A Look at Amanda Redmond
On Tuesday I posted the link to Amanda Redmond’s BBC episode of Who Do You Think You Are? I hope that you were able to take the time and watch.
My goal with watching these episodes was to take a look at the research and see what the show did not show us. Unfortunately for me, this episode is one that I think they did a great job discussing the research and taking the viewers to the places to see some of the records.
With my main focus being on the Irish research, I think it is best to skip over all the research that was done in England and the military records. Even though some of the finds were amazing.
What I really liked about this episode is that Amanda knew the family was Protestant, as they still are today. She was shocked to find out that the family actually started as Roman Catholic. Church records are the best way to trace the family in the mid 1800s in Ireland.
Along her journey, Amanda met many family members. Some she knew and many were new. Her grandmother had a illegitimate son, Cyril, that the family left behind at the age of 10. She was able to meet the lady Cyril had a long love affair with. She found out about his son Derrick that had passed away in his 40s and she was also able to meet Cyril’s daughter.
At the end of the episode I was more than moved. Amanda brought the family together for a family reunion. Bringing Cyril’s daughter to meet the extended family that she always asked her dad about and he had told her there was no one. I was more than overcome with emotion watching these families come together.
For me, this just shows that Who Do You Think You Are? is a wonderful show to watch even if you do not know who the celebrity is. It is about the story, the family struggles and learning who you really are.
