Monday, February 18, 2008

Lost and Found

Five years ago Jay picked up a black filing cabinet at a thrift store in Eugene Oregon. He brought it home for me and I started to clean it up and fill up the drawers.

As I was filing away, I found a paper stuck to the back side of one of the drawers.
It was a Mailgram from 1977. It was from a husband to his wife for their 10th wedding anniversary. I have kept it and pulled it out around valentines every year, because of this sweet sentence written ...

"knowing to whom I am wed I am well aware of my value"

Now, tell me this ... who would not love to have this written about them?
I kept thinking that I would love to do something with this but could never decide what so I just put it back in the valentine folder year after year.

Today I had it out and showed Jay. We wondered if we could contact the owners of this mailgram ... maybe they might want it back.

I would, if it were mine.

So Jay started checking around on the internet..
and let me tell ya...
What a place the internet is.
Jay started out with the name of the sender. He had sent it from New York to his wife visiting somebody in Jacksonville, Oregon.

The search results just seemed too old (Somebody born in 1892.) and this was for a couple celebrating their 10th anniversary in 1977.

So then we (Jay) searched for the address on google maps of the mailgram sender ... in New York.

The result came up with a business listing "Random House."

Sound familiar to anyone? It did to us, and not only because it's a publishing company we hear of often but because ... we had just read about this guy and his connections with Random House.


This was the old guy ... but how could he have been celebrating his anniversary ... a 10th? It just took a little more reading on down the page and you find out that his first wife had passed away in 1966 and he remarried in 1967!

This whole thing has been fun, watching Jay play detective ... and link back and forth to make sure this was the same guy.

So now we have this document, celebrating this couples 10th anniversary. They are both deceased. It appears that a University in TX, has all the documents of his.

Would you try and find the family?
And if so ...
Which side?
Do I just contact the University?
And what do I say? Do you want this old mailgram from 1977?
I am kind of attached to it ... what would you do?

6 comments:

Kim Allsup said...

I would only sell it for $$$$$ and a lot of it... What a treasure!

Meghan said...

Wow, what a fun story. I am sure the family would find the story very interesting.

Anonymous said...

I saw this and had to read- this is just so cool! I love old correspondences.

Since they have both passed away, I would selfishly keep it myself and continue pulling it out every year to feel inspired because of the sweet sentiment.

April said...

That sweet sentence sounds like something you should have put into vinyl lettering on a board and hang in your master bedroom. Well, that's what I would do. :)
I think I would still keep the original document, too. Especially since they are both deceased.

michelle said...

I think I would keep it, since both the husband and wife are deceased. Besides, you treasure it and would anyone else?

Lynne's Somewhat Invented Life said...

IF they had children, and that isn't likely, they might want it but you treasure it and I think you always will. Especially now, with all the sleuthing accompllished. Frame it and put it somewhere only the two of you will read it.