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Legend [18968]
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Family Secret that you can share or story
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Dec 19, 2023, 9:16 AM
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I found out my real last name was something different when I was about 15. My grandfather was a railroad detective in Chicago in the early 1900s. He witnessed something and was going to testify against the mafia. My grandfather’s first wife was shot and killed by somebody as she hung out the clothes.
My grandfather and his children with his first wife were put into Witness protection. He testified and was moved to a small Midwest town.
Nobody knew that until close to 70 years later when curiosity and shared childhood memories were shared. My aunt remembered getting a beating and yelled at after she was playing in the attic and found some strange papers and pictures. She asked who is ……….. and her father threatened her and whooped her and told her to never mention that name again. My father upon hearing this compared the differences in the looks of his older brothers and sisters, he was the youngest of 13. He decided to hire a private investigator.
After a lengthy investigation and fortunately due to every one involved having passed away, we found the answers. He provided documentation and the story behind it all. It helped explain later with DNA testing why we were of German descent, but had an English last name.
Anyways, was bored and was thinking about this and thought I would share. Other secrets in my family’s closet, but what is one of yours?
Go Tigers and beat those Wildcats!!
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CU Medallion [65939]
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What's the old saying, "Two people can keep a secret if one of them is dead?"
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Dec 19, 2023, 9:21 AM
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If we speaketh of secrets, they no longer ARE.
Like was said in one of the Scary Movies: "If we whisper about those of whom we do not speak, have we not spoken about those of which we do not talk, about?" Now, WHO can argue with THAT!
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Legend [18968]
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Re: What's the old saying, "Two people can keep a secret if one of them is dead?"
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Dec 19, 2023, 9:27 AM
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Very true and am glad they changed our family name. It was like 13 letters and filling in all those bubbles on tests would’ve sucked
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Legend [16207]
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Re: Family Secret that you can share or story
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Dec 19, 2023, 9:22 AM
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Neat story. There's probably a chit-ton of us that don't know the "real truth". I tend to believe that blood is not thicker than water....relationships are.
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Heisman Winner [140918]
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I have lots of secrets...
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Dec 19, 2023, 9:28 AM
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but nothing that compares to that. Wow.
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110%er [9806]
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Re: I have lots of secrets...
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Dec 19, 2023, 9:37 AM
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Secretly I found out that Francis Marion and I are related. For some reason we were split apart as a part of a government experiment.
I retained my knowledge and was left perfectly unharmed. Francis on the other hand, well he suffered the traumatic brain injury that has caused his demeanor today.
Just glad he is still coherent enough to participate in TNET!
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Legend [18968]
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Re: I have lots of secrets...
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Dec 19, 2023, 9:45 AM
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That explains a lot coltdizzle®.
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Legend [18968]
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All-In [30929]
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lol. daggumit .. i read that whole thing thinking
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Dec 19, 2023, 9:35 AM
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there was a SCar joke coming .
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Oculus Spirit [81175]
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Wow.***
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Dec 19, 2023, 9:45 AM
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110%er [6985]
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Re: Family Secret that you can share or story
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Dec 19, 2023, 9:59 AM
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My grandfather was a member of the clan in the early 1960s. He realized he was wrong and quit, and soon after the family house was burned to the ground. The sheriff wrote it up as “accidental”. We all know what happened.
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Legend [18968]
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Re: Family Secret that you can share or story
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Dec 19, 2023, 4:13 PM
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I assume this was in the south?
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CU Medallion [68151]
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Re: Family Secret that you can share or story- many people here dont
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Dec 19, 2023, 10:04 AM
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realize Tnet has a witless protection program. But if you read some of the posts it is readily apparent
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Hall of Famer [21114]
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Re: Family Secret that you can share or story
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Dec 19, 2023, 10:20 AM
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I had an aunt (actually a "great aunt") who used to tell me wonderful stories about our family's history. She was also a genuinely wonderful person who taught school for decades before retiring. She was always looking to help other people.
One story in particular was about my great great grandmother (I think I wrote that correctly but I might have left out a "great"). She was young and in love and wanted to get married. Her father, however, was not happy about it - especially since the man she wanted to marry was about to be sent off to fight for the Southern Army in the Civil War.
Not to be deterred, she eloped with her man during the night and they got married! (You go, great great grandma!) Soon aftward, her husband was sent off to war. He was killed in battle.
After the Civil War ended, my great great grandmother - now a young widow - remarried. I am descended from her second marriage.
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Legend [18968]
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Re: Family Secret that you can share or story
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Dec 19, 2023, 12:52 PM
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That's pretty cool. Tragedy has to happen along the way. Broken pieces of lives are formed again into a finely woven tapestry. How many bad things have happened in my life, but now on the other side of that moment, God has made something blessed and perfect.
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Hall of Famer [21114]
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Re: Family Secret that you can share or story
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Dec 19, 2023, 1:12 PM
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Thanks, and well said Clemsonohiotiger®!
And, thanks for sharing your story and for starting such an interesting thread! What a great topic!
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Legend [18816]
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My great grandfather ran a racket down the Linken Park way...
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Dec 19, 2023, 10:28 AM
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Do you mind sharing your address please? 
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110%er [5456]
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Re: Family Secret that you can share or story
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Dec 19, 2023, 10:49 AM
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Story involved my dad’s side of the family. My dad’s father should have inherited a large marina (that still exists today) but while he was abroad during WWII, his brother (my dad’s uncle) was murdered stateside and the deed to the marina was stolen from a safe. I guess apparently back then the deed was the most important (or only?) document to prove ownership, and by the time my dad’s father returned home from war, somehow that theft prevented the ownership of the marina from staying with the family. We’d be “old” money if it weren’t for that course of events. Some people are evil and will do anything for money.
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Hall of Famer [20322]
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My family is wealthy
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Dec 19, 2023, 11:30 AM
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Because great granddad mysteriously acquired a thriving marina back during the war. He never would talk about it, though...
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All-In [27234]
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Re: Family Secret that you can share or story
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Dec 19, 2023, 11:32 AM
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Silence is a friend that will never betray you.
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Legend [16207]
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Not that it's a "secret" but was "discovered"
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Dec 19, 2023, 12:01 PM
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This is a long story made short.
Sometime in the first half of the 20th century a document was found in the attic of the family ancestral home in the country now known as Slovakia. This is before the commies came in and confiscated everything in the region known as Czechoslovakia at the time. The document found was a deed written in Latin on parchment granting one of my relatives (with the same last name that I have) lands around the Castle Orava. The lands around the castle were granted due to service to the Emperor of the Austro-Hungarian empire. The document was certified by the Viceroy serving the emperor. We don't know why this ancestor was found to be favored by the Emperor. It was a very large tract of land. The Castle Orava is the one used in the 1922 horror film "Nosferatu". In fact, it was documented that my great grandmother had to travel by steamship back to Slovakia in the 1910's for family business and took my grandfather (he was born in the USA) along as a child. My grandfather recalls going to the castle and seeing signage or a plaque on the castle grounds with our last name on it. I have no idea why and the castle was not part of the deed.
One of my grandfather's cousins was a religious figure who also knew Latin and the document was translated by him. He later fled Czechoslovakia as the commies moved in and took over. The commies were killing off all the leaders to include high ranking religious figures. He ended up as a professor at the University of Dayton. Sadly, his family was left behind. One of his descendants had contacted my Dad on Skype (I told Dad never to use his real name on the internet...LOL!) saying "hey, you have the same last name as me". My Dad asked this young person a few questions and told her "I'm your relative and knew your grandfather when I was young". Anyhow, she confirmed that her family was in possession of the deed. There's a lot more about all of this but I said I'd keep the story short.
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Legend [18968]
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Re: Not that it's a "secret" but was "discovered"
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Dec 19, 2023, 1:36 PM
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Do we address you as Lord ClemBert now?
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All-Conference [423]
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Re: Family Secret that you can share or story
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Dec 19, 2023, 1:02 PM
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My dad changed his given name when he was 17. & may have changed his birthday as well. I found the documents while cleaning out the garage when I was 14 or so. Aunts (there were several) who knew of it were of 2 opinions. Firstly that he just didn’t like the name he’d been given by his parents at birth; secondly, that he was trying to dodge some nefarious circumstance. Knowing my dad I’d say the latter to be most likely.
He allegedly altered his birth date so he could play an extra season of American Legion baseball and maybe go pro. The name change may have suited that purpose as well idk. He actually ended up getting a scholarship to play football for Frank Howard at Clemson. Subsequently he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers but turned that down to instead go to work and raise the three kids he had by that point (and subsequently 2 more).
Nobody knew or talked about the name change until I found those documents. My dad never really explained it himself
We are now a third generation Clemson family and proud of it. My dad was the first ever in his family to graduate with a college degree
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Legend [18968]
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Re: Family Secret that you can share or story
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Dec 19, 2023, 4:54 PM
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What a cool story and it seems like the people back then could change things easily. The proof is that, if he did well and lived a good and successful life and gave you all that Clemson heritage
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Orange Blooded [3615]
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Re: Family Secret that you can share or story
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Dec 19, 2023, 1:17 PM
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My mom washed my clothes in Calgon and it wasn't actually an ancient Chinese secret.
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Legend [18968]
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Legend [18968]
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CU Guru [1602]
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Re: Family Secret that you can share or story
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Dec 19, 2023, 10:08 PM
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I love a good family history as much as anyone else, but
The witness protection program was not around until the seventies.
Not saying none of what you say happened but I believe there is more to the story than you will ever know unless you find or have access to old family diaries.
I encourage everyone to keep a daily journal for future family members to have the ability to read. And to keep them in a fireproof box.
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CU Guru [1022]
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Re: Family Secret that you can share or story
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Dec 19, 2023, 11:17 PM
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Good story and my cousin murdered someone, but not really a secret. Just a tragedy
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All-American [593]
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Re: Family Secret that you can share or story
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Dec 20, 2023, 1:26 AM
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Apparently, most of my family history is a secret. When they left Russia, they had to turn over a lot of photos, papers, personal items, etc... Not much is spoken about my family. Apparently my maternal grandparents met during WWII. My grandmother spoke fluent German and Russian, and my grandmother said he never knew his parents or even his real name. My mother has always swore her mother was German, but according to DNA, she was not. My grandmother on my father's side took some of the kids and left. Not much is known about her or the kids. Since my father passed when I was 4, I never got to ask questions. My mother doesn't believe in discussing the past, so no need to ask her. My husband has asked questions, and swears things don't add up, but Russians I know won't tell much! So most of my past family history is a mystery!
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Hall of Famer [23193]
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Not a secret, just a story
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Dec 20, 2023, 5:17 AM
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I wrestled in high school at Daniel from 1977 to 1980. Our coach had played football for Daniel in the 60s when they won a state championship. He had limited wrestling knowledge, so he had a former Olympic wrestler that lived in Clemson to help us and share his knowledge.
His name was Richard Voliva and he wrestled in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany and won a silver medal in middleweight freestyle. He had some very interesting stories. He remembered seeing Jesse Owens and also remembered seeing Hitler sitting poolside at some of the swimming events. He said if he knew then what we all knew later, he might have done something to alter history. He was friendly and fun to listen to though he talked out of the side of his mouth, the result of a stroke. Wish I'd gotten to know him more outside of wrestling.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Voliva
https://nwhof.org/national-wrestling-hall-of-fame/bio/62
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