Lori Olson White wrote an interesting article recently, “The Academics of Secrets” that made me think of the secrets I’d discovered while doing local research and genealogy.
My grandpa Bumgardner said “the first baby can come anytime, the second one takes nine months. (My uncle the oldest child was born 4 months after they were married.) I’ve noticed quite a bit of this as I research my family ancestry.
It's very interesting what you find out many years later. I have a great aunt, who my mother adored, that became pregnant as a teenager. Since there was only enough money for one female child to have an education, this baby when born was killed by my mother's beloved Mimi. No record of the child's birth or death. But my great aunt was in and out of mental institutions for much of her life. There are many skeletons hidden within families in the early 1900's. Genealogy, the hunt, can provide many unexpected clues and events.
It was extremely sad. I am only glad my mom had passed before I found this information. It came from the oldest daughter of my Aunt Lillian, who was the eldest girl. She has since passed. I've been continuously working on my family tree since the early 70s and have done it for many clients through the years. It never ceases to amaze me what you find in the hunt!
Thanks for the link, and I’m glad my piece inspired you to share these stories. Any time I come across a big age gap between children, I dig a little deeper, and often times the child is being raised by a grandparent or aunt, or less often a single mother. People did what they had to do and carried on, and no one asked questions.
Actually they were. Devil Anse (Anderson Hatfield) was the brother of my brother-in-law's great grandfather. I've gathered a lot of information, but it never hurts to ask when it comes to research. Estep is another name in the family as well. Any research is fascinating, and I love the hunt!
I also have a couple ancestors who committed suicide, and another one was in a mental hospital. I'm surprised about the one suicide that I never heard about. Like you, I'm not embarrassed about their choices. I'm just sad about that they felt that was the only choice.
My grandpa Bumgardner said “the first baby can come anytime, the second one takes nine months. (My uncle the oldest child was born 4 months after they were married.) I’ve noticed quite a bit of this as I research my family ancestry.
Sadly, we now know what that means...
It's very interesting what you find out many years later. I have a great aunt, who my mother adored, that became pregnant as a teenager. Since there was only enough money for one female child to have an education, this baby when born was killed by my mother's beloved Mimi. No record of the child's birth or death. But my great aunt was in and out of mental institutions for much of her life. There are many skeletons hidden within families in the early 1900's. Genealogy, the hunt, can provide many unexpected clues and events.
It's truly amazing what we can learn.
What a sad story to uncover, and on so many levels.
It was extremely sad. I am only glad my mom had passed before I found this information. It came from the oldest daughter of my Aunt Lillian, who was the eldest girl. She has since passed. I've been continuously working on my family tree since the early 70s and have done it for many clients through the years. It never ceases to amaze me what you find in the hunt!
Thanks for the link, and I’m glad my piece inspired you to share these stories. Any time I come across a big age gap between children, I dig a little deeper, and often times the child is being raised by a grandparent or aunt, or less often a single mother. People did what they had to do and carried on, and no one asked questions.
I am curious to know if anyone reading on your site may have any connections to the Hatfield or Osborne families?
I haven't had anyone mention those surnames, but maybe someone will see your comment. Do you have a state for those lines?
Virginia and West Virginia mainly. Also Ohio.
I wondered if your Hatfields were West Virginia. Common name there.
Actually they were. Devil Anse (Anderson Hatfield) was the brother of my brother-in-law's great grandfather. I've gathered a lot of information, but it never hurts to ask when it comes to research. Estep is another name in the family as well. Any research is fascinating, and I love the hunt!
I also have a couple ancestors who committed suicide, and another one was in a mental hospital. I'm surprised about the one suicide that I never heard about. Like you, I'm not embarrassed about their choices. I'm just sad about that they felt that was the only choice.
Just wrote about the psychological consequences of secrets here - https://open.substack.com/pub/johnmoyermedlpcncc/p/dead-secrets?r=3p5dh&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web