Call Me John
A Genealogical Mystery Based on a True Story
~ NOW AN AUDIOBOOK! ~
New Jersey, 1928. A 14-year-old boy disappears from his home without a trace.
Ninety years later, a series of chance DNA matches reveals what became of him. John had to grow up quickly — changing his identity, earning a living, and navigating love, friendship and death during some of the toughest times in American history.
With nothing more than an 8th grade education, his journey takes us through Prohibition, the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, the gold mines of Colorado and the Second World War to eventually become a success in his own right.
A semi-fictional account based on a true story.
Now on Audible - March 2022
Praise for Call Me John
Schoenholtz blends genealogical research with historical fiction as he tracks the mysterious disappearance of his long lost uncle who forged a seamless new identity to hide his darkest secret. A fast-paced, adeptly told story. - Syril Levin Kline, author, Shakespeare’s Changeling
He has deftly woven together fact and fiction to create a fascinating tale that explores the influence of fate and family. The book is a page turner. I highly recommend it. - Lynne Terry, editor, former NPR correspondent, and reporter
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I couldn’t put this book down. At every turn I looked forward to seeing where “John” would go next. Schoenholtz knows how to keep your attention and keep you eager for more. - Helen Raptis, TV Host of AM Northwest
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A compelling story. Schoenholtz is one of those rare storytellers who paints with words so effectively, the reader becomes lost in the telling of the tale. I did. - Carol Sveilich, author, Reflections from a Glass House
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He raises questions about the mutability of identity. Yet, the thread that runs throughout is the human yearning to belong and to make our families proud. - Daphne Bramham, author and columnist, The Vancouver Sun
About the Book
Have you ever seen someone who looked eerily familiar, but there was no logical explanation for it? Well I have a little story to tell:
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My dad’s mother, who is standing in the back of this family photo, grew up in New Jersey. In 1928, Isadore, the youngest of the seven children, packed a bag and left home at the age of fourteen. He was never heard from again, and the family went through the next 92 years not knowing if he was dead or alive.
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When I began my genealogy hobby, my dad asked if I could possibly find his missing uncle. We imagined that he probably changed his name, so it would be nearly impossible to locate him.
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In 2018 I discovered a fairly strong DNA match with a group of sisters. A year later, I found another DNA match with a cousin of theirs.
The ancestor they all shared in common was their great-grandfather John. They told me that his parents were from Ireland, but no one could find any records for him or his parents from prior to 1928.
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“John” had no siblings, no aunts or uncles and no cousins.
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Based on DNA percentages and a few other factors that couldn’t be attributed to coincidence, I reached the conclusion that their great-grandfather John was actually my dad’s long lost uncle Isadore.
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He somehow managed to earn a living as a 14 year old, and his journey took him through the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, a Colorado Gold Mine, and the Second World War. He raised a family, and became a success.
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But here’s the amazing part:
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It turns out that he lived less than a mile away from the house where I grew up in Southern California - nearly 3,000 miles from where he disappeared. He’s buried in my little hometown of Covina.
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There were several gaps in John’s story where I had to make an educated guess to fill in the blanks—so the book is technically fiction. For example, we’ll never know why he ran away (other than perhaps the bad haircut). However, the number of factual details that I uncovered through research and interviews would surprise most readers.
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One major revelation was that John worked for many years in the restaurant business, near where I lived. There’s a possibility that my father could have stood across the counter from him, and neither man would have had any idea who the other person was. That imaginary meeting is what got me thinking about writing his story.
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We are undoubtedly surrounded by coincidences every day, but 99% of the time we’re not even aware of them. So the next time you have that weird sense of déjà vu, but you just can’t explain it, see if anyone’s missing on your family tree.