Most families likely have their own long-held secrets, spanning decades or even centuries. However, eventually, all hidden truths tend to come to light. Today, the growing interest in tracing family histories and the occasional stroke of luck can accelerate this unveiling process. The people in our compilation have discovered fascinating stories that have greatly changed how they see the world.
Story1
“I went to clean out my great-uncle’s apartment after he passed away. He was never married, had no kids, and lived very poor in a tiny apartment. As we stripped the bed and moved the mattress, we were shocked. He had hundreds of stacks of 10-dollar bills wrapped in rubber bands under his mattress. They were all 10-dollar bills. He lived during the Depression and didn’t trust banks, apparently, but we had no idea he had so much cash.” © Sostupid246 / Reddit
Story2
“My father died when I was 17. At the funeral home, during a viewing, a young lady and her boyfriend showed up, she was probably two or three years older than me. Nobody recognized her, so she was asked why she was there, she stated she was there to see her father. My siblings and I are naturally confused, our mom is just standing there shaking her head, my uncles ask her to leave, she leaves crying in her boyfriend’s arms.
Our mother takes us to a private area and explains our father had an affair years ago, and that was our step-sister. I never heard more about her, learned her name, or met her. I want to meet her and apologize to my family. Seeing her rejected and crying because she couldn’t even attend a viewing for her dead father bothers me to this day, and this was over 40 years ago.” © DougJHFTB / Reddit
Story3
“When I was 5 years old, Santa Claus left a Nintendo on our front porch. It was wrapped in newspaper, and my parents had no idea who gifted it to us. My dad, particularly, tried to figure it out. He was always suspicious that it had been a family friend. It was by far the best gift of the year, and we played it all the time throughout our childhood.
My dad died in 2004. Last Christmas, my mom explained that she was the one who had bought it and surreptitiously placed it on the porch. My dad really liked to be in control of things and had forbidden the purchase. She knew better. She didn’t tell a soul for 30 years.” © Madame_F / Reddit
“I started having problems with my teeth. Spontaneous abscess that resulted in multiple root canals. My dentist looked into what the cause might be and found some really odd abnormalities with my incisor roots and nerves, so he sent out requests for help to a couple of professors he knew in the field. When my next appointment came up, he was really quiet for a bit before verbally stumbling about.
It turns out that what was happening with my teeth was a classic sign of inbreeding. Not very far back in the family tree, several of my relatives decided that it was a good idea to get married to one another, and no one bothered to mention it, ever! The small town where I live is 85% my relatives.” © Unknown User / Reddit
Story5
“My aunt wasn’t my grandfather’s child. He met my granny when my aunt was a very sick infant, she had polio and wasn’t expected to survive. My grandad married my granny so she could get on his insurance and move to an area with proper medical support.
Although my aunt had to be in leg braces for most of her childhood, she had a great (although not long enough) life. My grandad loved her like she was his own, and I never knew until she went to her bio dad’s funeral when I was a teenager.” © knittybitty123 / Reddit
Close family members sometimes withhold information from each other, occasionally for what they believe is the greater good, yet at times, this can result in uncomfortable situations and challenging conversations. For instance, there was a case where a man chose not to join a family trip and switched his travel ticket to visit a different destination.