In my family, there were several topics that were not discussed - at
least not with "the children". So I did no know that my uncle committed
suicide by taking cyanide. (He was a jeweler and thus had access to
cyanide which is used to purify gold.) I was able to obtain the death
certificate at the state archives.

Nor did I know (until I recently asked my elderly aunt) that my other
uncle divorced his wife (my father's sister) and remarried. I obtained
more details on that one >from his will.

And in my husband's family there was a great-cousin who "worked in a
saloon" in the western part of the US. A mutual cousin of my husband
was reluctant to share any information about her. The important part is
that she died young and may have suffered >from a chronic genetic disease
which we know has affected one branch of the family for over 4 generations.

As genealogists we often uncover details which might otherwise remain
hidden. Some of those details may prove to be highly significant.

Barbara Zimmer
Virginia