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The Family History That Wasn't: How a Hidden Discovery

Redefined Our Identity

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In 2015, when Allison Lawrentz Barnhart gave her father an at-home DNA test, she had no idea it would unravel everything she thought she knew about his side of the family. The results revealed an alternate family story, leading her on an unexpected journey to understand the truth about her paternal grandmother and the hidden connections that shaped their family’s past.

A decade later, Allison has turned this experience into The Record Keeper: The Unfolding of a Family Secret in the Age of Genetic Genealogy, published in July 2024 by Legacy Book Press. With the help of her newly discovered cousin Jennifer, extended family, her late grandmother’s best friend, and a collection of old keepsakes, she pieces together a surprising truth: her father’s biological father was not who they believed, but a siding salesman turned family friend with a complicated and shady past. Along the way, she also uncovers seven sisters her father never knew he had as well as learning about deep Scandinavian roots.

This memoir explores themes of identity, family secrets, and generational memory, reflecting on how relationships can be shaped by both hidden truths and shared history. Through her research and writing, Allison works to better understand her grandmother’s life and the lasting impact of the choices made by previous generations.

Allison Lawrentz Barnhart grew up in Ashland, Ohio, and graduated from Ashland University which included a year intensive at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Although she’s a full-time graphic designer, genealogy research has been her constant love since grade-school. With the encouragement of her relatives in all branches 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.

Her first book, a memoir entitled The Record Keeper: The Unfolding of a Family Secret in the Age of Genetic Genealogy was published in July 2024 by Legacy Book Press and was featured on the Ohio Genealogical Society’s podcast Ohio Roots and in the Mar/Apr 2025 issue of Family Tree Magazine. Allison is a member of the Ohio Genealogical Society as well as the Ashland County Chapter of the OGS, residing in Ashland, Ohio, with her husband, their two children, a rescue mini-dachshund, and an orange tabby they found in their garage one day.