Germanna Foundation

Preserving the historic heritage of the original settlers of the Fort Germanna Colonies in Virginia

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You are here: Home / Genealogy / Actor Neil Patrick Harris Learns of His Germanna Roots on PBS

Actor Neil Patrick Harris Learns of His Germanna Roots on PBS

February 23, 2016 By Germanna

We were excited to watch the Germanna Foundation’s nation-wide television debut of the “The Pioneers” episode of the PBS series Finding Your Roots.

In “The Pioneers” episode, five-time Emmy Award winner Neil Patrick Harris was surprised to learn that one of his ancestors – Gertrud Stuell, an ancestor many Germanna descendants have in common with him – was tried and executed as a witch in Germany after her trial starting in October 1588. Neil is a descendant of Gertrud through Ellsbeth Otterbach, wife of Germanna colonist Peter Hitt.

Neil Patrick Harris looks at pictures of Trupbach, Germany as Henry Louis Gates, Jr. reveals his Germanna ancestry.
Neil Patrick Harris looks at pictures of Trupbach, Germany as Henry Louis Gates, Jr. reveals his Germanna ancestry. The Germanna Foundation’s “Back to Germany” trips have visited Trupbach for many years.
Geneaology of Neil Patrick Harris, Finding Your Roots
Geneaology of Neil Patrick Harris (Screen grab from PBS “Finding Your Roots”)

If you missed it, check your local listings for additional air dates or watch it here (the German ancestry story of Neil starts at 44:45 in the episode):

The Germanna Foundation worked with the producers to research and document information for this episode of Finding Your Roots, summarized in a Book of Life presentation to Neil Patrick Harris by host Henry Louis Gates, Jr., from 2014 until the first broadcast date of February 23, 2016.

In gratitude for working with the producers of this program since 2014, the producers gave on-air credits for the research team assembled by the Germanna Foundation from five U.S. states and Germany: Cathi Clore Frost, Barbara Gregory Price, Katharine Brown, Elke Hall, John Blankenbaker, Gerhard Moisel, Horst Schneider, and Russell Hitt.

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Germanna Foundation Trustee, Board Secretary, and Genealogist Cathi Clore Frost told the Culpeper Star-Exponent, “Although I was the main contact with producers, gathering the documentation was definitely a group effort.  It made me fully appreciate my Germanna friends here in the U.S. and in Germany.  The producers needed the documentation in a very short time frame and we were able to get it for them, including records from the church archives in Siegen, Germany,” shared Frost.  “We also shared with them the story of Gertrud who was executed for being a witch and was ultimately featured in the episode.”

More information on Gertrud Stuell’s family can be found in the Germanna Foundation’s Ancestry and Descendants of the Nassau-Siegen Immigrants to Virginia 1714-1750.

Are you related to Neil Patrick Harris? Check out his Germanna family tree (pdf)!  Germanna Foundation membership includes access to the extensive Germanna descendant database maintained at GermannaFamily.org (learn more about membership) to see how you may be related, create genealogical charts, and learn more about Neil’s roots.  Come to our annual conference and reunion in July to learn about how Germanna Foundation membership may be able to find your own roots.

You can help support Germanna’s 2016 archaeology field season through our “Sponsor an Explorer Grid” program in honor of a famiy member, colleague, or association.

Find out how Germanna Foundation Genealogist Cathi Clore Frost compiled the research for the TV show with the assistance of many Germanna friends and highlights about what she found:

Additional Information

Neil Patrick Harris biography

Germanna Family Tree of Neil Patrick Harris (pdf)

The Germanna Ancestry of Neil Patrick Harris (pdf)

Finding Your Roots, Episode 8: The Pioneers

Database of Germanna Descendants

Inter-relatedness of 1714 Germanna colonists

Germanna DNA Project

Germanna Books

Germanna Foundation helps actor trace his German roots (Culpeper Star-Exponent)

 

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Filed Under: Genealogy, Germanna Blog, In the News, People

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Research your Germanna roots! Become a member of the Germanna Foundation to get access to Germanna’s exclusive genealogy database with thousands of names.

gertrips1Travel to Germany with the Germanna Foundation

Germanna Foundation’s Mission and Stewardship

The Germanna Foundation tells America’s story of liberty through the frontier experience of her settlers and descendants using archaeological, historical, and genealogical research and interpretation. We are stewards over these important properties:

  • Fort Germanna Visitor Center campus which includes a Museum, Genealogy Library, the Hitt Archaeology Center, and the Germanna Memorial Garden
  • Siegen Forest – 170-acre Hiking and Nature Trails along the Rapidan river
  • 1714/1717 Fort Germanna Archaeology Site
  • Virginia Lt. Gov. Alexander Spotswood’s home “Enchanted Castle” Archaeology Site
  • 1757 Georgian-style Salubria Manor
  • 1800 Peter Hitt Farm

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GR #5: Ancestry and Descendants of the Nassau-Siegen Immigrants to Virginia, 1714-1750.

Germanna Record #5

Germanna 101

Watch a video about the history of the Germanna Colonies in America.

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Missed our conference that attendees are raving about? Watch the sessions on-demand! Click on graphic for session information and registration links.

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Become a member of the Germanna Foundation and get access to Germanna’s exclusive genealogy database, GermannaFamily.org, with thousands of names. Research your Germanna roots!

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Germanna Foundation

The Germanna Foundation
MAILING: P.O. Box 279
LOCATION: 2062 Germanna Highway
Locust Grove, VA 22508-0279
Phone: 540-423-1700
Fax: 540-423-1747
Contact Us Page

Remember the Germanna Foundation in your Will and Estate Plans.

Fort Germanna Visitor Center, Museum & Library

2062 Germanna Highway (Route 3)
Locust Grove, VA 22508
(Next to the Germanna Community College campus)

Hours of Operation:
Monday-Friday, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
CLOSED Saturday and Sunday

Advanced reservations are required to use the library. Research time limited to 2 hours.

Masks are required in the Visitor Center at all times. Please maintain 6 feet distance. Limit of 4 people in the library; 5 people in the museum.

Out of town visitors are urged to call us at 540-423-1700 to confirm or to make special arrangements for groups.

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Hike Siegen Forest!

Behind the Fort Germanna Visitor Center is our 170-acre Siegen Forest nature and hiking trails along the Rapidan river. Trails continue to be OPEN. When visiting the trails, please practice “Leave no Trace” ethos and maintain proper social distancing. If you enjoy the trails, consider donating to the Germanna Foundation to help support their upkeep.

 

About

The Germanna Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to exploring the Colonial Virginia frontier via the historic 1714 Fort Germanna and its German colonists and their descendants.

It conducts archaeological exploration and conservation, genealogical research and publishing, and historic preservation and interpretation.

The Foundation owns and maintains several historic sites and properties, such as Salubria Manor, that were part of or closely connected to the Germanna colonies, the town of Germanna, and the other early colonial Virginia settlements and towns in the Piedmont area of Virginia.

Copyright © 2021 The Memorial Foundation of the Germanna Colonies in Virginia Inc. (The Germanna Foundation) | Website by CJKCREATIVE.COM

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