16.
My nan passed away a couple of years ago after never knowing who her dad was, we recently found out that her favourite uncle- her mums only brother- was also her dad! We all keep that a secret since we have literally come from incest!
15.
My Dad found out about 20 years ago that the man he thought was his father, my grandfather, wasn’t. He was adopted by my grandfather as a baby and it simply wasn’t spoken about until he stumbled upon the papers. This was 1945, single mothers weren’t the thing so I guess he saved my grandma some trouble by doing that. He was a lovely man, I hardly remember him except for him being this happy, smiley yet very quiet man. He dies when I was very small. Anyway. She never, ever told him the truth. Denied it right up until she passed away a few years ago. One of her sisters seemed to think his real Dad was a GI but that’s all that anyone knows. She never told anyone the truth. And it’s a shame because I’ve probably got a whole other interesting and exotic family all the way over in the states and I will never know them.
14.
My dad’s family is very Christian, but I found out that both my grandparents are actually Jewish and, therefore, so is my dad, descended from crypto-Jews. It’s taken a lot of research (luckily I’m a historian), but I finally figured out that they were kicked out of Spain, fled to the Netherlands, and assimilated into Ashkenazi Jewish culture before converting (somewhat) when they immigrated to America, though my dad was raised with Jewish practices under the guise of Christianity. I realized it when I found out that the “Dutch” I grew up speaking was actually Yiddish and that my surname is very Ashkenazi Jewish, as well as being constantly asked if I was Jewish based on features I have, expressions I use, etc. I confronted my grandma about it, and she glanced away and changed the subject. I finally pressed it and she glared at me and said “we DO NOT talk about that”. My aunts, uncles, cousins, and other extended family members also refuse to speak of it. With a little more digging, I found I had relatives who were murdered in the Holocaust and my dad occasionally will bring up a random tidbit about his family’s Jewish practices when he was a kid. To this day, I still don’t know why this is such an unspeakable secret in my family.
13.
Found out I have a half-brother, two years ago. How’d I find out you ask? Some photos he posted onto instagram from his photoshoot popped up on my Instagram feed.. Looking EXACTLY like my dad when he was younger. When I showed my dad this, he immediately turned white, then turned to me and said: “You won’t believe this.. but I have a lot to tell you.”
12.
Let’s just say my great grandmother didn’t have to change her last name when she got married…
11.
My mom’s sister cheated on her husband during a one night stand with a random guy and became pregnant. They both wanted to hide this from their daughter so her soon to be ex-husband signed the birth certificate making it look like he is her father and even raised her and let her live with him when their divorce was finalized. About 20 years later my cousin still doesn’t know even though she looks oddly different than her two older sisters. I learned this secret when I asked my mom why my cousin looked so different than her sisters and she told me why but told me to never tell my cousin the truth. Me, my sister, my mom, and her other siblings know this secret and even my grandmother took this secret to the grave and so will I. Besides, it all up to my aunt and uncle to tell her, not me.
10.
My great-great-great or so aunt blew her husband’s head off with a shotgun in their grape arbor. The story that police told was that she thought he was a robber, but the whole town including the police knew it was because he was abusive. It wasn’t a time when divorce was an option and saying it was accidental saved her reputation.
9.
my great grandmother was murdered by her husband and her body was dumped in the middle of one of the national forests in montana. my grandma didn’t find out about her mothers death until last year when her cousins finally decided to tell her. she believed that her mother died of cancer for 74 years before she found out the truth. i guess it was a take to the grave secret up until last year.
8.
My great grandmother on my mother’s side killed her brother about two years ago. The brother had schizophrenia and was like a child. He had gotten really sick and was in the hospital, but recovered and was fine, and went home. The next day or so he passed away, and my great grandmother didn’t want a autopsy or whatever. She ended up telling my aunt she could “do the same thing to jones” he husband who was pretty much dying. Not to mention she abused all of her old boyfriends.
7.
My adopted father used to sleep with his mother (sexually),it came out in a fight after her husband passed away.
To this day I’m glad I’m not related to these people and that I’m adopted.