31 Families With Dramatic Backstories, Shocking Secrets, And Truly Fascinating Lore

All families person secrets, quirks, and astonishing connections. So, we asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to archer america their wildest portion of household lore. Here's what radical revealed:

Warning: This station includes mentions of suicide, abuse, and intersexual assault.

1. "I person a household subordinate who was convicted of embezzlement for astir fractional a cardinal dollars from a section kids organization. Her oldest kid got successful heavy with a bookie and had to 'borrow' the wealth to debar being murdered. Her mediate kid was arrested for embezzlement from an leader and besides assisted a classmate by penning his assemblage papers. That classmate went connected to person a decent MLB vocation and adjacent signed a nine-figure woody astatine 1 point."

—Anonymous

2. "My great-grandpa grew up successful a schettel (a mediocre Jewish village) successful pre-communist Russia. In his aboriginal 20s, helium got progressive successful socialist and anti-Czarist activism. He got pinched, and he, his wife, and six kids were exiled to Siberia. The household really liked the situation campy due to the fact that determination was plentifulness of work, a escaped house, and plentifulness of food. Way amended beingness than they had before. After 4 years, his condemnation was up, and they were kicked retired with nothing, having to locomotion much than a 1000 miles back. That's erstwhile they decided to get retired of dodge and caput to NYC."

—Anonymous

3. "The great-grandmothers of my household instrumentality the cake. 1. My father's parent and her sister were kids surviving successful the Princeton neighborhood. One morning, arsenic their parent was backing retired of the driveway to instrumentality them to school, she was distracted and astir ran implicit the neighbor. Who was the neighbor? None different than ALBERT EINSTEIN. As my paternal great-aunt told the story, helium was fascinated by the garbage motortruck doing its accustomed rounds. He was pursuing it connected the sidewalk, watching the mechanism, wholly oblivious to wherever helium was standing. 2. Meanwhile, my mother's parent and her sister grew up successful Chicago. Their parent (J) was a first-generation Irish American, and portion nary of america rather cognize (or rather privation to know) what the transportation was, Great Granny J indirectly had ties to the Irish mob."

"For example, she owned a driver's licence contempt ne'er driving a car. But the communicative my maternal great-aunt tells is that 1 morning, arsenic they were each seated astatine the meal table, J was speechmaking a paper with a header on the lines of, 'Police inactive incapable to find Irish mob boss.' J simply huffed and said aloud, 'Well, they ne'er asked me,' and past snapped the insubstantial closed and ne'er mentioned it again."

—mollyindeed

4. "My household has been successful New England since the Mayflower, and stayed determination for the astir part. All my relatives who fought successful the Civil War fought for the Union, but for one, which I recovered curious. Doing immoderate digging, I recovered retired helium ran a store successful like, Louisiana oregon Alabama oregon thereabouts, and was press-ganged into the Confederate service by his clientele to settee immoderate atrocious commercialized oregon something. The section past publication helium was successful noted that helium deserted soon aft enlistment and was ne'er heard from again."

—lobster_lemon_lime

5. "My gramps was a notorious wildcatter. That is idiosyncratic who (back successful the day) would bargain onshore inexpensive and drill for lipid connected it successful Texas. Sometimes, helium would onslaught lipid and go affluent overnight. Other times, helium would suffer each penny helium had drilling connected onshore that was thing but dirt. He made and mislaid millions and millions of dollars. His children lived connected a ample ranch successful his name, got married, and started raising kids (including me) connected that ranch. None of them ever worked oregon made a penny of their own. They each lived disconnected my grandfather. They ne'er adjacent bothered to spell to precocious school. That full procreation of my household was beauteous overmuch useless, expecting to get affluent erstwhile grandpa died."

"When I was 5 years old, my gramps joined (yet again) a pistillate from different state who didn't talk English, and we ne'er met her. She lived successful a large location successful a ample metropolis with him. He died astir instantly aft this matrimony without a will. So, his caller woman got each his wealth and everything helium owned, including the ranch wherever we each lived. We were kicked disconnected the onshore and ended up stateless with nothing. I grew up with angry, bitter parents who thought they were owed thing and would ne'er work. All it did was thatch maine to get an education, get a occupation arsenic rapidly arsenic possible, and get distant from my family. I americium aged now, but that procreation of my household and each their children and my siblings ne'er worked and lived similar stateless wanderers. I learned ne'er to beryllium connected anyone and marque my ain mode successful life."

—Anonymous

6. "My grandma was engaged 5 times earlier my grandpa. My grandpa's sanction is Steve, and my dada said that her different fiancés were named Steve, Stephen, Steven, Steve, and Steve."

—coppermagician30

7. "My great-grandfather murdered a antheral successful a barroom combat and escaped with his woman and kids crossed authorities lines to evade the law. Also, my 2nd relative was eaten by sharks. #TrueStory."

—Anonymous

8. "I'm related by humor to Elizabeth Proctor, of The Crucible and Salem Witch Trials. Her servant was the archetypal miss to bring up witchcraft. She and her husband, John Proctor, were some sentenced to beryllium executed, but she was large and spared."

—sogo13

9. "My grandma acceptable the neighbor's tract connected occurrence due to the fact that of an statement implicit chickens. Way backmost erstwhile she was alive, my maw-maw was a existent firecracker. She was a loving and giving idiosyncratic until you made her mad. She had been warring with the neighbour for immoderate time, and things yet came to a caput erstwhile helium threatened to sprout immoderate of her chickens due to the fact that they had wandered into his yard, adjacent though they were fenced in. Anyone who has chickens knows they are unthinkable flight artists erstwhile they privation to be. Long communicative short, they got into a verbal argument, words were said, and she yet had enough, truthful she acceptable his tract connected fire."

"When the cops came, they asked her if she did it, and she said, 'Whoops, indispensable person been a cigaret butt.' The cops knew she did it, but couldn't beryllium it, and they besides loved my family, truthful thing ever happened. That neighbour ne'er messed with her again."

—gatitathecat

10. "My great-great-great-grandmother owned a boardinghouse successful Washington, DC, successful the 1860s. Turns retired the pack that was plotting to termination Abraham Lincoln and attempted the killings of different officials was happening successful her boardinghouse. She was the archetypal pistillate successful the US to beryllium executed by the decease penalty. The household changed the spelling of their past sanction due to the fact that of the scandal. There are existent photos of her hanging."

—Anonymous

11. "I was doing immoderate genealogy research, trying to find retired much astir my paternal grandfather's family. I ever knew they were from a tight-knit, agrarian community, but I didn't recognize that my great-grandmother, her sister, and her member joined my great-grandfather, his brother, and his sister. I've discovered that I person galore cousins who are genetically person to maine than I ever realized. I accidental it was mean backmost successful the day, but present I recognize wherefore my begetter ever said we were someway related to everybody successful that community."

—Anonymous

12. "My aunt's archetypal hubby was friends with Alice Cooper, and erstwhile helium visited their apartment, helium would popular up successful the room model with a snake astir his cervix and scare the hellhole retired of her."

—msslhenry

13. "My maternal grandma and 1 of her six siblings were the merchandise of an matter she had with a neighbor's ranch hand. It turns retired that each the genealogy enactment I and galore of my cousins did was wrong! We thought we were related to 1 of Oregon's astir affluent and salient families and respective humanities figures. Not so!"

—Anonymous

14. "My grandma would archer maine stories of the household portion I was increasing up, including stories of her 2 uncles moving successful a excavation successful Colorado. The stories were astir things specified arsenic however atrocious the nutrient was, truthful I pictured these 2 faceless relatives bravely going down into the acheronian each time conscionable to marque a living. Fast guardant to a mates of years ago, erstwhile my uncle (my grandma's son) and I were discussing a small household history, and helium mentioned thing astir 'losing the mine.' It turns retired that my household owned that mine! My uncle went connected to accidental that the family's wealth got them done the Great Depression, but was past gone. I was raised connected nutrient stamps, truthful I had NO thought we ever were wealthy."

"It explains immoderate small things, though, similar the aggregate diamond rings from the 1930s that I inherited, and my grandmother's lofty airs. She's been gone astir 15 years now, truthful I can't inquire her anything. I can't judge I was implicit 50 erstwhile idiosyncratic yet bothered to archer maine this."

—Anonymous

15. "My grandmother's relative spent clip successful jailhouse for blowing up abandoned porta-potties."

—Anonymous

16. "I had a great-great-grandfather who was from Massachusetts. During the Civil War, helium went down to South Carolina and enlisted successful the Confederate service portion they were paying enlistment bonuses successful gold. He took the gold, returned home, and opened a wide store. The store is inactive determination but not inactive successful the family."

—casualporcupine203

17. "After my parent died successful 2005, I learned that successful 1939, her member was sent to Dachau aft Hitler annexed Austria, and she got him released. Then, aft her member and begetter made it to the US, Hitler invaded Poland and started WWII, and past she and her parent fled done Russia, China, and Japan and took a vessel to San Francisco (stopped successful Hawaii), and past a bid to NYC. None of this was ever told to me. After she died, I recovered postcards from Hawaii and San Francisco stashed distant successful her belongings. I wondered however she got them. She adjacent visited maine erstwhile successful San Francisco and said she had ne'er been there. Secrets."

—sassyghoul20

18. "Long communicative short, aft galore DNA tests with antithetic household members of my sister and my dad, it turns retired she's my half-sister. Her lad is shown arsenic a cousin, not a nephew. My ma volition inactive perjure herself and accidental she didn't person enactment with anyone else."

—Anonymous

19. "I person a great-grandfather who joined and had kids with 2 women who were sisters. They each lived successful 1 house. One of the sisters was rumored to beryllium a witch, too. We're successful Tennessee. I can't judge this wasn't a bigger scandal."

—pennylane086

20. "My mother's 2nd hubby adopted me, and I person nary representation of my commencement father. After an exigency surgery, erstwhile I was incapable to supply a implicit aesculapian history, I decided to statesman searching. My commencement begetter was substantially older than my parent (also gone now) and passed distant astir 40 years ago. Thanks to a immense changeable of luck, I recovered my godmother, who was a archetypal relative to my father. Through her, I discovered that different relative connected that broadside was Emmy Sonnemann. She was joined to Hermann Göring and was known arsenic the archetypal woman of the Third Reich. Hitler loved her; Eva Braun loathed her. So I'm distantly related to high-ranking nazis. I stopped looking aft that. This pome fell arsenic acold from that histrion arsenic possible."

—Anonymous

21. "As a 15-year-old, my great-grandmother ran distant from location to get joined to my grandfather, who was 22. SHE TOLD HER PARENTS SHE WAS GOING TO THE DENTIST AND GOT MARRIED AND RAN AWAY INSTEAD. Also, she has allegedly committed ARSON. My gramps and his siblings utilized to play successful this aged house, and they would travel location with splinters. She proceeded to douse the happening successful accelerants and airy it connected fire."

—Anonymous

22. "My sister came location from a girls' travel to a enactment connected the room antagonistic from her husband, who had near her. He confessed that aft 20+ years together, helium nary longer loved her and wanted 'hot sex' successful his life. He had gotten an flat successful the adjacent town, and she shouldn't telephone him due to the fact that helium wouldn't answer. Turns retired that portion she was successful the aerial flying home, helium had called each their neighbors, communal friends, her brother, and their sons to pass them helium was leaving her. She was devastated but trying to clasp it together. Less than a week later, helium called, wanting to travel by and prime up towels and immoderate furnishings for his caller apartment."

"She fto him truthful she could speech to him. He confessed that helium moved successful with his woman and that helium conscionable hadn't been happy. After the affectional shake-up settled, she called our ma and confessed that she really felt alleviation much than anything. 

Apparently, helium had stopped moving and had go a spot of a doomsday prepper/MAGA nut. She thought it was her work to enactment and enactment with him. But present that helium was gone, she felt escaped and could yet archer radical what she'd been dealing with. While helium believed helium was a dedicated prepper and had built a pantry/supply bunker successful the basement, she admitted that helium had really conscionable been buying feline food. Wet feline food, often discounted owed to expiration, successful bulk. And surviving disconnected it. Trying antithetic recipes. She was disgusted by him but had disassociated from it and conscionable kept plodding along. 

When helium tried to crawl backmost a week later, aft the caller woman discovered the CAT FOOD, she thanked him for waking her up but recommended that helium effort the section animal structure alternatively and slammed the doorway successful his face. She is present dating a precise bully antheral who eats radical food."

—Anonymous

23. "My maiden sanction is George. Our household lore is that our aboriginal Bostonian ancestors, who came implicit from England earlier the revolution, really changed our past sanction to George to show their Loyalist ties. Could not person had a WORSE idea, guys. And present we're stuck with it."

—Anonymous

24. "My great-grandparents owned a ranch successful Montana. In the precocious 1920s, my great-grandpa's member (bad Uncle Joe) decided to bargain horses...while riding his brother's horse. The different ranchers (who believed the thief to beryllium my great-grandpa) killed him. Then, atrocious Uncle Joe sold the ranch retired from nether my great-grandmother portion she had respective young children (my grandpa was 4 astatine the time). Many years later, successful the 1990s, my great-grandmother's lad from her 2nd matrimony ended up being a caretaker and surviving connected the aforesaid ranch my great-grandmother lost. Also, this is the aforesaid broadside of the household who was cousins of immoderate benignant with Butch Cassidy."

—Anonymous

25. "My maternal great-grandmother was not lone a Madame but besides the archetypal pistillate successful Pennsylvania to get her driver's license."

—Anonymous

26. "Towards the extremity of her life, my grandma confided successful her daughter-in-law, my mom. She said that my dad, her youngest lad of 13 children, wasn't her husband's. Turns out, she met her hubby portion moving for his household arsenic a location caregiver for his dying mother. She was astir 23, and helium was successful his aboriginal to mid-40s. They got married, but helium was not kind. He was an abusive and hard man. She lived successful squalor successful agrarian eastbound Tennessee. By the clip she gave commencement to my dada connected the level of her room alone, helium was astir 65 years old. But she confessed that helium wasn't the existent father. In reality, she had go adjacent with her father-in-law, the antheral who had hired her to look aft his wife. He was seemingly the lone subordinate of the household who treated her kindly and tried to assistance her arsenic champion helium could. He was successful his precocious 80s erstwhile his lad was born. My begetter was unknowingly raised and abused by his half-brother."

—Anonymous

27. "My 10th great-grandmother Ann Pudeator was hung arsenic a witch successful Salem successful 1690. There’s an relationship connected Wikipedia."

—Anonymous

28. "My great-great-grandfather from Ireland came to America due to the fact that helium someway managed to get some Sinn Féin and the English authorities aggravated with him. As soon arsenic helium arrived successful the US with his woman and 9 children, helium abandoned them. He went and joined immoderate different pistillate and had six oregon 7 kids with her."

—chesterzmom

29. "A agelong clip ago, my uncle started dating this girl, and they dated for astir 2 years. They yet broke up. She moved to NYC for a bit, but I'm beauteous definite they would inactive hook up whenever she came to town. Fast guardant a fewer years later, we discovered she had been dating her ex's younger brother, my different uncle, for 18 months. They're present happily joined with 2 kids, and she's my favourite aunt, lol."

—Anonymous

30. "My ma and her sister joined my dada and his brother. Yep! I person treble cousins who stock the aforesaid DNA with maine arsenic my ain siblings."

—Anonymous

31. And: "Growing up, my large sister was my favourite person. She would combat for maine and comfortableness me. She was amended astatine parenting maine than my parents, who ever acted weirdly astir me. My sister was 16 years older than I was. She was similar my mom. I'm definite you tin spot wherever this is going. I took a DNA test, and lo and behold, my parents were listed arsenic grandparents, and my sister was listed arsenic my mother. Turns retired that erstwhile she was 16, my sister/mother was sexually assaulted, and she became large with me. Rather than permission their girl connected her own, carrying a babe she ne'er wanted, my parents kept her and took maine successful arsenic their ain erstwhile I was born. They ne'er told me. My grandparents treated assault, particularly intersexual assault, arsenic thing scandalous and secret, and my ma didn't privation to archer maine what really happened."

"My ma died by termination erstwhile I was 11, earlier I knew she was my mom. I confronted my parents astir it, and they refused to apologize. I admit their prime to prevention maine and my mom, but they besides lied to maine for my full puerility and near maine to find retired from a DNA test. I privation I could speech to my ma astir it. I present cognize wherefore she was struggling truthful much."

—Anonymous

What's your wildest oregon astir fascinating portion of household lore? Tell america successful the comments oregon stock anonymously utilizing this form.

Note: Submissions person been edited for magnitude and/or clarity. 

If you oregon idiosyncratic you cognize has experienced intersexual assault, you tin telephone the National Sexual Assault Hotline astatine 1-800-656-4673 (HOPE), which routes the caller to their nearest intersexual battle work provider. You tin besides hunt for your section halfway here.

If you oregon idiosyncratic you cognize is successful contiguous information arsenic a effect of home violence, telephone 911. For anonymous, confidential help, you tin telephone the 24/7 National Domestic Violence Hotline astatine 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) oregon chat with an advocator via the website.

The National Alliance connected Mental Illness helpline is 1-800-950-6264 (NAMI) and provides accusation and referral services; GoodTherapy.org is an relation of intelligence wellness professionals from much than 25 countries who enactment efforts to trim harm successful therapy.