Edward Norton is direct descendant of Pocahontas, records confirm

Genealogical records reviewed on the show Finding Your Roots reveal that Pocahontas, the mythologized 17th-century Native American woman, is the 12th great-grandmother of actor Edward Norton.

Pocahontas, the daughter of a Powhatan chief, welcomed British settlers to present-day Virginia in the early 17th century. According to legend, she saved the life of Captain John Smith, stopping his execution by placing her head on his. She married Englishman John Rolfe in 1614 and died three years later in Gravesend, England, according to records. They had a son, Thomas, in 1615.