew was our flower girl.
- [Lisa} And I believe you had orchids-
- Like on the table.
White orchids.
- Yes, white orchids.
Your grandmother was married in 1946 and we found
out through a newspaper article about her wedding.
She also had orchids at her wedding.
- [Ross] No.
- She had a white bouquet of orchids for her wedding.
- Oh, I'm gonna call her.
Bunka, pick up the phone.
I'm calling.
- When it all like comes full circle,
does it help you feel like it makes life make sense?
Like I'm from Rebel City level.
- Yeah.
- Ross, did you know that your namesake actually comes
from your father's side of the family?
- No, I had no idea.
- [Drew] Really?
- Your great grandfather's name was Ulysses Ross Matthews.
- Wow.
- And here's his World War II draft registration card
showing-
- You have what?
So my dad, we never knew his father.
And so this is all news to me.
I asked my mom how she named me
and she just said she thought it was fun
that it was one syllable.
It'd be easy.
Ross, done.
- You guys, this is so cool.
Family history can be something that like we
can all do together.
I love bringing everyone
from this show or out there in the world.
I just want this to be a collective experience.
Whoever you are is welcome here
and it also makes a very good gift.
So we're giving our entire studio audience
an ancestry DNA kit.
Lisa, thank you so much.
Rebel City.
We'll be right back.
(upbeat music)