Silent Legacy: Discovering Family Secrets

Ellen O'Donnell, a retired detective and genealogist, is on the trail of a family mystery. Determined to complete her assignment, she doggedly looks for clues about an independent young woman from Germany who is involved with Oklahoma land speculation, fights against the institutionalization of her son, then vanishes during the Great Depression. Ellen's investigation begins in San Francisco, followed by research in the musty courthouse vaults and archives of Nebraska, Oklahoma and New York City. In the picturesque villages of Wuerttemberg, she discovers another secret which solves the mystery and reveals a family legacy. Genealogists and historians who are fascinated with the push-pull of immigrant community dynamics and are interested in learning how historical events can affect families, will enjoy reading Silent Legacy - a genealogy mystery novel.