I've found out that my great*3 grandad hit his wife on the head with a scythe nearly killing her and was in

Question

Broadmoor prison for the criminally insane for over 40 years.
Has anyone else had any shocks or suprises with researching your family history?

Answer 1

http://www.blacksheepancestors.com/
A while back, I helped one lady with her research, and in the process located a descendent of the guy who murdered her ancestor in the 1870's. It turned into a healing experience for both.
I think there are skeletons in every closet, and wonderful people descend from them.

Answer 2

Interesting question and answers....

I was really surprised when I found my "skeletons in the closet". I don't know why I thought my family would be immune. (grin)

I have a great aunt who supposedly was working in Upstate NY as a young teen (around 14). When I found her death certificate, it turned out that she was at a training school for girls and died there. This was a euphomism for prison!

Just recently I found her brother in the 1920 U.S. Census and noticed that there were a lot of men all at the same address. I looked on the top of the form and it stated Ossining, NY. He was incarcerated at Sing Sing Prison!!!!!! This was around the time of Murder, Inc. and at the moment I have no clue why he was there.

Answer 3

I found that my own grandfather killed his first wife by giving her an abortion in 1926. She lingered for more than a month, according to her obituary. He wasn't convicted, but he was shunned by most of the family. The real kicker, though, is that my grandmother, whom he married just over a year later, was the first cousin of his first wife. I didn't ever know him, but it was bizarre to find this out 50 years later. It explains why my dad's 1/2 brother never had a kind word to say about his dad, though.

Answer 4

When I was doin the family tree researching my fathers family on the scottish border, I found that my gggrandmother was a smuggler, rowing across the solway with salmon to exchange for whiskey [whiskey was forbidden in England at that time] which she then sold so a black marketeer as well. 2 of my gg uncles [same family] were deported to australia as well. brilliant bit of family history. I'm so proud of my gggranny she did it to enable her to educate her children, oh by the way the family then went on to build a chapel. so not all bad hey.

Answer 5

I discovered that my old grandfather remarried to an old woman after his original wife (my grandmother) died as an old person. I never knew her name, never saw her mentioned in any wills or family papers, never saw a picture of her, and then heard that he complained because she did not have a youthful body. No one had ever told me any of those things in my life. If they had both been young I would probably have a bunch of step aunts and step uncles that no one would ever have mentioned.

Answer 6

my grandpa was transporting the peanut butter bandit here in ct and the guy hand cuffed him to a tree and drove off with the other prison guard in the trunk of the car

Answer 7

Yes a distant cousin in my great grandmother's family killed a Slave owner for the cash he was holding while they were traveling to the slave markets in Virginia. They caught him and he was Hung it supposedly destoyed his mother b/c he tarnished the family name. thats my shocking story.

Answer 8

yes i found out both my grand fathers were murderers one hit his secong wife over the head with a shovel one had to leave his home state because he killed a man

Answer 9

My great - grandad was married three times, my great - grandma was married twice. They married each other first, and then forgot to get divorced for the other marriages. BIGAMISTS.