I found out my Father killed a man, after he was dead, he only ever told my younger brother about it,
he was in the Army at the time,... my father was I mean,
he was posted to some middle eastern country n the 60s, Aden I think it was, there was a riot, my dad was one of the soldiers ordered out onto the streets to control the riot,
one chap was about to throw a petrol bomb, my dad was ordered to shoot him, he did so,
it upset him for years, he even found the man's family and sent money and food to his wife and children,
I also found out that my granddad spent 6 month in prison during WW2,
he had been a prisoner of war in WW1, and was badly treated by the Germans, he had tried to escape twice and was badly beaten, and told that they would shoot him and 3 other men if he tried to escape again,
when the second world war broke out he was a coal miner, they weren't allowed to join the army they had to stay in the mines,
so he 'ran off' and tried to join up under false name,
(he didn't like the Germans my granddad and he wanted to 'have a go' at them again)
they found out who he was just before D day, and he was put on trial and sent down for 6 months,
When researching my family tree I found that my great grandparents werent married when my grandfather was born, a very shocking thing in Victorian times, another relative has a theory that my great grandmother worked as a maid in the local lords mansion and that he had his wicked way with the servant girls,so my great grandfather might be a lord.:o
One of my ancestor's nephews hacked his wife's head with an axe, his family had managed to get him released from an asylum a few weeks before it happened, he ended up being sent back and died there, obviously.
My grt grandmothers husband ran off with his secretary in about 1930. They had 4 children and lived about 50 miles from where his wife and 2 daughters lived. His wife wouldn't divorce him, so the 4 kids were born out of wedlock. One of the illegitimate daughters contacted my Mum a few years ago. She was 68 when she found out her parents weren't married. It had really shocked her.
My Mum has done a fair bit on her family tree. Loads of "base born" children and early deaths. Best one is that her fathers grandfather was a defrocked priest. He'd had an affair with a parishioner!
Got a grt uncles service record from WW2- he said he was in the Army in India. That bits right, he didn't say he was in the Entertainment section doing his bit in drag. He was a totally straight laced homophobe who had no time for entertainment of any variety, would love a photo of him.
I would love to know more about my family history. My dad, when he was alive, told me that he once asked my grandad about our family history and apparently my grandad got really angry and would not tell my dad anything.
I'd love to know why he would not tell my dad about our family history. There must be a hell of a skelton in the family closet.
I found out when I was about 14 that my nana who I was very close to, was really my great nana and the woman I called aunty was actually my 'real' nana. Nothing really changed though, in my eyes nana was still nana and aunty was still aunty (my 'aunty' was my nana's daughter, she had my mum when she was unmarried and my nana brought her up as her own. Mum still regards my nana as her mum and to all intents she was)
My greatgrandfather tried to push my grandmother out a window when she was a child. and he sexualy abused her.
my dad said he slept with a friend of his mum's, who was in her late 30's when he was 13. :eek:
my granddad beat my aunt up. don't know the reason why. I can't remember. but she was drunk one night, and told everybody that he had beaten the hell out of her, some years ago. she must have been about 27 at the time of the attack.
My mum was engaged to someone else before she met my bad. One of my mum's nephews supposedly ended up in some sort of approved school for hitting his mother who was trying to physically attack his grandmother.
I found out when I was about 14 that my nana who I was very close to, was really my great nana and the woman I called aunty was actually my 'real' nana. Nothing really changed though, in my eyes nana was still nana and aunty was still aunty (my 'aunty' was my nana's daughter, she had my mum when she was unmarried and my nana brought her up as her own. Mum still regards my nana as her mum and to all intents she was)
ah, so you thought this aunty was your mum's sister, but she was really her mum.
this isn't a secret, but my granny's mum was one of 14 children. jesus christ. they had big families in those days, but still.
so my granny has about 50 first cousins.
I like to think I'm a little too adult to discuss personal family stuff with strangers. So far you have potrayed your family to be quite strange, even dysfunctional. Just my opinion.
depends on how old the personal family stuff is. I wouldnt write about things happening now, but as far as what my ancestors got up to (and yes ive found lots of skeletons in the closet in my family history ! ) im not accountable for what my ancestors did 200 yrs ago. to be honest i find it rather refreshing that they werent all prim and proper and theres some exciting stories to be told. I think if everyone dug back 200 yrs everyones got a strange family
depends on how old the personal family stuff is. I wouldnt write about things happening now, but as far as what my ancestors got up to (and yes ive found lots of skeletons in the closet in my family history ! ) im not accountable for what my ancestors did 200 yrs ago. to be honest i find it rather refreshing that they werent all prim and proper and theres some exciting stories to be told. I think if everyone dug back 200 yrs everyones got a strange family
You're not wrong there! Anyone who thinks their family has always behaved properly, obviously hasn't researched them well enough
You're not wrong there! Anyone who thinks their family has always behaved properly, obviously hasn't researched them well enough
Lol - that's certainly true! I've been researching both my maternal and paternal lines, and my husband has been researching his too. Every time we open a cupboard door, another load of bones clatters to the floor, it seems! It also seems that the more straitlaced the ancestor is publically, the more secrets are hidden away!
I asked my dad about starting a simple family tree, but he gave me so basic info which I pretty much knew (aunts, uncles). But kept it so vague - wouldn't give dob or dod in some cases. Doesn't help theres 9children each side of my parents and they're in/reaching early 60s... They are all over the world sours also harder to keep in touch and that.
But I do think there's quite a few secrets going on which they aren't telling us! Ill honestly think it relates to my brother and his girlfriend - short story; parents very disapprove as they and her parents come from the same 'very' small island and share the same last name. But her parents are sure they're not related at all. They're just scared how others will view them tbh
So interesting but I honestly don't think I'll get anywhere with this anytime soon. I wish my family were more open!
I have a relative who was genuinely eaten by a lion in Africa. It's not a shocking secret, but I find it quite amusing actually.
This reminded me of when I used to clean for a lady in a big house about 30 years ago. I knew she had been married twice and had been widowed twice and one day when she was chatting to me about her first husband I asked her what he died of. Now I knew that they lived in Africa for many years so I should have been more cautious. "He was eaten by a crocodile",she said and I'm afraid I laughed and said,"No, what did he really die of?" She had to show me his death certificate in the end and then I felt awful because apparently they had a row the night before and in the night she wrote an apology and put it by his bed because he was leaving early to fish in a lake but he never opened it and along came the crocodile.
I asked my dad about starting a simple family tree, but he gave me so basic info which I pretty much knew (aunts, uncles). But kept it so vague - wouldn't give dob or dod in some cases. Doesn't help theres 9children each side of my parents and they're in/reaching early 60s... They are all over the world sours also harder to keep in touch and that.
But I do think there's quite a few secrets going on which they aren't telling us! Ill honestly think it relates to my brother and his girlfriend - short story; parents very disapprove as they and her parents come from the same 'very' small island and share the same last name. But her parents are sure they're not related at all. They're just scared how others will view them tbh
So interesting but I honestly don't think I'll get anywhere with this anytime soon. I wish my family were more open!
Lol - that's certainly true! I've been researching both my maternal and paternal lines, and my husband has been researching his too. Every time we open a cupboard door, another load of bones clatters to the floor, it seems! It also seems that the more straitlaced the ancestor is publically, the more secrets are hidden away!
One branch of my family were called a nest of rogues, who wanted to pin all their crimes on someone else, in the 1840's newspapers. The account made them sound like the mafia - trying to corrupt anyone who married into 'The Family'.;)
Before I started genealogy, the only thing I had from that entire line was a photo of my grandmother, taken around 1918, standing with her hand on... a Bible.:D
Found out that my grandfather was in the IRA around the time of the Easter Rising, and was wanted by the British and had a price on his head. (He fled to Germany and didn't return to Ireland until the Treaty was enacted. He arrived back in Ireland in 1922, was conscripted into the army just in time for the outbreak of the civil war)
There is a persistent rumour in the family that my grandmother committed suicide (overdose), but the mother denies it.
I know that my mother was sectioned when I was born, and 2 of my brothers went into care, but no one will reveal the full story to me. The mother denies it, of course.
I think i'm going to have to admit defeat and admit that my ancestors are boring on both sides!,loving reading all your stories on here .I've found nothing of the sort,no criminals, no rogues just plain honest working folk ,how boring! .The only reference in a paper i found was one my great great x i dont know many grandfather being the oldest living person on the isle of sheppey ! He died aged 99 in the mid 19th century ! 99 in those days!,he must have been some kind of sideshow ! 'come visit the worlds oldest man! '
There a couple of mysteries ,one that will never be solved because the secret was buried with them! and another that no matter now many times I Just can't work it out! One my great great great grandmothers parents were married four years after she was born ,but on her birth record she has his surname but he isn't listed as her father ,there is no father at all!? I've checked a 1000 times and records i have found are only ones that can be them! .She was also born in the workhouse
I would love to know more about my family history. My dad, when he was alive, told me that he once asked my grandad about our family history and apparently my grandad got really angry and would not tell my dad anything.
I'd love to know why he would not tell my dad about our family history. There must be a hell of a skelton in the family closet.
Something similar happened when one of my OHs relatives tried to traace the family tree.
She says she found something so bad that she wouldn't tell anyone.
All she said is that the surname they are now known as was not the original surname and they had to change it because of what had happened!:eek:
It's quite intriguing, but slightly worrying too:o
I found out when I was about 14 that my nana who I was very close to, was really my great nana and the woman I called aunty was actually my 'real' nana. Nothing really changed though, in my eyes nana was still nana and aunty was still aunty (my 'aunty' was my nana's daughter, she had my mum when she was unmarried and my nana brought her up as her own. Mum still regards my nana as her mum and to all intents she was)
I had a similar one to that. When my nan died, I found out that my great-aunt (my nan's "sister") was actually just my aunt, and therefor my mum's half-sister, not her aunt which is what I thought. My nan had had her at 16, and her parents decided to raise her as their own, so my nan would still be involved in her life.
It didn't really seem strange that my nan was nearly 20 years old than my "great-aunt", my mum herself is 12 years younger than her oldest brother, and 11 years younger than her other brother. My mum wasn't planned!
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he was in the Army at the time,... my father was I mean,
he was posted to some middle eastern country n the 60s, Aden I think it was, there was a riot, my dad was one of the soldiers ordered out onto the streets to control the riot,
one chap was about to throw a petrol bomb, my dad was ordered to shoot him, he did so,
it upset him for years, he even found the man's family and sent money and food to his wife and children,
I also found out that my granddad spent 6 month in prison during WW2,
he had been a prisoner of war in WW1, and was badly treated by the Germans, he had tried to escape twice and was badly beaten, and told that they would shoot him and 3 other men if he tried to escape again,
when the second world war broke out he was a coal miner, they weren't allowed to join the army they had to stay in the mines,
so he 'ran off' and tried to join up under false name,
(he didn't like the Germans my granddad and he wanted to 'have a go' at them again)
they found out who he was just before D day, and he was put on trial and sent down for 6 months,
I am DAMN proud of him,
My Mum has done a fair bit on her family tree. Loads of "base born" children and early deaths. Best one is that her fathers grandfather was a defrocked priest. He'd had an affair with a parishioner!
Got a grt uncles service record from WW2- he said he was in the Army in India. That bits right, he didn't say he was in the Entertainment section doing his bit in drag. He was a totally straight laced homophobe who had no time for entertainment of any variety, would love a photo of him.
I'd love to know why he would not tell my dad about our family history. There must be a hell of a skelton in the family closet.
my dad said he slept with a friend of his mum's, who was in her late 30's when he was 13. :eek:
my granddad beat my aunt up. don't know the reason why. I can't remember. but she was drunk one night, and told everybody that he had beaten the hell out of her, some years ago. she must have been about 27 at the time of the attack.
ah, so you thought this aunty was your mum's sister, but she was really her mum.
so my granny has about 50 first cousins.
depends on how old the personal family stuff is. I wouldnt write about things happening now, but as far as what my ancestors got up to (and yes ive found lots of skeletons in the closet in my family history ! ) im not accountable for what my ancestors did 200 yrs ago. to be honest i find it rather refreshing that they werent all prim and proper and theres some exciting stories to be told. I think if everyone dug back 200 yrs everyones got a strange family
You're not wrong there! Anyone who thinks their family has always behaved properly, obviously hasn't researched them well enough
Lol - that's certainly true! I've been researching both my maternal and paternal lines, and my husband has been researching his too. Every time we open a cupboard door, another load of bones clatters to the floor, it seems! It also seems that the more straitlaced the ancestor is publically, the more secrets are hidden away!
I asked my dad about starting a simple family tree, but he gave me so basic info which I pretty much knew (aunts, uncles). But kept it so vague - wouldn't give dob or dod in some cases. Doesn't help theres 9children each side of my parents and they're in/reaching early 60s...
But I do think there's quite a few secrets going on which they aren't telling us! Ill honestly think it relates to my brother and his girlfriend - short story; parents very disapprove as they and her parents come from the same 'very' small island and share the same last name. But her parents are sure they're not related at all. They're just scared how others will view them tbh
So interesting but I honestly don't think I'll get anywhere with this anytime soon. I wish my family were more open!
This reminded me of when I used to clean for a lady in a big house about 30 years ago. I knew she had been married twice and had been widowed twice and one day when she was chatting to me about her first husband I asked her what he died of. Now I knew that they lived in Africa for many years so I should have been more cautious. "He was eaten by a crocodile",she said and I'm afraid I laughed and said,"No, what did he really die of?" She had to show me his death certificate in the end and then I felt awful because apparently they had a row the night before and in the night she wrote an apology and put it by his bed because he was leaving early to fish in a lake but he never opened it and along came the crocodile.
If your family are Scottish, then Scotlands People is probably your best starting point.. It's pay per view, so it can get quite expensive, however, individual certificates work out cheaper than English ones.
One branch of my family were called a nest of rogues, who wanted to pin all their crimes on someone else, in the 1840's newspapers. The account made them sound like the mafia - trying to corrupt anyone who married into 'The Family'.;)
Before I started genealogy, the only thing I had from that entire line was a photo of my grandmother, taken around 1918, standing with her hand on... a Bible.:D
There is a persistent rumour in the family that my grandmother committed suicide (overdose), but the mother denies it.
I know that my mother was sectioned when I was born, and 2 of my brothers went into care, but no one will reveal the full story to me. The mother denies it, of course.
There a couple of mysteries ,one that will never be solved because the secret was buried with them!
Shocking.
Something similar happened when one of my OHs relatives tried to traace the family tree.
She says she found something so bad that she wouldn't tell anyone.
All she said is that the surname they are now known as was not the original surname and they had to change it because of what had happened!:eek:
It's quite intriguing, but slightly worrying too:o
some things are best left in the past.
I had a similar one to that. When my nan died, I found out that my great-aunt (my nan's "sister") was actually just my aunt, and therefor my mum's half-sister, not her aunt which is what I thought. My nan had had her at 16, and her parents decided to raise her as their own, so my nan would still be involved in her life.
It didn't really seem strange that my nan was nearly 20 years old than my "great-aunt", my mum herself is 12 years younger than her oldest brother, and 11 years younger than her other brother. My mum wasn't planned!
Thanks but they're not xD They both came over here about 30years ago from Hong Kong.
So it's a language barrier thing aswell for me not having as developed Chinese vocabulary.