Have you opened a Pandora's box?

[Sloe Gin]

As my grandmother used to say "the first child [in a marriage] comes anytime but the others take nine months." 

Marvellous!  I've never heard that one before.

Of course before Victorian prudery came along, that was the way things were done.  We have come full circle.

[coombs]

I think everyone will have an illegitimacy in their tree.

[IgorStrav]

I've got several illegitimacies, and a bigamy, and a couple who lived together for very very many years and had a very large family without marrying.

But I was also doing some research for someone else, and I haven't told him yet that one of his great uncles was discharged very quickly from the army in WWI on medical grounds and when I read the papers with more attention I discovered it was because of syphilitic dermatitis.   

[Lydart]

The stuff in my tree that flew out of Pandora's box is all the interesting stuff ! 

Incest ... an uncle with a neice; a convict (with a wife in UK and another in VDL !); homosexuality at a time when it was illegal; a good sprinkling of illegitimacy; and very sadly ... shell-shock   

The hard-working, honest, upright ag.lab's are all very worthy ... but a bit .... boring ??

[Romilly]

There is an article in today's Telegraph with the heading "Why a study of your family tree could bear bitter fruit". It says that sociologists have warned that people who take up genealogy might uncover more than they bargained for!
"Delving into one's ancestors can open a Pandora's box of secrets that could lead to serious rows, reopen old wounds and shatter illusions about a family's respectable history".

I'd agree with the first part of the quote...delving into my family history, - & discovering new relatives, has led to a serious rift in my immediate family; which I don't think will ever be resolved.

Romilly

[Just Kia]

I don't think anyone could have less skeletons in the closet.
The vast majority on my direct lines all married - had children - lived as a family - died - in that order lather, rinse, repeat! The nearest to scandal is the odd one here and there that had a child out of wedlock.
Except for my maternal grandfather - even then there was no secrecy about his adoption within the adopted family and descendants - however, everything was hush hushed on his birth parents side.

And one, as yet, unsolved mystery - my paternal grandmother's father, who did a disappearing act c1925/30.

[nameless]

One set of my ancestors had their first child christened the day they married.   Another couple married 5 years after their first child.   I am quite happy about that, but what is getting to me is the fact I can't trace lots of ancestors.  They seemed to be undercover.
Bring on the scandals, just let me find any trace of them.

[nugget]

In Australia it's almost a badge of honour to find a convict in your family, unfortunately none to be found on my wife's Aussie side of the family. She almost had one but he decided to emmigrate before he was caught and transported (for poaching so the family story goes).
He did have the decency however to come to Victoria during the gold rush and get caught up the famous Eureka Stockade incident. Slippery character, he never got caught there either.
These colourful characters add all the spice I think.

[JonathanC]

I found a great-grandfather who slit his own throat, a great aunt who drowned herself and a great uncle who drowned on his honeymoon having married his wife on her 15th birthday.  Happy times!