The actress used DNA records and genealogical research with the assistance of Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. in her role as the protagonist in Ancestory’s Finding Your Roots.
After digging into her family’s past, Julia Roberts was shocked to learn that she is not a “Roberts”
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It came as a shock to Julia when she learned that her great-great-grandmother Rhoda Suttle Roberts had an affair with a married man after the death of her husband Willis Roberts, and that as a result, Julia’s family name is now something entirely different.
Dr. Henry remarked to the performer, “Digging into Georgia’s County archives, we discovered that sometime in the 1850s, Rhoda married a man named Willis Roberts.
Dr. Henry remarked to the performer, “Digging into Georgia’s County archives, we discovered that sometime in the 1850s, Rhoda married a man named Willis Roberts. Julia carries Willis’ last name. But Willis passed away in 1864, over a decade before Rhoda gave birth to Julia’s great grandfather, John, leading to an inescapable conclusion.”
Archives reveal that while Willis herself is absent from the 1880 census, her great-grandfather, John Pendleton Roberts, is present.
Dr. Henry delayed telling Julia that Willis was missing until she had already discovered his absence “Willis Roberts could not possibly be your great, great grandfather. He was dead.”
“But am I not a Roberts?” Julia asked incredulously.
The historian continued by saying that his team had looked all over Georgia’s archives but had come up empty in their search for information about Julia’s great-great-grandfather.
Having taken DNA samples from the actress and a cousin, they turned to genetic genealogy to learn more about their great-biological grandfather’s father.
“We found a cluster of matches that tie Julia and her cousin to one man,” Dr. Henry said. Mitchell, Jr., Henry MacDonald
When the professor finished reading her name, Julia asked, “So we’re Mitchells?” and she was named “Julia Mitchell.”
In yet another surprising turn of events, the census reveals that Henry is married to a woman named Sarah and has six children.
In a final piece of the puzzle, Dr. Henry reveals that Rhoda lived just four houses away from Henry’s mother.
Julia, taking in the information, remarked: “Truly my mind is blown. It is fascinating. And on the other hand there’s you know part of me that you know that when I’m calmer, you know can still wrap my arms around the idea that my family is my family.”
Astonished, she continued: “I do prefer the name Roberts. This was a very unexpected turn.”
