25 Times People Shared Interesting And Dark Secrets That Their Family Was Covering For A Long Time
Some skeletons in the closet are staying there for a very long time.
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Reddit, the vast digital forum where anonymity often breeds honesty, recently became the stage for a captivating exploration into the mysterious depths of family histories. Under the thread titled "What's your 'WTF' family secret that you discovered?", users poured forth an array of jaw-dropping revelations, uncovering a tapestry of secrets woven through generations.
From buried scandals to long-hidden identities, here are some of the most astonishing tales revealed in the thread.
Image source: TheRealSlabsy, Gaspar Zaldo / pexels (not the actual photo)
I am British / white and have a blood disorder predominantly found in Arabs. I took a DNA test and found out that my grandad wasnt my dad's real dad.
My grandmother ran a boarding house during the war and must have met someone, and as a result my dad was born.
There's nobody alive to share the gossip with.
Image source: Forest-Dane, Ondra Wiener / pexels (not the actual photo)
Found out at 48 I had a twin sister. Her daughter found me on social media. I had no idea she existed.
Image source: happyduck89, Pavel Danilyuk / pexels (not the actual photo)
My dad had an affair after 40 years of marriage and my parents broke up - to be fair I understood why, my mum was very aggressive toward him and it was hard to be around even as adults. What was tough was my mum made sure everyone knew he was the ‘bad guy’ and he lost friends, etc. but, years later when I wanted to get dna tests for my mum, brother and I for fun to see our family tree my mum broke down crying and begged me not to get the tests. I asked my dad about it and he broke down crying in a restaurant (never really seen him cry before) and he told me that when I was conceived my mum had also been caught having an affair with her boss - so there was a chance I was not my dads child. He never mentioned it even when mum was going nuts about his affair. My dad is 80 now and we decided to get a paternity test so he could know before he passes and the cool news is that I am his biological daughter :-) I think I loved my dad and respected him even more after this as he raised me so lovingly I had no idea of the drama behind my existence. I realised even more what a great dad I have.
Image source: DontTellHimPike1234, ThisIsEngineering / pexels (not the actual photo)
20 years after his death we found out my grandfather had been quite a senior scientist on the 'Tube Alloys' project to develop a British nuclear bomb. No one in the family even knew he had any scientific qualifications. He owned and operated several successful butchers shops until his retirement. We found out when nan passed 20 years later and we found his papers.
adreddit298:
Man took the Official Secrets Act seriously!
Image source: campbellpics, Bundesarchiv / wikimedia (not the actual photo)
We discovered, shortly before her death, that my Nana worked with Alan Turing on the "Enigma" code-breaking during the war. She didn't have a particularly influential role in the actual code-breaking itself, she mainly worked on intercepting the Enigma codes and passing them on to Turing and his team. But yeah, she knew him and worked directly alongside him on a daily basis.
This all came about because we were going through her old paperwork etc, because she was poorly at the time and was moving into a smaller place, and we found some old ration books n'that relating to the war in some old tin boxes. She never really liked speaking about the war, and someone in the family asked her what she actually did back then.
We were all absolutely gobsmacked when she told us, even my Mum (her daughter) didn't really know what she did. It all checked out, and there's even a couple of old photos of the team (including Dilly Knox!) with Nana there alongside these people that I've had digitally restored.
Nana just didn't think it was important. She was just doing her bit for the war effort, and said she actually felt guilty that she had what she thought was a relatively "safe" job back then.
Apart from that, I've got a cousin in Australia who appeared in a few episodes of Home and Away. From my Nana's side of the fam, obviously. Ha!
Image source: anon, Laura C / pexels (not the actual photo)
A distant relative of mine was a pirate and was hanged for smuggling in the Carribbean.
Image source: JimXVX, Pixabay / pexels (not the actual photo)
That my great grandfather took his own life. Shellshock from WW1 as far as anyone knows. He was a farmer so had access to guns; just walked out into a field one day and shot himself.
Image source: withnailstail123, Khoa Võ / pexels (not the actual photo)
My uncle hid a body his friend ran over ….
Image source: walkyoucleverboy, Pixabay / pexels (not the actual photo)
My mum was kidnapped as a child.
ETA: she’s told me I’m not allowed to say anything more than that ? but it’s not a case anyone would’ve heard of before anyone gets too curious. It was definitely a WHAT THE F**K moment for me however.
Image source: mylovelyhorsie, cottonbro studio / pexels (not the actual photo)
A great uncle was a police officer in Cardiff. He was married to one of a pair of identical twins. After a decade of marriage, he ran off with the other twin.
KingJacoPax:
Well, at least we know he had a type.
Image source: Jayger89, cottonbro studio / pexels (not the actual photo)
Only found out recently that my biological grandfather was in a mental institution with schizophrenia. He thought he was God.
Image source: KezzyKesKes, Pixabay / pexels (not the actual photo)
My mum has a big old grandfather clock in her living room with wierd white bits inbedded in it. She didn’t tell me for years that one of my relatives unalived themselves with a 12b shotgun and that it was bits of said relative’s skull in the clock.
Image source: General_Ignoranse, Диана Дунаева / pexels (not the actual photo)
My great aunt who lives in a tiny rural town had her little toes surgically removed to fit into a pair of shoes..?! I still have so many questions that haven’t been answered.
Image source: RichEducation6951, Terrance Barksdale / pexels (not the actual photo)
I recently found out that my late mother sold my original Air Jordans from 1985 for $28,000 a few years ago. I kept asking her while she was alive to let me have my shoes, but she insisted that I would do something stupid like selling them. That explains the 2015 Mercedes she drove until her death.
Image source: legatothrowaway, Roberto Nickson / pexels (not the actual photo)
My dad used to live in a cave. He was a part of a gang/subculture in the 1960s/early 70s called the Troggs. They used to squat in the show caves in Matlock Bath, and had quite a bad reputation stacked against them by the locals. There were crazy rumours spread about them, from "they have d**g fuelled orgies in the woods" to "they do black magic rituals in the caves" etc. In reality, they just did a lot of d***s. Whilst also living in caves.
One day as a kid I found a newspaper clipping of some article from the 90s called "Wild Thing!" or something, and there was a picture of a younger him with his Trogg mates down a cave. Then he told me everything and it blew my mind.
Image source: OverTheCandlestik, SHVETS production / pexels (not the actual photo)
My grandad died maybe 15 years ago now. We knew he was adopted but that was about it, no idea about his birth family or any of that, trail was cold. Not long after he died the family was contacted by someone claiming to be his birth brother who had been tracking him down, we thought it was phoney but when we saw pictures of the guy the resemblance was uncanny.
He really wanted to meet his brother, he was unaware he was a week late as he had just died. Anyway we arrange to meet not only him but the entire birth family including my great grandmother who was celebrating her 90th.
Apparently she gave birth to him very young and out of wedlock so she was forced to give him up for adoption.
We knew for decades my grandad was adopted and to meet them all at once was bittersweet; great to finally find them but sucks my grandad died like literally a week before.
Image source: sneltonexp, Yura Forrat / pexels (not the actual photo)
My great uncle (my nan's brother) was a getaway driver for a couple of bank jobs back in the 50s. Got caught and did time, but after release still drove around in a Jag, and bought my nan a nice new car every couple of years...
Image source: katykuns, Anna Shvets / pexels (not the actual photo)
I was adopted as a baby. It was made clear my birth parents had had a one night stand, got pregnant, and couldnt abort because of their Catholic upbringing. They were both very poor, Irish immigrants trying to get decent work in London. I accepted this completely, they wanted a better life for me.
I contacted them at around 15, to let them know I was doing well, and what GCSEs I would be doing. They replied, and it turned out they had got back together (maybe not ever been apart) and had 2 boys together. My full biological brothers. They are living in Ireland now, and their family still is unaware of my existence.
That was a pretty rough thing to find out at 15. I have come to terms with it now at 36, with two children. They still made a sensible decision. But oof all the same.
Image source: Unique_Score_5874, icon0 com / pexels (not the actual photo)
My great grandmother set her husband on fire who was the chief of police,
apparantly he was a twat to her.
Image source: Thirstless, Donald Tong / pexels (not the actual photo)
I was always told my grandfather was helping the sheriff of Nottingham when I was little and would visit him. Turns out he was serving life for taking a shotgun to his pregnant housekeeper, his kid of course.
Image source: anon, cottonbro studio / pexels (not the actual photo)
My grandads brother had another family that nobody knew about until the funeral when they all turned up as well.
#1
Image source: TheRealSlabsy, Gaspar Zaldo / pexels (not the actual photo)
I am British / white and have a blood disorder predominantly found in Arabs. I took a DNA test and found out that my grandad wasnt my dad's real dad.
My grandmother ran a boarding house during the war and must have met someone, and as a result my dad was born.
There's nobody alive to share the gossip with.
#2
Image source: Forest-Dane, Ondra Wiener / pexels (not the actual photo)
Found out at 48 I had a twin sister. Her daughter found me on social media. I had no idea she existed.
#3
Image source: happyduck89, Pavel Danilyuk / pexels (not the actual photo)
My dad had an affair after 40 years of marriage and my parents broke up - to be fair I understood why, my mum was very aggressive toward him and it was hard to be around even as adults. What was tough was my mum made sure everyone knew he was the ‘bad guy’ and he lost friends, etc. but, years later when I wanted to get dna tests for my mum, brother and I for fun to see our family tree my mum broke down crying and begged me not to get the tests. I asked my dad about it and he broke down crying in a restaurant (never really seen him cry before) and he told me that when I was conceived my mum had also been caught having an affair with her boss - so there was a chance I was not my dads child. He never mentioned it even when mum was going nuts about his affair. My dad is 80 now and we decided to get a paternity test so he could know before he passes and the cool news is that I am his biological daughter :-) I think I loved my dad and respected him even more after this as he raised me so lovingly I had no idea of the drama behind my existence. I realised even more what a great dad I have.
#4
Image source: DontTellHimPike1234, ThisIsEngineering / pexels (not the actual photo)
20 years after his death we found out my grandfather had been quite a senior scientist on the 'Tube Alloys' project to develop a British nuclear bomb. No one in the family even knew he had any scientific qualifications. He owned and operated several successful butchers shops until his retirement. We found out when nan passed 20 years later and we found his papers.
adreddit298:
Man took the Official Secrets Act seriously!
#5
Image source: campbellpics, Bundesarchiv / wikimedia (not the actual photo)
We discovered, shortly before her death, that my Nana worked with Alan Turing on the "Enigma" code-breaking during the war. She didn't have a particularly influential role in the actual code-breaking itself, she mainly worked on intercepting the Enigma codes and passing them on to Turing and his team. But yeah, she knew him and worked directly alongside him on a daily basis.
This all came about because we were going through her old paperwork etc, because she was poorly at the time and was moving into a smaller place, and we found some old ration books n'that relating to the war in some old tin boxes. She never really liked speaking about the war, and someone in the family asked her what she actually did back then.
We were all absolutely gobsmacked when she told us, even my Mum (her daughter) didn't really know what she did. It all checked out, and there's even a couple of old photos of the team (including Dilly Knox!) with Nana there alongside these people that I've had digitally restored.
Nana just didn't think it was important. She was just doing her bit for the war effort, and said she actually felt guilty that she had what she thought was a relatively "safe" job back then.
Apart from that, I've got a cousin in Australia who appeared in a few episodes of Home and Away. From my Nana's side of the fam, obviously. Ha!
#6
Image source: anon, Laura C / pexels (not the actual photo)
A distant relative of mine was a pirate and was hanged for smuggling in the Carribbean.
#7
Image source: JimXVX, Pixabay / pexels (not the actual photo)
That my great grandfather took his own life. Shellshock from WW1 as far as anyone knows. He was a farmer so had access to guns; just walked out into a field one day and shot himself.
#8
Image source: withnailstail123, Khoa Võ / pexels (not the actual photo)
My uncle hid a body his friend ran over ….
#9
Not my family but me and a friend found out through the ancestry website that his grandfather had a second family in the Philippines where he was frequently stationed with the army back in the day. We kept finding an entry somebody had made on their family tree that matched his details, but we just ignored it thinking it was a coincidence. Eventually we looked at it. What gave it away Some of his kids over there even had the same names as his kids here. If he had chosen different names we wouldn’t have noticed and he might have got away with it! Image source: RaspberryWonderful16#10
My uncle was (technically) a hitman. He got paid to kill someone back in the 80's. He was released from prison at some point in the 2000's, I forget exactly when. I got curious about it so Googled his name and what'd been done and found a nice little article about it Dad had also gone to prison, around the same time as my uncle, for about 8 or 9 years for "iron bar and axe attacks" Fun family. Image source: BudgieLord#11
Image source: walkyoucleverboy, Pixabay / pexels (not the actual photo)
My mum was kidnapped as a child.
ETA: she’s told me I’m not allowed to say anything more than that ? but it’s not a case anyone would’ve heard of before anyone gets too curious. It was definitely a WHAT THE F**K moment for me however.
#12
Image source: mylovelyhorsie, cottonbro studio / pexels (not the actual photo)
A great uncle was a police officer in Cardiff. He was married to one of a pair of identical twins. After a decade of marriage, he ran off with the other twin.
KingJacoPax:
Well, at least we know he had a type.
#13
Image source: Jayger89, cottonbro studio / pexels (not the actual photo)
Only found out recently that my biological grandfather was in a mental institution with schizophrenia. He thought he was God.
#14
Image source: KezzyKesKes, Pixabay / pexels (not the actual photo)
My mum has a big old grandfather clock in her living room with wierd white bits inbedded in it. She didn’t tell me for years that one of my relatives unalived themselves with a 12b shotgun and that it was bits of said relative’s skull in the clock.
#15
Image source: General_Ignoranse, Диана Дунаева / pexels (not the actual photo)
My great aunt who lives in a tiny rural town had her little toes surgically removed to fit into a pair of shoes..?! I still have so many questions that haven’t been answered.
#16
Image source: RichEducation6951, Terrance Barksdale / pexels (not the actual photo)
I recently found out that my late mother sold my original Air Jordans from 1985 for $28,000 a few years ago. I kept asking her while she was alive to let me have my shoes, but she insisted that I would do something stupid like selling them. That explains the 2015 Mercedes she drove until her death.
#17
Image source: legatothrowaway, Roberto Nickson / pexels (not the actual photo)
My dad used to live in a cave. He was a part of a gang/subculture in the 1960s/early 70s called the Troggs. They used to squat in the show caves in Matlock Bath, and had quite a bad reputation stacked against them by the locals. There were crazy rumours spread about them, from "they have d**g fuelled orgies in the woods" to "they do black magic rituals in the caves" etc. In reality, they just did a lot of d***s. Whilst also living in caves.
One day as a kid I found a newspaper clipping of some article from the 90s called "Wild Thing!" or something, and there was a picture of a younger him with his Trogg mates down a cave. Then he told me everything and it blew my mind.
#18
Image source: OverTheCandlestik, SHVETS production / pexels (not the actual photo)
My grandad died maybe 15 years ago now. We knew he was adopted but that was about it, no idea about his birth family or any of that, trail was cold. Not long after he died the family was contacted by someone claiming to be his birth brother who had been tracking him down, we thought it was phoney but when we saw pictures of the guy the resemblance was uncanny.
He really wanted to meet his brother, he was unaware he was a week late as he had just died. Anyway we arrange to meet not only him but the entire birth family including my great grandmother who was celebrating her 90th.
Apparently she gave birth to him very young and out of wedlock so she was forced to give him up for adoption.
We knew for decades my grandad was adopted and to meet them all at once was bittersweet; great to finally find them but sucks my grandad died like literally a week before.
#19
I found some letters and a diary in my grandma's place after she passed. Apparently she used to work as maid for an important doctor (before only rich people could go to uni and become doctors) when she was 14. The man got her pregnant and then tried to convince her to abort. She refused, so he made her marry one of the family workers (my grandpa). This was shocking since my grandparents loved each other so much and looked like a great couple, they both built a solid family and gave their children a good education. Image source: Striking-Mention-874#20
My sister was born prematurely and had quite a few complications. She was in and out of hospital constantly. She needed risky surgery, emphasis on risky. Apparently it was a 20% survival rate. They went ahead with it and she later died that night. She was only 11 months old. I was twelve years old at the time and that's what I was told and believed for the next twenty years. What actually happened is that she had survived the surgery and was doing really well, she could have even gone home that day. However the surgeon recommended that she stay at the hospital overnight just in case. She choked on her own vomit, simply due to lack of staff and mismanagement. Image source: No_transistory#21
Image source: sneltonexp, Yura Forrat / pexels (not the actual photo)
My great uncle (my nan's brother) was a getaway driver for a couple of bank jobs back in the 50s. Got caught and did time, but after release still drove around in a Jag, and bought my nan a nice new car every couple of years...
#22
Image source: katykuns, Anna Shvets / pexels (not the actual photo)
I was adopted as a baby. It was made clear my birth parents had had a one night stand, got pregnant, and couldnt abort because of their Catholic upbringing. They were both very poor, Irish immigrants trying to get decent work in London. I accepted this completely, they wanted a better life for me.
I contacted them at around 15, to let them know I was doing well, and what GCSEs I would be doing. They replied, and it turned out they had got back together (maybe not ever been apart) and had 2 boys together. My full biological brothers. They are living in Ireland now, and their family still is unaware of my existence.
That was a pretty rough thing to find out at 15. I have come to terms with it now at 36, with two children. They still made a sensible decision. But oof all the same.
#23
Image source: Unique_Score_5874, icon0 com / pexels (not the actual photo)
My great grandmother set her husband on fire who was the chief of police,
apparantly he was a twat to her.
#24
Image source: Thirstless, Donald Tong / pexels (not the actual photo)
I was always told my grandfather was helping the sheriff of Nottingham when I was little and would visit him. Turns out he was serving life for taking a shotgun to his pregnant housekeeper, his kid of course.
#25
Image source: anon, cottonbro studio / pexels (not the actual photo)
My grandads brother had another family that nobody knew about until the funeral when they all turned up as well.DE
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