Family Tree Goes From Blank to FBI-Level Investigation in 2 Years
KEY POINTS
- ā¢Isobella Jade struggled to fill her son's 6th-grade family tree due to little known about her father's side.
- ā¢Her father died at age 63 in a house fire, severing direct access to family stories and records.
- ā¢Over two years using Ancestry.com, she uncovered multiple relatives named Frank, occupations like ice cream office manager, and her grandfatherās draft card.
Isobella Jade's genealogical quest began with a monumental blank space: her dad's family tree, where her father's name was known basically as 'Frank, but that's about it.' After her dad tragically died in a house fire at 63, leaving nothing but some car items and unspoken estrangement drama, she dove headfirst into Ancestry.com. There she pieced together a lineage stuffed with multiple Franks, from a 1948 selective service draft card bragging 'father' status, to a great-grandfather who moonlighted as an ice cream factory office manager, and a great-great-grandfather who manufactured cigars, not memories. After two years of digital detective work (and no plans to meet living 'branches'), sheās armed with census records, yearbook photos, and proof her grandfather was a brain health science doctor. Now her son can finally finish that 6th-grade family tree without foisting blank shame on mom, and everyone can pretend the generational mysteries were just a quirky hobby.
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Turns out the family tree was less a tree and more a sad bonsai bonsai society of mostly Franks, cigars, and ice cream jobs nobody talked about until Ancestry.com turned detective.
Who knew family history meant digging up an entire Frank convention featuring ice cream, cigars, and cold shoulder obituaries?
My family tree has more missing branches than a squirrelās drug habit, but hey, at least Ancestry.com plays detective better than I do.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 1/5/2026 | Author: Isobella Jade
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