People Share The Best Historical Family Secret They've Ever Discovered

The Uncles.... 

I've always known that my dad's side of the family was involved with the Yakuza. Growing up, I remember various "uncles" that would visit us from Japan. I guess it's not a huge secret, but I was surprised when I learned that my dad's family are actually ethnically Korean. Oahu_Bred

"Rifke" 

One of my great-grandmothers was named "Rifke." When she immigrated to the United States, her name was probably mistyped and changed to "Rifle." So I'm descended from a woman legally named Rifle, technically making me a son of a gun.

Someone I'm distantly related to was an accomplished car thief in New York who was arrested early in WW2. He was offered the choice of prison or serving in the Merchant Marine, and chose the latter. The small ship he was on disappeared and the legend is that he stole it. ThadisJones

Mind. Blown. 

My great-grandmother worked in a brothel, and my grandfather lived there for part of his childhood. My dad told me a while back, and it blew my mind.

Just to clarify, it blew my mind in a good way. She was always a strong woman and took care of her family, and this just makes her more awesome for me. Maybe it's not the right place for a child to be hanging around, but options were limited in that time, and I respect that she made it work. butchpudding

In Dachau....

My great-grandfather on my Mother's side was sent to Auschwitz and died in Dachau. Family legend says that he was sent there as a political prisoner for attempting to assassinate a Nazi official. I have never been able to verify this, as all of the records I can find just show him in Dachau, nothing about him in Auschwitz. ih8pkmn

Can i have one please?

One of my aunts sent a letter to Nancy Reagan to get some of her favorite recipes, so now we have a cook book with some of Nancy Reagan's favorite recipes in it. eigth_note

Can i have one please??! I promise ill only make it for me and my family. I am a pastry chef and would kill for one of hers in my home recipes. easywerk

"discovered" 

Wouldn't say I "discovered" it but I did recently ask my grandmother about some details regarding the conditions in which my family immigrated from Germany (shortly after WWII) and she looked at me, dried her hands on her apron, and said in a tone I have never heard from her before, "the less you know about that the better. Trust me."

I'm too terrified to look into it any further at the moment. My mom always gets all weird when we start talking about family history too. I think she knows something. hymen_destroyer

To Canada......

My ancestors from Ireland were horse thieves and when they got caught there were deported (this probably happened about early 1900s don't know exactly when but I do know it happened and it wasn't to long ago), they went to the UK and when they heard they could leave Europe they did, they came to Canada. ChickenBig42

Back in Korea....

My mom's youngest brother was born from an affair. Back in 60's Korea, a woman holding a baby showed up at my mom's home and asked for her mom. The woman confessed that she had an affair with her husband and the baby was the result. My mom was told to take the baby for fresh air while the adults talked things over.

My mom being an excited girl with no idea of the gravity of the situation (or any sex ed) walked around town showing off her cute baby brother- outing the humiliation before the family could even process what happened. Her mom was not pleased. They still don't talk. And I believe the brother never learned his true heritage. Mamlucky

Making accommodations...

One of my ancestors was a Confederate Captain. He apparently abandoned his troops and fled to his farm in central Virginia (Crozet). There he found his wife had allowed Union troops to occupy the home.

For her making accommodations, the Union army allowed him to return to his home and was not taken as a POW. notasleannotasmean

The Blade....

My family has a Japanese sword from WW2 from my great grandfather. He wasn't the owner of the sword, idk where he got it but I've heard that he was like a part of the guerilla or had some sort of connections with them at that time when we were colonized by Japan. I've seen the sword a few times and it's rusty and heavy. Our father doesn't let us pull out the whole blade because it could still harm somebody. UrlOtis