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The Record Keeper: The Unfolding of a Family Secret in the Age of Genetic Genealogy
No secret stays buried forever.
In a small Midwestern town during the 1950s, Evelyn, a young wife and mother, methodically documented her life through various taking photos, creating scrapbooks, and keeping...everything. But in doing so, she inadvertently lays the groundwork for her future granddaughter, Allison, a young wife and mother herself, to unearth a hidden past.
In 2015, Allison gave her father a consumer DNA test as a gift. Unexpected results appear, which drive her to investigate the boxes of memorabilia Evelyn left behind. What she discovers forces her to make a choice between taking on the mantle of a secret keeper or bringing to light the truth of a 60-year-old story in the making. But if Allison shares her inherited secret, she risks betraying the memory of a grandmother she thought she knew and faces the reality of altering her father's entire family tree.
The Record Keeper is a true story about three generations of DNA, genealogy, and memory. In this touching personal narrative, Allison seeks to understand how family and friendships, motherhood, and marriage can be torn apart by betrayal and abuse--yet mended together with an imperfect beauty by forgiveness, time, and love.
*****
Legacy Book Press LLC is a traditional publisher of personal stories told via non-fiction such as memoir, autobiographical fiction, poetry, or a combination.
In a small Midwestern town during the 1950s, Evelyn, a young wife and mother, methodically documented her life through various taking photos, creating scrapbooks, and keeping...everything. But in doing so, she inadvertently lays the groundwork for her future granddaughter, Allison, a young wife and mother herself, to unearth a hidden past.
In 2015, Allison gave her father a consumer DNA test as a gift. Unexpected results appear, which drive her to investigate the boxes of memorabilia Evelyn left behind. What she discovers forces her to make a choice between taking on the mantle of a secret keeper or bringing to light the truth of a 60-year-old story in the making. But if Allison shares her inherited secret, she risks betraying the memory of a grandmother she thought she knew and faces the reality of altering her father's entire family tree.
The Record Keeper is a true story about three generations of DNA, genealogy, and memory. In this touching personal narrative, Allison seeks to understand how family and friendships, motherhood, and marriage can be torn apart by betrayal and abuse--yet mended together with an imperfect beauty by forgiveness, time, and love.
*****
Legacy Book Press LLC is a traditional publisher of personal stories told via non-fiction such as memoir, autobiographical fiction, poetry, or a combination.
207 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 16, 2024
12 people are currently reading
53 people want to read
About the author
Allison Barnhart
1 book3 followersAllison Lawrentz Barnhart grew up in Ashland, Ohio, and graduated from Ashland University which included a year intensive at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh.
While working as a full-time graphic designer, she enjoys spending her free time with her family, friends, and church community. Allison also likes to find moments to create art, garden, and of course research family history.
Genealogy research has been a constant love of hers since grade-school. With the encouragement of relatives on all sides of the tree, she has been on a decades-long mission to not only build her own family’s story and write about it, but to help others find joy in discovering their origins and tell their stories.
Allison resides in Ashland, Ohio, with her husband, two children, a rescue mini-dachshund, and an orange tabby they found in their garage one day.
While working as a full-time graphic designer, she enjoys spending her free time with her family, friends, and church community. Allison also likes to find moments to create art, garden, and of course research family history.
Genealogy research has been a constant love of hers since grade-school. With the encouragement of relatives on all sides of the tree, she has been on a decades-long mission to not only build her own family’s story and write about it, but to help others find joy in discovering their origins and tell their stories.
Allison resides in Ashland, Ohio, with her husband, two children, a rescue mini-dachshund, and an orange tabby they found in their garage one day.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 26, 2024
An absolute treasure! In the Record Keeper, Allison reminds us that our ancestors aren’t just names and dates listed in a genealogical family tree, but real people with dynamic lives, personal hurdles, and even checkered pasts.
Her can’t-believe-this-really-happened account takes the reader on a journey of what it means to discover a secret and the complexities of sharing it.
Her thoughtful and determined research rekindled my own interest in my ancestry and has sent me looking for something hidden right in front of me, if I only have the courage to look.
Her can’t-believe-this-really-happened account takes the reader on a journey of what it means to discover a secret and the complexities of sharing it.
Her thoughtful and determined research rekindled my own interest in my ancestry and has sent me looking for something hidden right in front of me, if I only have the courage to look.
July 16, 2024
Author Allison Barnhart is a genealogical obsessive, and her grandmother kept everything in life and left behind a treasure trove of personal effects when she passed. These two facts make "The Record Keeper" an inevitability.
As books go, it's the genealogical equivalent of an archaeological dig. Barnhart unearths unspeakable family secret after unspeakable family secret with her amateur sleuth's spade as she delves ever deeper into her grandmother's documents, photos, and records.
The results are riveting. You don't need to be a genealogical enthusiast for this story's gravitational pull to work its magic on you. Barnhart's efforts to probe her family's past work like a tractor beam, reeling you in as a reader and making you wonder what she's going to find next. Curiosity propels the reader along at a brisk pace, and Barnhart delivers the goods every time.
It helps that the work is driven not just by the author's obsessiveness but by an endearing sense of interiority. Barnhart seemingly offers her inmost thoughts to the reader, and the resulting intimacy makes the whole shebang inescapably personal and completely compelling, too. "The Record Keeper" made me wonder what I would find if I dug into my family's genealogical soil.
I read the book two months ago, and as a result, I am considering purchasing DNA testing kits for my parents for Christmas. Of course, if "The Record Keeper" is any indication, I may want to brace myself—who knows what I will find, after all?
As books go, it's the genealogical equivalent of an archaeological dig. Barnhart unearths unspeakable family secret after unspeakable family secret with her amateur sleuth's spade as she delves ever deeper into her grandmother's documents, photos, and records.
The results are riveting. You don't need to be a genealogical enthusiast for this story's gravitational pull to work its magic on you. Barnhart's efforts to probe her family's past work like a tractor beam, reeling you in as a reader and making you wonder what she's going to find next. Curiosity propels the reader along at a brisk pace, and Barnhart delivers the goods every time.
It helps that the work is driven not just by the author's obsessiveness but by an endearing sense of interiority. Barnhart seemingly offers her inmost thoughts to the reader, and the resulting intimacy makes the whole shebang inescapably personal and completely compelling, too. "The Record Keeper" made me wonder what I would find if I dug into my family's genealogical soil.
I read the book two months ago, and as a result, I am considering purchasing DNA testing kits for my parents for Christmas. Of course, if "The Record Keeper" is any indication, I may want to brace myself—who knows what I will find, after all?
July 29, 2024
"The Record Keeper" - written by Allison Barnhart and published in 2024 by Legacy Book Press. Ohio author Barnhart already had an interest in her family history when she purchased a DNA test for her father. The results, including strong evidence of Swedish heritage, were perplexing, and she methodically set out to solve this puzzle. Her grandmother Evelyn, although no longer alive, plays a starring role in this captivating story which Barnhart illustrates with many items of genealogical interest. I enjoyed and related to many of methods she used, the thought processes, but perhaps not the varied emotions, as I have not had a situation like this, occurring in recent years, in my own genealogy. An interesting account for sure!
July 16, 2024
This book was such an intriguing read! I kept having to read “just one more chapter” to see what she would discover next. I typically think memoirs can feel like a relaying of information, but this book was SO MUCH MORE! It was truly a story that kept me engaged right to the last page! Must read!
August 18, 2024
Excellent read! Very well researched and laid out. I really enjoyed following along Ali’s journey unraveling the mystery in her family tree. Definitely recommend!
August 21, 2024
How often have you heard at the family reunion? “That is a great story. Someone needs to write that down.” The person that says that never volunteers to be the writer. It just so happens that they want you to be the writer. Well, Allison has taken it upon herself to expend great amounts of effort and time to devote putting a significant part of her Grandmother’s story in print.
We greatly enjoyed the book. It is a true story and she has put a lot of emotion into bringing the story to life. As a “family historian” I can appreciate to amount of time and effort it takes to do the research. The work of putting it together as an album is tremendous.
It is much greater when one considers the thought of creating a book to continue her Grandmother’s legacy for the enjoyment of others. This story if more difficult to put in place based on the many records (data) left behind in boxes and albums. This story is not the Great American Positive Narration but deals with many dark secrets that surround the numerous families involved.
Highly recommended for all to read; then consider adding to their own family story. It is good to have some of this to remind each of us what we should consider: family, our heritage, and the emotions that we make available to those we care about.
We greatly enjoyed the book. It is a true story and she has put a lot of emotion into bringing the story to life. As a “family historian” I can appreciate to amount of time and effort it takes to do the research. The work of putting it together as an album is tremendous.
It is much greater when one considers the thought of creating a book to continue her Grandmother’s legacy for the enjoyment of others. This story if more difficult to put in place based on the many records (data) left behind in boxes and albums. This story is not the Great American Positive Narration but deals with many dark secrets that surround the numerous families involved.
Highly recommended for all to read; then consider adding to their own family story. It is good to have some of this to remind each of us what we should consider: family, our heritage, and the emotions that we make available to those we care about.
September 25, 2024
Terrific book! Fascinating, multi-layer "mystery" story that is very easy to read. Hard to put down. The author does a great job of linking her genuine inquisitiveness regarding her family ancestry, with a detailed "detective like" investigation process when expected results do not materialize. In story form, she provides a "blueprint" of the proper way in which to gently merge current geneology capabilities (and their historical links), into the lives of everyday folks that are maybe not so inclined to such discovery of "hidden secrets". At the same time the author provides a caring & thoughtful portrayl of the deceased family member that held the secrets. Understanding of events before our time, requires a certain degree of reflection, perspective & consideration.
And....I'm not sure the family secrets end with the last page of this book!
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And....I'm not sure the family secrets end with the last page of this book!
Edit Review
March 19, 2025
Story of a DNA test leading to the discovery of Non-Parental Events. The story was interesting and fairly well-written as was the author's investigation in uncover the true ancestry of her father and uncles. On the downside, the author is a bit of a drama queen, and spent too much time bemoaning whether to tell relatives their correct ancestry, and too much time trying to make somewhat mystical parallels between herself and her grandmother.
July 15, 2024
I loved reading this book! It felt like the author was telling me a story over coffee and explaining her journey of uncovering her family’s past. It made it even more special having been to some of the places she mentioned in the book! I recommend reading this, and it really makes you think about what all can be learned about families from genetic tests!
July 16, 2024
The Record Keeper was a great combination of humor and mystery, wonderfully reminiscent of Nancy Drew at times.
Barnhart does an excellent job of sprinkling in hilarious one-liners and her humorous inner thoughts, one of my favorites being, “…there’s got to be a way to wear an 89-year-old lady down without putting her at a desk and shining bright lights in her eyes.”
Barnhart does an excellent job of sprinkling in hilarious one-liners and her humorous inner thoughts, one of my favorites being, “…there’s got to be a way to wear an 89-year-old lady down without putting her at a desk and shining bright lights in her eyes.”
July 16, 2024
Wow! This fantastic book kept me on the edge of my seat wanting more as her family history unfolded with every page turn. It felt like story time as the author revealed her discoveries through pictures, postcards, and genetic test results. This compelling narrative makes me want to dive into my own family history. A must-read!
July 26, 2024
Wow! This story gives us a sense of just how deeply a family is entwined beyond DNA. Humor, emotion, history, passion, forgiveness and grace... all woven together.
A book that I couldn't put down and gave me the urge to explore my own family history at greater depths!
A book that I couldn't put down and gave me the urge to explore my own family history at greater depths!
October 2, 2025
A genealogical tail of surprises all started by a gene test that leads to big mysteries and how could this happen ? A tale of tests and a convoluted tale of affairs and different parentage of 3 brothers and how everything was woven together after so many discoveries . Well written and documented.
July 16, 2024
A simply beautiful story of family, genealogy, secrets, the power of truth, and the blessing of redemption! It is well worth the read!
February 12, 2025
This is such a great and wild story exploring family history and sorting out fact from fiction… with the benefit of modern genealogical research paired with family stories and hidden gems discovered. An excellent read!
October 4, 2024
This book kept my attention from beginning to end. It helps that I know the author personally, but even if I hadn’t, her writing is enticing and conversational at the same time, leading to a quick and enjoyable read that drops a huge family bombshell. A well-written page turner for sure!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews