Liv Tyler tonight uncovers a mystery that has surrounded her family for generations — as she delves into historical records on Who Do You Think You Are?
The new insight relates to the lineage of her grandmother Susan Blancha, the mother of her father Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler, who also appears on the episode.
During her research, with help from genealogists, Lord of the Rings star Liv, 39, finds out that one ancestor was a soldier who fought in and survived two of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War.
She manages to trace her family history back to her great-great-great grandfather Robert Elliott who was, according to DNA explained, a drummer boy in the War of 1812 — which meant he was essentially a child at the time, and would beat drums to issue commands to troops.
It was his son, George Washington Elliott, who served at two of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, Antietam — which saw 22,000 casualties — and Gettysburg, in which 23,000 people died.
During the episode Liv and Steve also visit a cemetery and the grave of Eliza Elliott, who was born in 1849 and died in 1916.
And she finds out her family have a half African-American relative…
The Who Do You Think You? season finale airs tonight at 8/7c on TLC.