Kurt Russell is part of one of the most iconic (and beloved) Hollywood families, shared with longtime partner Goldie Hawn.
However, as it turns out, there's a lot more room for the Russell patriarch's clan to grow, based on a recent discovery that his roots go as far back as the American Revolutionary War in the 18th century.
Over the Fourth of July weekend, Kurt, 74, and his son Boston Russell, 45, (Kurt shares Boston with his ex-wife Season Hubley) paid a visit to his ancestral home in Arlington, Massachusetts to learn more about an ancestor.
It turns out the Hollywood icon is the great-grandson eight times removed of American militiaman Jason Russell, who fought in the American Revolutionary War and fell in combat on the first day of the war after he was shot by British soldiers retreating from Lexington and Concord.
Kurt paid a visit to the Jason Russell House and Museum over the weekend with Boston and learned more about his legacy. "He was shot twice and bayonetted at least 11 times," he told press, per Military Times.
"He was 59 with a lame leg, yet he defended his home. He died on the doorstep, yelling things at the British you can't print. He was a badass dude, and I'm digging it!" The older Russell fought at Arlington, then known as Menotomy, just nine miles northwest of Boston.
As it turns out, Kurt was contacted earlier this year by Arlington 250 about whether he could join an event celebrating the Revolutionary War, and while he was unable to attend, the discovery of his connection turned out to be a surprise.
"I was stunned by [the news]," Kurt shared. "I don't know why, but this was never talked about in our family." The timing proved to be fortuitous, however, as his sons were doing their own digging then too. "About the same time, my sons Boston and Wyatt were researching our ancestry and stumbled across him."
Wyatt, who turned 39 a few days after the event, couldn't attend, but Boston did. "I was looking at one branch of the family while Wyatt's search took him to Jason Russell," he shared. "He was right and I was wrong."
As the story goes, Jason was nearing 60 at the time and was therefore ineligible for active duty. However, he was forced to defend his home along with other militiamen when the British retreated through Menotomy, but he was able to get his wife Elizabeth and son Noah to safety.
Jason was unable to retreat after being shot at twice by the British, and when they discovered him, he was repeatedly stabbed. Kurt and Boston also visited their ancestor's grave at the Old Burying Ground and then went to the Boston Pops concert in Boston.
Kurt added: "He was a farmer. He wasn't looking for trouble, but trouble came to him. He was ready to defend his home. I'm so glad Boston and I came here to learn about him."