Genealogy Roadshow features participants from a wide variety of American cities. Season one saw the team heading to Nashville, Detroit, San Francisco and Austin. Philadelpha, New Orleans and St. Louis were up in season 2. And season 3 brough the team to six cities: Boston, Providence, Los Angeles, Albuquerque, Miami, and Houston. All these travels feature people who want to explore unverified genealogical claims, passed down through family history, that may (or may not) connect them to an event or a historical figure. These cities were chosen as American crossroads of culture, diversity, industry and history, with deep pools of potential participants and stories. After participants are chosen, experts in genealogy, history and DNA use family heirlooms, letters, pictures, historical documents and other clues to hunt down more information.

These experts enlist the help of local historians to add color and context to the investigations, ensuring every artifact and every name becomes a clue in solving the mystery. Many answers will be revealed on camera before a local audience, in a historic building relevant to the cities’ — and the participants’ — histories.