Returning family treasures and momentos

[sapphire]

I just happened across this blog after looking at photos of antique horse hames. The old photo I clicked on was from this blog and I became intrigued.

This wonderful person has been collecting old family photos from antique shops for who knows how long......their blog goes back to 2009. They have been posting them with any info they have found as well as info forwarded to them by those who recognize either names or faces. Whenever possible they try to return these snippets of heritage to their owners or surviving family members. You can see the Full Circle updates on the left of the page detailing who they were returned to, along with notes (in red) following each photo post noting info and updates received.

What an incredible and heartwarming undertaking!!


http://forgottenoldphotos.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2011-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-06%3A00&updated-max=2012-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-06%3A00&max-results=50

[greenacres]

I really like that idea. I always feel bad when I see them for sale. I always think why would a family not want them, or how was it that they got there. This is really interesting. I have to finish reading to see the recovery rate. Thanks!

[KC]

I just spent a while looking at this site.  How honorable!


Many, many years ago a dumpster diver came across photos from an old photo studio and tracked my mom down with old family pics...for no money!!!!  Of course she gave them a tip and they declined!  There are still so many phenomenal people out there! 

[talesofthesevenseas]

That is cool, but the likelihood that anyone could recognize the people with no names is slim, since at this point most descendants would not be able to recognize their own ancestors faces. However, I think what KC's mother's benefactor did is a GREAT thing to do- research named photos and put them back in the hands of the family!

[talesofthesevenseas]

I should add to the post above that I have always found it sad to see photographs separated from their families. It is like these people are "lost". There are few things cooler than to be "reunited" with the photo of an ancestor and to look into their eyes for the first time.

[hosman321]

I have been wondering if there was a site like this! I have a few local photos with names and lots without names. It would be awesome to meet/help their ancestors. I wish that it was an actual website or a forum though because the blog is a bit confusing and difficult to follow...

[greenacres]

I sat up reading all night. I was relieved to know that some of the photos were doubles and the families had copies. Some the families were so glad to get back. It so interesting. Yhe clothes and jewelry. It's interesting that most people didn't smile in those days. Photos were a serious thing. The people look tired and some not happy. Here some of my husband's old family photos

[snowflake]

I spent some time reading the site too! Such a nice thing to do. Thanks for sharing that.
Greenacres: I notice the same thing with old b&w photo's I have. The only person ever smiling is one of my husbands great aunts, who later became a nun. We have more photos off her than anyone, she loved the camera and used to dress up in fancy hats and clothes to pose. (Nice photo's btw)

[talesofthesevenseas]

Sometimes it's not a physical thing that is returned to a family but a story. That was how I found out that my ancestor had been killed in the Jenny Lind explosion- A historian with the historical society from his home town went searching for descendants on Ancestry.com and found me. It was an incredible gift to learn what had happened to him and ended up opening a huge part of the family history.

Did anyone catch the episode of "Who do You Think You Are?" featuring Kim Catrall the other evening? She went in search of her grandfather who had abandoned his family.

[greenacres]

I love that show. I've seen many of the episodes. They did this with the young Judd sister, the actess, another moment can't think of her name. The did it with Steve Bushemi and several others. It's facsinating. One they actually went all the way back to Europe. I have the actual ticket of the ship my husband grandfather came here with. The Zoorwill family had a huge family reunion last year. We had a huge family tree. We all had to fill it in with or own families. My husband first cousin is writing a book about his family and their lives. I have a copy with all the information. He went all the wat back to Europe. Everyone donated all the info they could. My mother in law is the oldest living person. We had her tell stories of the past and then we rented a triolley and tour where they grew up. It was so great we have another one coming up soon. It isn't easy because we are all over the country.

[snowflake]

I saw the one with Steve. Had never watched it before, and was clicking through stations, I just love that guy and saw his face, so I watched it. What a great show! What an interesting and sad story. Imagine wondering why he left or where he was all that time.

How wonderful that you have the actual ticket!

I was researching my Dads side of the family and started wondering about my Grans side (Moms mom). We never knew anything about them. I asked my Gran and she just said her mother never mentioned family, siblings, nothing. Years later she came over and said she had watched a show about British Home Children and wondered if her mother was one. I started a search and sure enough found her on the Bernardo passenger ship list. Sent away for the documents, much of it blacked out. But we did get a picture of her and a sister! They wouldn't give us any information on her sister because we weren't immediate family. They did give us an address of a family member in England. We later found there were other siblings, all lost contact. My Gran was so happy to have found even the few family members and they kept in close contact until her passing. Just think, if it hadn't been for a tv show, that would have never happened!

[greenacres]

It connects you to the past. You feel closer too it. It's an unusal feeling, it doesn't seem as far away. My husband's family always made us feel so connected though. I wish I knew more about my grandparents families. My grandfather was born in Fall River, Mass. He died 10 yrs. ago at 94. He tried to find his fathers grave before he died and wasn't successful. His father died when he was 4 yrs. old. That would really make a great trip.  I knew his mother. My grandmother's parents I never knew. Here we go a new project, lol I'm happy for your Grandmother that she can have those connections again. Now she has places to visit with you., lol

[talesofthesevenseas]

Wow, great story Snowflake!

[snowflake]

I've since done a lot of research on British Home Children and went to a meet-up they had, to get an idea of what she went through. Some had it good, but sadly, other were treated like slaves and had a horrible life. From what I can read of her records, she had a very hard life.

[AndySmith145645]

Thanks for sharing sapphire!