# The Aunt I Never Knew...



## Fyrefox (Nov 23, 2016)

Towards the end of his life, I discovered that my father in addition to having an older brother also had a sister who had died before he was even born!  My paternal grandmother was a Christian Scientist who didn't believe in medical treatments for illnesses, so my aunt tragically died from appendicitis in her teens during the early 20th century; not even a photo of her survives.  This discovery left me feeling both strange yet enriched, and I think that I would have liked my aunt Grace, whose existence was at last made known to me...she is not forgotten.


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## SeaBreeze (Nov 23, 2016)

What a sad story Fyrefox, may she rest peacefully.  Such a shame that she had to die at such a young age due to religious beliefs.  It must've felt very strange to find this out, glad you're keeping her close to your heart.


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## Carla (Nov 23, 2016)

That's too bad. She must have really suffered with that too. Fyrefox, if you believe in life hereafter, I hope you get to meet her then. Funny how the older generation rarely spoke about things like this--they also would not speak about really sick relatives. I had a relative that had epilepsy, a disease not well understood back then. The doctor ordered tests for me during the mid seventies because I was having dizzy spells and sometimes, black out. It was then I found out about the genetic possibility. It's like they don't want us to know stuff. Did she attend school? I'm wondering if they may have taken a class photo as so many of them did. I'm sure it would be very special if you could obtain a picture. If there are any living relatives, perhaps someone may have taken one at a family reunion?


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## Furryanimal (Nov 23, 2016)

I discovered my grandmother had a sister only after her death. She was never talked about and I have no idea why she was wiped from family history.


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## Carla (Nov 23, 2016)

People were more isolated and private about their business. Sometimes, they may not know themselves. Example, my husband's mother was raised by a loving Mennonite couple. No one knew why, but the woman (estranged bio Mom)  lived down the street from where my husband grew up! One day, she approached my husband and his brother and told them who she was and they ran home and told their mother. She just told the kids to stay away. So my husband never knew his bio grandmom.

Pregancy outside of marriage was really looked down upon. Mental issues--I'm sure postpartum depression was not understood as other mental illnesses. Epilepsy was not understood either, they thought it was a madness. There are probably a lot of reasons people did not speak about some relatives, but it can be puzzling for sure. It may be also because it was long ago. People died from a lot of things before modern medicine, things we treat successfully today were life-threatening back then. Could it be she the sister was older and died before your grandmother was born? There may be a simple answer to the mystery.


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