Amanda Seyfried is shocked by ‘soap opera’ twist in her family’s past: ‘These poor people’
Amanda Seyfried has starred in her fair share of dramatic roles, but had no idea that her distant relative’s life was like something out of a soap opera.
While appearing on the PBS series “Finding Your Roots,” the 39-year-old made some shocking discoveries about her family.
With the help of the show’s host, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Seyfried traced her ancestry back four generations and learned about a relative named John Peter Ebert who was born in Germany in 1844.
After immigrating to the U.S., Ebert found work as a baker in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where Seyfried grew up. Ebert later married a woman named Amanda and started a family.
“He’s created his own kingdom,” Seyfried marveled in the episode that aired on Jan. 7.
Sadly, Ebert’s story doesn’t have a happy ending. Seyfried’s ancestor was shot and killed while leaving his home one day — a tragedy that was news to Seyfried.
“It’s weird. I don’t know him but he’s family and I’m just like, ‘How dare they!’ Like, find justice,” Seyfried said.
The search for Ebert’s killer became a major news story, dredging up Ebert’s past. Police discovered that Ebert had fathered an illegitimate son named Herbert, who soon became a prime suspect.
Ebert’s widow Amanda reluctantly revealed that her late husband had previously had an affair with a woman named Mary who lived in a public home for the poor. Ebert met Mary while working in the public home as a baker. Allegedly, Ebert was then let go from his job. Unbeknownst to Ebert, Mary got pregnant and gave up their son for adoption. She went on to marry and kept her son’s father’s identity a secret.
When Herbert’s identity was made public following Ebert’s death, he was able to provide an alibi. He told local police that he was under the impression that a man named Peter Ebert was his father, and that he had only met him once. When Herbert read in the newspaper that he was a suspect in Ebert’s death, he realized he was his father.
Seyfried described the story as a “soap opera” and said, “These poor people.”
Reflecting on the effects this scandal must have had on Amanda and Mary, Seyfried described the situation as “so twisted.”
“To harbor that and know you have this kid out in the world. Horrible. Hard,” the actor said. “It’s just gotta feel like a knife in the stomach being twisted every day.”
Eventually, police discovered that Ebert was shot by a neighbor in a failed robbery attempt. Looking back on her ancestor’s infidelity and eventual fate, Seyfried offered the following reflections.
“He was a human. He made a mistake. He put some lives in turmoil and he had to make choices. He had a lot of kids and a business and he wanted to keep his life, and he made choices that ensured that his life would be saved. Selfish as that is, he was also protecting his kids so I can turn that story around. He didn’t have to be shot,” she said.
“Nobody deserved that,” Gates said.
The show’s host traced Seyfried’s family tree back seven more generations and discovered the name of her 10th great-great-grandfather: Simon Ebert. Knowing that she had such deep roots in one area dating back to the 16th century made Seyfried pause and reflect for a moment.
“It makes me feel very grounded, a part of something, I guess,” she said.
