Roots Less Traveled

Pairs of family members, often from different generations, set out on adventures to solve mysteries from their family trees and grow closer as they gain wisdom not only about themselves, but also about how their past has helped shape their present.
Watch Along: Best of Season 1
S4 E1

Following three families, as an aunt and nephew discover their ties to the Brooklyn Bridge; siblings learn their ancestor owned a fleet of whaling ships; and a father and daughter learn their ancestor was a Union soldier during the Civil War.

Watch Along With Kevin & Mary
S4 E3

Kevin and Mary look back on their Kentucky journey, where they learned of the monumental court case and arduous trek across three states that led to an enslaved ancestor's freedom and the start of the American dream.

Watch Along With Jimmie & Katie
S4 E4

Jimmie and Katie reminisce about discovering more of their Japanese heritage on their family history journey, which starts in 1890s Japan, continues to California's central valley farmlands in the 1940s and includes a decorated soldier.

Watch Along With Gwendolyn & Gabrielle
S4 E5

Gwendolyn and Gabrielle look back at their ancestor's surprising route to freedom on one of the most significant days of President Abraham Lincoln's presidency and remember their ancestor's bravery as a Civil War hero with the U.S. Colored Troops.

The Desire for Freedom
S3 E1

A poignant journey starts from an enslaved family's Kentucky roots and their progression to freedom through a monumental court case, an arduous trek across three states and the start of the American dream.

Finding Freedom in South Jersey
S3 E2

The Truitt family learns that its African American ancestors were farmers and landowners pre-emancipation with the help from an amazing family of Quakers.

Akin to Ambition
S3 E3

A brother and sister learn their cousin gave the keys to Mexico City to JFK; an uncle and nephew learn about their family's connection to downtown Havana, Cuba; a mother and son learn their African American ancestor owned land before the Civil War.

Family Surprises
S3 E4

An aunt and nephew learn they have family ties to the Brooklyn Bridge; siblings learn their ancestor went from debtors' prison to owning a fleet of whaling ships; a father and daughter learn their ancestor was a Union soldier in the Civil War.

True Family Bonding
S3 E5

Faruq Tauheed hosts as brother and sister Jimmy and Katie seek out their Japanese heritage beginning in 1890s Japan, then in San Francisco, and finally in the farmlands of the Central Valley of California in the 1940s.

The Price of Freedom
S3 E6

Gwendolyn and her daughter, Gabrielle, discover that her great-grandfather was liberated on one of the most significant days of President Abraham Lincoln's presidency and later became a hero with the U.S. Colored Troops 1st Infantry in the Civil War.

For Country and Family
S3 E8

Siblings seek their Japanese heritage beginning in 1890s Japan then in California's farmlands in the 1940s; a mother and daughter discover their ancestor was freed from enslavement by President Lincoln and became a Civil War hero.

Watch Along With Michelle & Rob
S2 E1

Half-siblings Michelle and Rob relive their journey to Mexico City, where they discovered they were related to a famous Mexican political family, and they share how it felt to learn their cousin died on the Titanic after giving up his lifeboat seat.

Watch Along With Al & JR
S2 E3

Uncle and nephew Al and JR revisit their journey to Havana, Cuba, where they explored the 32 blocks of downtown that their ancestor helped develop and share how the journey allowed them to reconnect in ways they couldn't have imagined.

Watch Along With Evan & Scott
S2 E4

Grandpa Evan and grandson Scott revisit their time in Billings, Mont., where they learned that their relatives cultivated 160 acres thanks to the Homestead Act of 1862, as well as their journey down the Yellowstone River to go gemstone hunting.

Watch Along With Ashley & Elliot
S2 E5

Siblings Ashley and Elliott reminisce about their trip to Martha's Vineyard, Mass., where they sailed on a boat much like the one their ancestor was taken prisoner on during the Revolutionary War and visited an inn with special family ties.

Watch Along With Tammy & Julian
S2 E7

Aunt Tammy and nephew Julian revisit the ancestral journey they took through Brooklyn; sharing what it was like to try their hand at ironworking after learning their ancestor was a key player in building and maintaining the Brooklyn Bridge.

Watch Along with Faruq
S2 E8

Faruq Tauheed looks back at memorable moments, including a cousin who gave the keys to Mexico City to John F. Kennedy, a grandfather who owned 32 blocks in Havana, Cuba, and an African American ancestor who owned Tennessee land before the Civil War.

Connecting to a Landmark Court Case
S1 E3

Mom and son Sharee and Davone travel to Nashville, Tenn., where they learn that their fourth great-grandfather Larkin Ford was a part of an 1840s landmark Tennessee case in which he was awarded the farm that he worked on as a slave.

Connecting to Millions
S1 E5

An uncle and his nephew travel to Havana, Cuba, to learn about the uncle's grandfather, who owned and developed 34 blocks of downtown Havana, including the now-famous suburban neighborhood Buena Vista, but lost his riches in a political coup.

Connecting to the Civil War
S1 E6

Father and daughter Paul and Kalina visit a Civil War battleground in Virginia to discover Paul's great-grandfather Austin D. Springer was a Union Army drummer boy who was taken prisoner by the Confederate Army but escaped and hid in slave huts.

Connecting to the Past
S1 E8

Host Faruq Tauheed looks back at memorable moments, including a relative who gave John F. Kennedy the keys to Mexico City, a connection to downtown Havana, Cuba, and an African American ancestor who owned land in Tennessee before the Civil War.