SOUND OFF World Exclusive: Genealogist George Ott On Josh Groban's Fascinating Family History As Seen On TLC's WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?

By: Mar. 15, 2015
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Today BroadwayWorld presents a special spotlight on the fascinating genealogy of one of the most popular figures in the performing arts, Josh Groban!

This Sunday's episode of TLC's hit ancestry-based series WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? focuses on world renowned chart-topping music superstar Josh Groban and I was lucky enough to get to discuss the finer points of the fascinating episode with one of the most notable genealogists in his field, George Ott.

Of note, Ott is a professional genealogist who works with Ancestry.com's noted research group, AncestryProGenealogists. Furthermore, AncestryProGenealogists have helped people trace their family trees and connect with the past for more than 15 years. The team has grown to become the largest service of its kind, supporting research for TLC's Emmy-nominated WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?

Ott exclusively shares of Groban's unique background and the surprising musical connections between six generations, "The ancestry was traced back through Josh's second great-grandmother, Maryann Zimmerman, to an early ancestor six generations back to a man named Johann Jacob Zimmerman, who was born in 1642 in Germany. That would make him Josh's ninth great-grandfather. Johann Jacob Zimmerman was born in a town called Vaihingen and even through he was from a very middle-class family, he ends up going to the university. The university he attended is in Stift. What was found at the archive in Stift was that he graduated and then went to graduate school to be a minister, but he was also heavily involved in mathematics and also involved in music."

Furthermore, Ott reveals, "At this university, they didn't have music teachers, but if there were people working on their masters who were interested in music, then they would have them teach music at the university. Most of the music at the time that was being taught was singing - they weren't teaching instruments, they were mostly teaching singing. Basically, there was a manuscript there in the Stift archives at the school that showed his report card and what he was involved with in mathematics and then it also showed that he was also involved with music, as well. As you can imagine, that quite excited Josh."

Ott also adds, "There was a book that was published in 1640 - a music book - that we are pretty sure he used at the time to teach singing, as well. It was the main book that was used in the 1670s to teach music when he was there - that is undoubtedly the book that he would have used. So, we got the book and Josh was quite excited when he got to hold the actual book in his hands that his ancestor used to teach singing. Obviously, his ancestor sang, as well."

Be sure to visit Ancestry.com for even more fascinating insight into the background of historical figures and even your own family's unique history.

Josh Groban on WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? airs tonight on TLC.

More information on TLC's WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? is available at the official site here.

View a preview clip of Josh Groban on TLC's WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? below.

Photo Credit: TLC


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