Today it is Thanksgiving and I'm blessed to be able to spend the day with my family (and have written this prior so as to not interrupt the visit!). I'm not a big fan of the marketing frenzy rushing toward Christmas that has completely washed over this important holiday. I love this holiday. It is the time of year where my in-laws come to visit and we get to spend quality time together...something that is difficult for families living two states apart.
Today I have decided to tell you about a recent purchase I made on eBay. I love eBay. For me it is the hunt that is so enticing. I'm just sure that one day I'll find a photo of an ancestor or just the perfect piece of ephemera for my WWI collection. The other day I noticed a listing for six photo albums dated around WWI.
I'm not really sure why I was drawn to these albums. There were no close up photos in the listing, so I had no idea if there would be anything in of interest to me. But I spent a sickening amount of money on them anyway and instantly felt buyer's remorse! When they arrived, however, my remorse flew out the window.
In a weird coincidence, three of the albums include photographs from northwestern Arkansas in the 1920s. They include photos of students heading off to the University of Arkansas and photos of small-town Arkansas. Have I mentioned that I am currently living in Arkansas? I plan to offer these albums to the University or to a myriad of organizations here in the state capitol.
Two of the other binders include photos taken by an artistic Soldier stationed in France during WWI, to include some random ephemera from the time. This, for me, was a goldmine. The Soldier took many photos of historic France as well as himself and his buddies.
Although there are no names attached to the photos, in one you can clearly see the Soldier's patch: 79th Infantry Division.
The 79th Infantry Division's lineage is carried on by a unit that I am currently assigned to. What are the chances that six random photography albums from a seller in Illinois would end up with content relevant to me? Not relative to my family, but content I can embrace and hopefully return to the rightful owner. All of the sudden I'm not longer ashamed of what I paid for the albums. I'm just thankful for coincidences.
3 comments:
My husband found a box of photos at an auction in a box of random thing he had purchased. With one name and Ancestry.com I was able to find a family and send them on their way.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Good snag Heather! I too spend too much time and money on eBay and sometimes get very lucky with the photos I get. I look forward to seeing more of your find!
Teresa Wilson Rogers
forgottenfacesandlongagoplaces.blogspot.com/
You are just like me. I like to look up the genealogies of gravestones I see, photographs I find, houses I admire...not just my own family. It's nice to know I'm not alone!
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