The sign at "Hollywood Historic Site No. 38" has its facts wrong, Brian Christie says. And he ought to know, he says, because Hollywood's first "modern" luxury hotel was his great-grandfather's doing. If the historical record can be believed, Christie has rich family roots.

The 52-year-old West Hills resident has traced them back to 1740, when Capt. John Christie was born in Scotland and later migrated to the United States where he fought in the Revolutionary War. The captain's son was captured by Native Americans in what is now Pennsylvania and held for 18 months until he was released for ransom, Christie said.

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