Clarksville family mysteries solved on Genealogy Roadshow

Nicole June Reporting
njune@clarksvillenow.com

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Murder, prostitution, liquor, and politics – this may sound like the beginning of a bestselling novel, but it is actually the result of a new show on PBS that helps families trace their ancestry.

Genealogy Roadshow’s first episode will feature families from the Clarksville area, as well as a local genealogist, Angela Rodesky.

Rodesky said many of the show’s revelations will shock viewers, particularly in relation to a well-known name in the state of Tennessee. However, she has been sworn to secrecy prior to the airing of the episode and cannot reveal the family’s identity. “There will be mixed emotions on the results of this,” she said.

Family members with questions pertaining to their family tree submit letters or documents to PBS, and genealogists within each area are assigned to the task of uncovering the truth. “That’s what I like about this show, they take individuals who are not in the spotlight and we do the research for them and get the answers. Some of them find connections to individuals who would be in the spotlight,” Rodesky said.

She began her career about nine years ago while she and her family were stationed in Germany. While her husband was deployed, she wrote stories for her children to pass the time. Rodesky said she would purchase old diaries and letters online and base the stories on their contents. “As I was doing this, I realized that these individuals have families, there is a story right there that I can find more about,” she said. “That’s how I started, by researching the stories I was writing.”

Rodesky eventually began to research her own family, and the business grew from there. She finds it most rewarding when she is able to answer a family’s burning questions, even if it isn’t always the most desirable outcome. “It’s about solving a family mystery,” she said.

Genealogy Roadshow airs Monday, Sept. 23 on PBS at 8 p.m. local time. For more information about Angela Rodesky and her company ARodesky Genealogy, email her at arodesky@gmail.com.