Have Any Family Mysteries?

[NHB7]

Have any family mysteries? Hypotheses about said mysteries? Do share, no matter how seemingly small.

 

[Grrrr]

It was always assumed that my great aunt was actually my grandfather's mother but it could never be proven. She went to the grave with the truth. She would have had him at a young age and that was really frowned upon years ago.

 

[HARRISON_3]

My uncle thought he was Saint Jerome...

 

[SammyPops]

My dad, in his late teens early 20s, worked for Johnny "pops" Papalia. Dad has never mentioned it straight up, but his sister has said he emptied cigarette machines in bars. We had some head scratchers incidents as kids.

Thats where I got my sherdog username from!

Edit: He was a mafia guy from Hamilton. One of the more infamous gangsters in Canadian history, connected in the French Connection, close with Buffalo mob, strong armed a bunch of Toronto criminals to try to take over etc. He was shot in the head in the parking lot of his 'social club' in his 80s.

 

[NHB7]

It was always assumed that my great aunt was actually my grandfather's mother but it could never be proven. She went to the grave with the truth. She would have had him at a young age and that was really frowned upon years ago.

What were some of the clues that made you develop that hypothesis? Do others in your family agree?

 

[NHB7]

My dad, in his late teens early 20s, worked for Johnny "pops" Papalia. Dad has never mentioned it straight up, but his sister has said he emptied cigarette machines in bars. We had some head scratchers incidents as kids.

Thats where I got my sherdog username from!

Pardon my ignorance, but who was Johnny “Pops” Papalia?

 

[minute bull]

Yeah, I do. Why my cousin gotta turn Thanksgiving gay, man? Ain't nobody care.

 

[phoenixikki]

There are more secrets in my family than in the CIA vaults.
Some things are better left unsaid.

 

[SammyPops]

Pardon my ignorance, but who was Johnny “Pops” Papalia?

Shit. Sorry. He was a Hamilton mobster, caught up int he French Connection, connected with the Buffalo mob, tried to organize Toronto. At one point, he was the only dude who was prevented by the pope or something from being burried in a cahtolic church in Ontario.

 

[RollSonnenRoll]

The rumor is at the turn of the century my great-great grandmother changed the family name because we shared it with a white trash family in the next county over. So she just made up our last name and said that's our name now.

 

[Grrrr]

What were some of the clues that made you develop that hypothesis? Do others in your family agree?

Most everyone agrees with the theory.
Going back in history and looking at birth dates and where people said they lived compared to actually where they did live. My grandfather celebrated his birthday on the wrong day for the longest time. Not sure where the fake date came from but it's also assumed that it was made up to make it look more like my great aunt and grandfather were siblings instead of a mother/son. She left nothing to her real siblings....everything went to my grandfather. All brick home in DC. Worth a pretty penny.

 

[NHB7]

Most everyone agrees with the theory.
Going back in history and looking at birth dates and where people said they lived compared to actually where they did live. My grandfather celebrated his birthday on the wrong day for the longest time. Not sure where the fake date came from but it's also assumed that it was made up to make it look more like my great aunt and grandfather were siblings instead of a mother/son. She left nothing to her real siblings....everything went to my grandfather. All brick home in DC. Worth a pretty penny.

Any hypothesis on the real Dad?

 

[Seano]

My grandfather was sort of a mystery but I don't think its anything that interesting.

He grew up in an orphanage and would never talk about where he came from. Never once did he talk about his parents and even my grandmother didn't seem to know a lot about him from before she met him. He had some bitterness about things but never specified why. He was a very quiet guy.

One day when I was about 10, someone knocked on his door asking his name and then exclaimed excitedly how hard a man he was to find. Suddenly something about what the guy said that I didn't catch set him off and he told the guy he had the wrong man, told him not to come back and shut the door in his face. He was in a foul mood that whole day. We never did find out what it was all about. It wasn't a bill collector, he had no liens. It seemed to be someone tracking him down based on his past.

Still a mystery to us to this very day. We know literally nothing about that branch of our family tree.

 

[Grrrr]

Any hypothesis on the real Dad?

Nope. No one has any idea. My great aunt was super secretive. When she died I cleaned out her house.....about $12,000 in cash was found stashed all over the house. That's just who she was.

 

[Grrrr]

My grandfather was sort of a mystery but I don't think its anything that interesting.

He grew up in an orphanage and would never talk about where he came from. Never once did he talk about his parents and even my grandmother didn't seem to know a lot about him from before she met him. He had some bitterness about things but never specified why. He was a very quiet guy.

One day when I was about 10, someone knocked on his door asking his name and then exclaimed excitedly how hard a man he was to find. Suddenly something about what the guy said that I didn't catch set him off and he told the guy he had the wrong man, told him not to come back and shut the door in his face. He was in a foul mood that whole day. We never did find out what it was all about. It wasn't a bill collector, he had no liens. It seemed to be someone tracking him down based on his past.

Still a mystery to us to this very day. We know literally nothing about that branch of our family tree.

Old people can be secretive.

 

[NHB7]

My grandfather was sort of a mystery but I don't think its anything that interesting.

He grew up in an orphanage and would never talk about where he came from. Never once did he talk about his parents and even my grandmother didn't seem to know a lot about him from before she met him. He had some bitterness about things but never specified why. He was a very quiet guy.

One day when I was about 10, someone knocked on his door asking his name and then exclaimed excitedly how hard a man he was to find. Suddenly something about what the guy said that I didn't catch set him off and he told the guy he had the wrong man, told him not to come back and shut the door in his face. He was in a foul mood that whole day. We never did find out what it was all about. It wasn't a bill collector, he had no liens. It seemed to be someone tracking him down based on his past.

Still a mystery to us to this very day. We know literally nothing about that branch of our family tree.

My Grandpa grew up in an orphanage as well. His family was poor and had too many children, so they had to pick one child to give up to the orphanage. They chose gramps. I think he was like 8, so he knew what was happening. He did not grow up a happy child and never blossomed into a happy man.

 

[Grrrr]

My Grandpa grew up in an orphanage as well. His family was poor and had too many children, so they had to pick one child to give up to the orphanage. They chose gramps. I think he was like 8, so he knew what was happening. He did not grow up a happy child and never blossomed into a happy man.

That has to be the worst fucking feeling ever....8 kids and you gotta go. Damn.

 

[NHB7]

That has to be the worst fucking feeling ever....8 kids and you gotta go. Damn.

Yeah, he wasn’t the oldest, wasn’t the youngest, just the one they thought “If we have to give up one, we give up this one.”

 

[STILLKICKING]

The rumor is at the turn of the century my great-great grandmother changed the family name because we shared it with a white trash family in the next county over. So she just made up our last name and said that's our name now.

So like 18 years ago?

 

[Grrrr]

Yeah, he wasn’t the oldest, wasn’t the youngest, just the one they thought “If we have to give up one, we give up this one.”

That has to sting forever.