People Are Sharing The Wild Family Secrets They Learned Only After A Loved One Died

Content warning: Discussions of babe death, murder, rape, and abuse. 

Sometimes, decease has a unusual mode of bringing information to the surface.

From hidden children to concealed lives, we asked radical to archer america the household secrets they uncovered lone aft a loved 1 passed on. Here's what they had to share:

1. "My parent told maine once, erstwhile my paternal gramps was 'in his cups' (drunk), helium admitted helium had a 2nd household successful Missouri. He was a contractor and traveled a lot."

2. "Recently, my dada did a DNA test, and recovered retired helium has a half-aunt. There was a play of clip erstwhile my great-grandmother was 'figuring things out,' getting an apartment, and getting unchangeable for her past 10-year-old son, my grandpa. My grandpa was staying with his grandparents during this. During that time, she had different kid whom she enactment up for adoption. We don't cognize if anyone knew astir her — my dada decidedly didn't — but the girl knew that her bio ma had a 10-year-old lad erstwhile she was born."

"She didn't cognize either of her biologic parents. When she connected to my dada done the DNA test, she had had a fantastic beingness and was conscionable funny astir who she was. My dada had a bully luncheon with her, and they bonded. We besides bash not cognize the nonstop details connected immoderate of this, arsenic my dad's parents person sadly passed away."

—messymagician608

3. "The DNA sites are specified a Pandora's box. My husband's biologic begetter near him and his parent erstwhile my hubby was two. No interaction afterward. Nearly 50 years later, helium gets a telephone that helium has family. Half sisters, cousins, etc. They each KNEW astir him (the grandparents seemingly did not support the biologic father's secrets), but waited until the antheral died 3 months earlier to interaction him. My hubby told them helium had a family, thankyouverymuch, and helium wasn't funny successful radical who didn't person the courageousness to scope retired to him for decades."

4. "The antheral I grew up reasoning was my uncle was really my half-brother calved owed to a tryst successful Washington, DC, successful 1943. My parent near him successful an orphanage, but my grandparents retrieved him and raised him arsenic their 'adopted' son. Jesus Jumped Up Christ, the crap this caused maine during my childhood, arsenic it was a concealed that my contiguous household knew but ne'er shared."

—marisareardon1

5. "My grandma had a archetypal matrimony and a kid successful a antithetic authorities that I lone recovered retired astir aft she died. I connected with the broadside of the household that shared her existent maiden sanction (not the fake sanction she gave everyone), which was important due to the fact that my grandma gave america a very, precise uncommon familial upset that causes a clump of wellness issues, truthful identifying household members is important."

—reallityfades

6. "My hubby of 25 years was dying of cancer. He gave maine an envelope and told maine not to walk immoderate of the wealth until helium passed. The clip came, and helium passed. I went to the closet, wherever the wealth was hidden successful a jacket, arsenic helium had asked maine to do. I went to look astatine the envelope, and determination was $60,000 inside, which I utilized for the ceremonial and surviving expenses until I received his beingness insurance. My hubby loved me."

7. "My great-grandparents emigrated from Austria to Chicago successful 1906 with their 3 daughters. My great-grandma lied connected the ship's manifest, stating that 1 miss was 3 years aged oregon under, truthful determination would beryllium nary transition interest for her. When that girl turned sixty-five, she applied to get Social Security. She was refused her archetypal cheque because, per their records, she was 2 years excessively young to assertion yet. Though really sixty-five, she had to hold 2 years to assertion her pension astatine sixty-seven. Lies travel you!"

8. "I conscionable recovered retired (three years aft her passing) that my grandma had gotten large astatine 16 and fixed commencement to a small miss astatine 17. This was backmost successful the '50s, truthful her full household relocated to different authorities and had her enactment astatine a location for unwed mothers until she gave birth, yet giving her up for adoption. I had ever thought my grandma was calved and raised successful Ohio, but it turns retired she was really from West Virginia. I can't judge she took this concealed to her grave."

"Especially since my ma had besides gotten large astatine 16 and fixed the babe up for adoption. My ma didn't adjacent find retired until 8 months ago, erstwhile my grandmother's sister told her astir it. I privation she could've felt harmless capable to disclose this to us, particularly erstwhile my ma was going done the aforesaid ordeal, 20 years later. But, according to my great-aunt, she was deathly acrophobic that my gramps would permission her if helium ever recovered out. It makes maine bittersweet to perceive that she lived astir of her beingness successful fearfulness of being recovered out."

—Anonymous

9. "When my granddad died, we recovered a clump of his enactment files successful a locked safe. We contacted the military, and they were nary longer delicate — turns out, my granddad did immoderate brainsick apical concealed worldly backmost successful the day."

10. "My ma was an lone kid from my grandma's archetypal marriage. It wasn't until my grandma died that my ma was told that her 7 younger siblings were half-siblings, and she had 4 much half-siblings crossed the country. Plus, my grandma's 'friend' from California was really her erstwhile sister-in-law, my mom's aunt."

—glitterydaredevil931

11. "My begetter was to america kids an planetary antheral of mystery. He was ever successful different countries and multilingual. At home, helium was somewhat distant and cranky with his ample family. After his passing, I discovered the inevitable shoebox of photos and letters from his galore girlfriends from astir the world. It was rather impressive."

12. "My aunt's mother-in-law murdered her archetypal baby. She had the babe erstwhile she was young (unsure of the age), but due to the fact that she wasn't married, it was considered shameful. So she and her parent killed the newborn babe (in a horrific way) and abandoned its assemblage adjacent a river. Then they some moved to different state and changed their names earlier the constabulary were capable to place the culprit."

"This happened successful the 1940s, apparently. People wherever she's from each cognize that it was her, truthful that's wherefore my household knows astir it. I saw her a batch arsenic a kid, and erstwhile I heard this communicative arsenic an adult, it honestly didn't astonishment maine that she did that. She was not a bully person."

—ncak02

13. "I recovered retired that I whitethorn beryllium the crushed wherefore my uncle has been missing since 1987. My parents got divorced erstwhile I was 5. I ever thought that it was due to the fact that my ma was yet bushed of the abuse. I learned galore years aboriginal that it was due to the fact that of me. In my father's family, they had a contented of allowing the men of the household to 'bring the women of the household into adulthood' erstwhile they 'became women.' Basically, the men raped the daughters erstwhile they got their archetypal period. When my ma recovered retired astir it, she left. But the courts inactive required visitation. They were told that she made up the incest story, and she was made to look similar an immoral pistillate for requesting a divorce."

(Cont'd) "I overheard my ma telling idiosyncratic astir this erstwhile I was successful my teens. She conscionable ended the speech saying that helium volition ne'er beryllium found, and a batch of radical deliberation helium was killed by a cause cartel. Years later, erstwhile I was successful an abusive relationship, she offered to marque my ex spell 'missing.' I took it astatine the clip arsenic a acheronian joke, to assistance lighten the temper successful a stressful situation, arsenic we were packing up my worldly to leave. When my ma passed, and we were looking for pictures for her memorial, we recovered paper clippings successful the photograph medium astir my uncle's missing idiosyncratic case. It seemed weird that she would support them, arsenic she ne'er liked him. When I asked my stepfather astir it, helium refused to sermon it. He said helium promised my ma that helium would ne'er speech astir it."

—Anonymous

And lastly, to extremity connected a affirmative concealed discoved:

14. "We learned aft my stepdad passed distant that helium had been awarded a Bronze Star for heroism during the Korean War. He ne'er spoke astir the war, truthful each we knew to that constituent was that helium had been a vigor operator. I wholly recognize wherefore helium didn't privation to speech astir it, but I privation we could person heard his story. He was buried with honors — they played Taps, gave him the 21-gun salute, and gave my sister a folded flag. It was specified a touching, beauteous tribute for a antheral who had been 1 of the kindest humans I've ever known."

Do you person your ain communicative to share? Let america cognize successful the comments oregon astatine this anonymous form.

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

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.