Genealogy Lost and Found: Civil War Find Returned to Direct DescendantWell, it’s been some time since I’ve blogged about any of my volunteer genealogy lost and found cases, actually, quite a long time! I have just been too swamped, and when I do have time, I have forgotten any of the details of the cases. So, this time I am doing it ASAP, before I forget any of the details, because it was such a feel-good story and so worth my time! 😊 Awe, a feel-good story! So, I saw a post yesterday in one of my Facebook groups, Family Treasures Found, of someone posting to find a direct descendant to claim Civil War medals and discharge certificate (he later told me they were found in an abandoned home in Michigan). I was super busy drawing up reports for a client and didn’t really have the time, but when I saw this pop up in my feed, I thought this was definitely worth my time to find a descendant for! The poster had given the direction that it was to be given to a proven direct descendant only and commented that, “I have already contacted every ancestry member with this person in their family tree and have had no response for over 2 months, so please do not waste time doing that”. I immediately took on this volunteer case, and in 15 minutes had built a quick tree from the info that was on the certificate, got descendants, then contacted a living descendant through a public record search. The Civil War medals and certificate are going home to one of his great grandsons, who is 84 years of age! The most touching part...his wife said he was sitting there literally crying because he was so touched by the fact that someone went through the trouble of finding him, to pass these along to, and because he was so excited! Some Quick Tips for Finding a Descendant to Return Family Heirlooms (or any other reason):
A Few Facebook Groups if You’re Looking for Help Returning a Find: There are many Facebook Groups and other social media groups out there that you can post a find on, to get help returning it to family members. These are just 5 that I’m a member of. 😊
Interactive Questions: Have you come across an heirloom that you are trying to return to family? Have you ever gotten lucky enough to have someone track you down to give you the gift of a family heirloom that they had found? I would love to hear your comments below in the comment section! More Genealogy lost and Found Cases: Read about more of my volunteer genealogy lost and found cases under the Genealogy Lost and Found category (even though it’s been quite a while 😉)! Did you Know: Did you know that I offer Volunteer Genealogy Lost and Found Search for interesting and quick cases? This post is a participant in the Genealogy Blog Party!
6 Comments
7/5/2022 03:26:19 pm
Great that you were able to reunite this heirloom with the family!
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7/5/2022 04:31:27 pm
Thank you. It was a fun case that brought happiness all around, and it was well worth the 15 minutes. :)
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7/7/2022 09:17:37 am
it's terrific that you found a descendant for a great piece of family history. Finding descendants of folks i orphaned photos is one of my favorite activities. Sometimes, I never hear a word back. Other times, I receive a grateful email or phone call telling me how much they appreciate the gift.
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7/7/2022 10:58:37 am
Thank you! Yes, it certainly is a wondeful thing to be able to give gifts to others from their family history!
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7/8/2022 05:21:39 pm
Great find and so happy it is going to the family member.I'd be over the moon if someone ever reached out to say they had old family memorabilia and wanted to send it to me.
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7/8/2022 07:57:35 pm
Yes, it was, that's why I couldn't pass up helping on this one! I would also be ecstatic if someone contacted me to pass on an awesome family find! :)
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BlogI hope my family history and genealogy blog on genealogy research tips, resources, events, and more, along with my own genealogy journeys, will help you in your research and in building your family tree to learn more about your ancestors and family history to preserve for future generations to come! Come visit me at Know Who Wears the Genes in Your Family if you're interested in starting your family history journey, booking me for your next speaking event, or family history and genealogy heirloom products!
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