For 5 years I have made a habit of "returning" old photos, documents, and books. I buy items at flea markets... old photos with names written on back, photo albums with traceable clues, old Bibles with family trees. I spend minutes or hours (or days) researching on Ancestry.com and other online sources to find descendants. When I can make a connection, I mail the item and I never ask for (or accept) any payment, including for postage.
I do this in part because I love doing it... I love learning the history and I love the idea of precious family items finding its way home. But I must admit another reason... I fervently hoped that someone would do it for me! Or, at least, I would rack up enough karma points to have a shot at seeing old photographs or finding information about my own family... people whom I've spent hours researching and people whom I have so precious little information.
Well... it worked! Perhaps thanks to karma, definitely thanks to Brittny and Ginny, every minute-- every penny-- every effort I spent returning family history to strangers has been repaid. Long lost cousins Brittny and Ginny have provided invaluable, terrific, amazing information. Some of the folks to whom I've mailed items to have told me "I'll never be able to thank you." Now I say to Ginny & Brittny: "I'll never be able to thank YOU!"
Up until now, most of my ancestors have been faceless. Brittny has shared photographs that have given some of these ancestors faces. And Ginny has provided a copy of a letter that is rich-- very rich-- in biographical details that I could never have hoped to learn. It's the kind of thing that family researchers like myself dream about.
Sincere thanks to both Ginny & Brittny for your help and generosity!
