Three Americans of Greek origin star in a new episode of the popular American series “Finding your Roots,” searching for the history of their Greek ancestors. Actress Tina Fey, comedian and author David Sedaris and journalist and presenter George Stephanopoulos speak with pride about their Greek heritage, but thanks to the show they had the opportunity to learn more about their ancestors and their life in Greece.
Viewers had the opportunity to discover the details of their genealogy with them for the first time!
Presenter Henry Louis Gates Jr, with his research team, spoke with relatives, genealogists helped track records, and geneticists helped with the latest DNA technology to reveal secrets hidden for hundreds of years .
TINA FEY
Tina’s mother is called Zenobia Xenakis and she is the link to Greece. They spoke Greek at home and of course, every Sunday the family went to church. In fact, Tina chose to get married in a Greek Orthodox ceremony in 2001. Her daughters have Greek names, Zenobia and Penelope.
Her grandmother, Kourelakou Basilici, emigrated to the United States in the early 20th century, but died when Tina was only a year old. The team found documents revealing that her grandmother arrived in the United States on February 28, 1921, from the village of Petrina. The researchers traveled to Petrina to obtain further information.
The investigation revealed that Tina’s third great-grandfather, Stephen Hartoulari, was from Chios. He lived through the events of the unprecedented massacre of Chios. His grandfather managed to escape the massacre and later settled in the village of Petrina, near Taygetos. There he took part in the revolution and, years later, he received a medal for his contribution to the struggle for independence.
“I come from a patriot… It’s amazing,” Fey said.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLajQtpKaHI
DAVID SÉDARIS
David Sedaris, like Tina Fey, had no idea how his ancestors lived. His father, Louis, was born in the United States to Greek immigrants and was particularly proud of his origins.
“My dad had a sticker on his bedroom mirror that said ‘Greeks are awesome!’ ” he remembers.
He first visited Greece when he was a teenager and spent the summer in a camp. Since then, he has returned several times.
His grandmother, Adamantia Thomakos, went to live with the Sedaris family in the United States after her husband died. To Sedaris, his grandmother remained largely an enigmatic figure, because she did not know English.
“The room was like…Greece. It smelled like another country. And he had shag rugs on the floor! ” he remembers.
His grandmother was born in the village Apidia Laconia. The show’s team looked into the archives of the Greek army and discovered that during the Ottoman period and during one of the raids of Ibrahim Pasha’s forces, they had enslaved the daughter of his third great. grandfather, Anastasoula, 20 years old, which probably resulted in a harem.
“Losing someone to death, you know that death that you know about is one thing. But if they are made to become slaves among people you hate more than anything, it must be like a kind of agony that never dies,” Sedaris confessed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSZiTR6_D0I
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS
His father, Harry, was a priest in the Orthodox Church and his mother Nikolitsa Tsafou was in charge of communications for the archdiocese.
From a very young age, he loved politics and this is linked to his roots, as he says.
“I grew up being proud of Greek traditions and knowing that I contributed to the United States. I loved the fact that my name was bigger than all the others,” he emphasizes.
His grandmother, Margarita, emigrated to the United States in 1931. The other relatives stayed behind and lived through the Nazi atrocities. In January 1944, the Germans captured men from the village, threatening to kill them all, including his great-grandfather and his sons. Although they were eventually released, the family did not escape tragedy. The Germans’ Greek partners wanted to avenge those who had participated in the Resistance and burned their houses, including those of his ancestors.
“I’m Greek as can be,” Stephanopoulos said after learning all the details.
“It humbles me because I hope I would do the same thing in their situation,” he added.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5Ao_IcP0ec
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