Modern Family‘s Ed O’Neill is learning a little bit more about his real family in the latest episode of PBS‘s Finding Your Roots, and we have an exclusive first look.
The actor who is also known for playing Al Bundy in Married… with Children, is sitting down with Henry Louis Gates Jr. to uncover his past, particularly the bravery of his ancestor Bridget Tyrrell, whose remarkable acts of kindness, bravery, and care during the Civil War are still remembered.
(Credit: PBS)
In the clip above, O’Neill reads her obituary, provided to him by Gates Jr., who notes the year of publication to be 1897, decades after the Civil War ended. Reading aloud, O’Neill relays the obituary’s highlighted sections, saying, “During the late war, Mrs. Tyrrell had two sons and 15 nephews in the northern army and made several trips to the southern battlefields to administer to their wants. Many a dying solider blessed her for her kindness and care with their last breath.”
According to O’Neill, this estimation of Mrs. Tyrrell rings true with the picture he had in his mind. “So that was sort of what I thought,” he says in reaction to the obituary. ” So, that was sort of what I thought was a big part of her job. It would be,” O’Neill stated.
“It was holding people’s hands who were staring into the terror of death,” Gates Jr. confirmed.
“Oh my god, that’s incredible,” O’Neill remarked, adding, “That’s moving.”
“I don’t know what she was like to live with, but she performed nobly,” Gates Jr. echoed.
To see how the entirety of O’Neill’s episode and ancestral deep dive unfold, don’t miss the latest episode of Finding Your Roots, which will arrive on January 23. Stay tuned for more revealing segments and episodes as the ongoing season continues on PBS.
Finding Your Roots, Tuesdays, 8/7c, PBS
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