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40 Strange And Juicy Family Secrets These People Uncovered
CuriositiesSEP 19, 2022

40 Strange And Juicy Family Secrets These People Uncovered

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You don't get to choose the family you were born into — you're stuck with the one you have. While this usually includes a fair share of blissful highs, devastating lows, and plenty of mundane in-betweens, that’s not all there is. See, every family has a skeleton or two lurking around in their closets. Often filled with murkier waters, concealed in the nooks and crannies, and kept under lock and key out of fear that they might accidentally get uncovered.
But nothing can remain hidden forever. And if you thought you and your family had some dark mysteries that can never be shared, these startling, scary, and disturbing tales compiled from this 'Ask Reddit' thread may change your mind. "What is the strangest/creepiest secret your family has?" someone asked and inspired hundreds to shine a light on their family riddles.
We at Bored Panda have gathered some of the most chilling confessions spilled in the thread to share with you all. So sit back, buckle up, and be warned: some of these are quite intense and may not be for the weakest of hearts. Be sure to upvote as you go, and let us know about your own experiences in the comments.
Psst! After you’re done reading through this list, check out our earlier post about the most shocking family secrets people ever found out right over here.

#1

Great-grandmother was apparently a prostitute in Liverpool. I was actually as proud as hell to find this out, as I have nothing but respect for anyone who will do what they have to do to survive and provide for their family. No shame.
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372points

#2

My Great Great Great Great Grandfather was busted in England pretending to be an Anglican priest. At the time a marriage was not official if it was not conducted by an Anglican priest, and he'd done ceremonies for quite a swathe of important people. Rather than publicly expose him, thus voiding the marriages he'd presided over, they invented a charge of forging stamps and sentenced him to transportation to the Australian colonies. Thing is, they didn't tell the ship captain or send word to the Governor in Sydney Town that his crime was actually impersonating a priest. When he arrived in Sydney the Governor saw from the ship manifest that there was a preacher on board who had committed a relatively minor crime. They had a lack of priests to minister the colony at the time, so the Governor pardoned him so that he could carry on his ministry, which he did. He started one of the first schools for children of the colony and led rather a worthwhile life from then on (aside from being a fake priest). The school he started still exists. Today it is Sydney Grammar School, one of the country's most elite schools. In their entrance hall they have a giant portrait titled 'Our Glorious Founder'. That's him, my GGGGGF, the dodgy priest.
337points

#3

40 Strange And Juicy Family Secrets These People Uncovered
My mother abused me my whole life and one day I finally couldnt take anymore and told a teacher. CPS was called and as soon as my mom realized what was going on she raced to the police station andtold them that an hour previously I had gone crazy and tried to kill my baby sister so that **I** looked like the crazy one and nothing I said would be taken seriously. I was removed from the school in handcuffs and immediately taken to the county courthouse where I had to face my mother in a trial. I chose not to testify because I knew it wouldn't help, but in the end the judge realized that She was crazy and I wasn't. I had the choice between being put in a psychiatric hospital for teens or going home, so I chose the loony bin. Five days later my aunt came from another state and adopted me. My family doesn't talk about it and to this day my mother maintains that I was a horrible child and I was "sent away" for my "own good" and that she is so happy I am better now.
280points

#4

This'll probably never be seen here, but I think it's funny so here goes:
My uncle Rawhide (yes, that's his name; no, we don't interact with him at all) once tried to mug some dude back in the day. The guy didn't have any cash, but he said he'd cut a check if he was given a name. Rawhide was stupid enough to fall for it, and the police apprehended him shortly thereafter.
224points

#5

40 Strange And Juicy Family Secrets These People Uncovered
I just found out that my grandparents wanted more kids but were having trouble getting pregnant for a second time. They adopted a toddler aged brother and sister when my mother was was 7. Soon after, my grandmother got pregnant, the girl died from a *very* mysterious fall down the stairs and the boy was quietly given to another family. They never, ever spoke of either child from that day forward. I thought she was pulling my leg but a quick search turned up the girls death record.
I was never close to that grandmother and can't help but think back to every weird aspect of that women and all the strange relationships she had with her family.
191points

#6

40 Strange And Juicy Family Secrets These People Uncovered
Condensed version: My parents abused me often. I told some friends about it, and child protective services were called multiple times. My mom convinced me to help her stage a dramatically emotional meeting between me, her, and my middle school guidance counselor, during which I confessed that I made it all up for attention. I made the same “confession” to all of the friends that I told, and was quickly alienated. This all happened under the pretense that it was my fault for telling them, and that I was “destroying the family” if I didn’t cooperate. Now there are at least dozens of people who remember me as a bratty, twisted attention whore.
187points

#7

40 Strange And Juicy Family Secrets These People Uncovered
A great Uncle of mine passed away when I was a little boy. The family met at his house after the funeral to start packing things up and all as he had no children and his wife died many years before him.
My great uncle was a highly respected member of his small town. He was a banker of some sorts, deacon in the church, all of those things that made him a good person.
Well tucked away in the attic, not covered by any dust mind you, was a large wooden trunk. Inside this trunk were the purple robes of a KKK Grand Dragon, various member listings, meeting notes and all other sorts of things related to the KKK. Turns out that my great uncle was a very active although very much secretive member of the regional chapter of the KKK.
184points

#8

40 Strange And Juicy Family Secrets These People Uncovered
An uncle i've never met (mom's brother) killed my mom's parents when he was sixteen in a fit of rage, and burnt down their home in an attempt to cover it up. I've never met him, as he has been in jail on a life sentence since before I was born. I was only informed of his existence, because my dad was black mailing my mom with this.
180points

#9

40 Strange And Juicy Family Secrets These People Uncovered
Half my family lives in VA while the other relatives live in Iowa because back before the civil war a relative we all refer to as 'Uncle Raz' was late for supper and was afraid that his mom would kick his a*s so he took a shortcut through a field.
He got half way through the field when a bull started to chase him so he climbed a tree, and still afraid to be late for dinner he shot the bull dead. He made it home in time for dinner but the next day he ran away to Iowa for fear of the neighbor whos bull he had killed. He started a family there and thats why our family has relatives in Iowa.
175points

#10

40 Strange And Juicy Family Secrets These People Uncovered
My great-grandfather had a 17 year old mistress he put up in an apartment, great-grandmother found out, confronted them at said apartment, shoots and kills 17 year old mistress.
Great-grandfather serves the time in prison for the murder.
weeeee
169points

#11

40 Strange And Juicy Family Secrets These People Uncovered
My great grandfather hit his wife with a fire poker, and slit her throat. He then proceeded to blow his head apart with a shotgun. He sat in a rocking chair and used his cane to push the trigger. All over an argument wither it was to cold for me to walk to a grocery store to get some milk.
167points

#12

40 Strange And Juicy Family Secrets These People Uncovered
My grandmother jumped off a cliff and killed herself after receiving shock therapy to cure her depression. She was staying with us during winter when she went missing. They found her footprints in the snow that led up to the cliff. I found this out when I was 20 years old, from my cousin who was 18 at the time.
156points

#13

40 Strange And Juicy Family Secrets These People Uncovered
My distant ancestor (great (x8) uncle) was a sociopath and a serial killer. His name was Tom Quick and he was an "Indian Slayer" who stalked the Delaware tribe.
He claimed to have killed ninety-nine members of the tribe by the time he died, including an entire unarmed family with two young boys and an infant, which he beat to death with a rock.
It's weird. These days his monument in Pennsylvania had to be removed due to vandals, but when it was erected in 1889, he was considered a hero and a defender of the civilized settlers.
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153points

#14

I only know the story from being told when I was really little so the details are sketchy but apparently a cousin accidentally spilled my great-grandmother's ashes into shag carpeting and they had to vacuum her up and emptied the vacuum bag back into the urn with whatever else had already been sucked into the vacuum from previous usage.
151points

#15

40 Strange And Juicy Family Secrets These People Uncovered
My older sister is actually my mother, my father was my mother's (actually grandmother) husband.
They don't think I know.
142points

#16

When my dad was in high-school about 2 years after getting his licence, he was driving home from school, It was a sunny day and the sun was in his eyes, all of a sudden 'thump' he realizes that he has hit a jaywalker, he gets out of the car and realizes that the person he hit was his high-school principle's son, who in the few seconds has passed away.
He wasn't arrested and the principle told him that 'he understood, and not to blame himself because it wasn't his fault'.
My grand-father who was an alcoholic did the one good thing in his life for my dad and that was make him drive that car home, if it wasn't for that I don't think my dad would have driven again.
6 years of therapy later my dad was all right.
We don't talk about it, and no one in my immediate family told me about it, I heard it from my friends mother who went to high-school with him, and confirmed it with my mom.
Driving with my dad now if he's driving by smaller children you can see his hands tremble.
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142points

#17

Two of my great uncles 'attempted' to rob a convenience store with water pistols. *le sigh*
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140points

#18

40 Strange And Juicy Family Secrets These People Uncovered
My grandparents met in a mental hospital. My grandmother worked there and grandfather was a patient. He was also married at the time, and since he never got a divorce my grandparents weren't legally married.
122points

#19

40 Strange And Juicy Family Secrets These People Uncovered
My uncle molested my sister when she was younger. He was sort of exiled for a few years, but now we talk to him again. Due to eavesdropping and discussions with my parents one-on-one, it seems they never bothered coming to terms emotionally with it, but rather prefer to pretend it never happened. I find it odd to watch them interact with that knowledge in mind.
119points

#20

40 Strange And Juicy Family Secrets These People Uncovered
I have no idea how my family gets its money. While growing up, I would ask my parents (usually my dad) how it worked, since my parents did not work, to which they would respond that we get money from my grandmother. Whenever we would get low on cash (my mom would always be reluctant to ask for more money from my grandma) and we kids complained about being low on money (thus not having much good food at home), my dad would tell us stuff like "we're never actually short on money. we actually have a lot, just not right now" or something in that direction. He had also mentioned stuff about how when we kids are older, we'll all get money that my mom was supposed to inherit.
Last year, when my mom, my sister and I were overseas staying with my grandparents over summer, I was able to find out that my mom had some stocks. I asked her how much they were worth, and simply said she did not know and that my grandmother handles those things. Grandparents are currently paying for my brother's college tuition (I think around $4000 per semester, but I don't know), and will soon be paying for my sister's ($12,000). I asked my brother about it, and he said it was through stocks and that he didn't understand it himself either and to just leave.
So yeah, that's probably the biggest secret and sadly I don't even know it.
111points
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