A Wishful Post, A Thoughtful Reader, and A Package

June 3, 2014 by Luanne

In January I published a post called A Sister and Her Family: How Can I Find Out More?. At the time I was wishing for more information on the family of my great-great-grandfather’s sister, Jennie DeKorn Culver, and her family. They had moved from Kalamazoo to Seattle, Washington, over a hundred years ago, but there the trail ran cold.

Readers were very generous with their suggestions, and as I delve more deeply into this branch I plan to act on more of them.

In the meantime, at the end of April the ideal person, a woman named Joyce, a complete stranger to me and to my family, read my blog post and commented. She had a photo album of family photos that belonged to one of the Culvers!

The story of how this album came into Joyce’s possession is a study in respect and appreciation for history and family. Joyce’s father worked at a retirement community with nursing facilities called Bayview Manor in Seattle. Joyce says, “When the residents left, what ever was left in their apartments was given or thrown away. The things thrown, my father liked to pick up, as a lot was still usable. This album was one of them.” Joyce has kept the album for thirty years.

And now she has given it to me for our family. What a kindness. My daughter plans to scan the photos, and I will get Joyce a copy of them. And I plan to post some of the photos over a few posts after they are scanned. They are absolutely beautiful.

Here is a sample:

Imagine how I felt when I pulled this album out of the shipping carton!

Many of the photos are loose.

But some are affixed. These will be harder to scan.

Look at their lovely outfits!

I have not yet discovered which Culver left the album at Bayview Manor, but Jennie’s daughter Rhea died in 1976, which is 38 years ago. I have not yet found sister Lela’s obituary, but she was still alive in 1964.

Thank you so much, Joyce, for this wonderful treasure. My family and I thank you for your great kindness and compassion.

Posted in DeKorn, Family History, Genealogy, Jennie DeKorn Culver, Kalamazoo history, Kalamazoo late 1800s - early 1900s, Photography early 20th century | Tagged Bayview Manor, Culvers of Seattle, DeKorn, DeKorn family, DeKorn genealogy, early 1900s, family history, genealogy, history of Kalamazoo, Jennie and John Culver, Kalamazoo history, Richard DeKorn, Seattle history | 25 Comments

25 Responses

on June 3, 2014 at 5:58 am | Reply valleygrail

That is what every genealogist dreams will happen! What a gift!!
- on June 3, 2014 at 7:10 am | Reply currentdescendent
  
  Isn’t it the truth, though?! It seems impossible!
on June 3, 2014 at 7:02 am | Reply jeannieunbottled

A miracle.
- on June 3, 2014 at 7:12 am | Reply currentdescendent
  
  It is a miracle! I never thought when I wrote that post asking for information about Jennie, that such a treasure would come my way! What an effort Joyce put in this project!
on June 3, 2014 at 8:31 am | Reply Amy

Wow. How absolutely amazing. What a wonderful, generous person Joyce is. I am just in awe.
- on June 3, 2014 at 6:34 pm | Reply currentdescendent
  
  Isn’t she great! I am in awe, too. What a thrilling surprise!
on June 3, 2014 at 9:51 am | Reply innatejames

Serendipity! Have fun reviewing and researching all of those new tidbits of info. But remember to eat and take a walk outside too! Maybe set an alarm for every 2 hours? I know I’d need to.
- on June 3, 2014 at 6:35 pm | Reply currentdescendent
  
  Hahah, I know! Maybe it’s a good thing I’ve been so busy at work lately to keep me from falling right into this. I am hoping my daughter will scan the photos next week, though, so that I can get to work on them!
on June 3, 2014 at 11:18 am | Reply pastsmith

Honestly, this ought to boost the hopes of everyone reading your blog. What a blessing. Enjoy!
- on June 3, 2014 at 6:36 pm | Reply currentdescendent
  
  Isn’t it true, though?! It shows how important it is to blog publicly to make connections in the process of researching family history!!! Thank you so much!
on June 3, 2014 at 1:09 pm | Reply thegenealogygirl

I was so happy when I read this post on my phone this morning! I saw her comment and had been wondering if you and the album had been united. Best of luck as you go through your treasure!
- on June 3, 2014 at 6:37 pm | Reply currentdescendent
  
  I knew you would appreciate it!!! Thank you so much, Amberly!
on June 4, 2014 at 4:02 am | Reply Laura Aanenson

What a treasure – congratulations on your wonderful genealogical gift!
- on June 5, 2014 at 9:32 am | Reply currentdescendent
  
  Laura, thank you. I feel so blessed!
on June 4, 2014 at 6:05 pm | Reply Linda Arthur Tejera

What an amazing story. Anyone who has ever delved into genealogy at all has dreams of something like this. I know I do! Congrats! That is so exciting!
- on June 5, 2014 at 9:33 am | Reply currentdescendent
  
  It’s the reverse of walking through the antique store and feeling bad about the old photos with nobody to claim them. Thanks, Linda!
on June 6, 2014 at 5:31 am | Reply L. Marie

My sister-in-law is tracing her family roots. The process is fascinating!
- on June 6, 2014 at 7:56 am | Reply currentdescendent
  
  L. Marie, it is so interesting! Maybe you will want to try it!
on January 30, 2015 at 5:27 am | Reply It Could Have Been Much Worse | The Family Kalamazoo

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on April 27, 2018 at 6:09 pm | Reply Val

That is so amazing, Luanne! How fabulous!

A couple of years ago I was given a photo of a photo of my gt. grandfather – I’d heard about him (he was the ‘black sheep’ of the family) and had assumed that, because nobody talked about him, that there were no photos. But this one had apparently been in the family all the time. It was quite astonishing… but that was just one photo I’d never seen. It’s so astonishing that someone found you and that these photos somehow found her… wow!
- on April 28, 2018 at 7:01 am | Reply Luanne
  
  I’m so happy for you to find that photo, though! Wonderful! Yes, this photo album was such an amazing set of circumstances. First that her father saved it, then that the family kept it all those years, and that the daughter was as careful a “saver” as her father. Then for her to find my blog and make the connection!!! It’s practically a miracle! And since it was a family of a woman and two adult daughters, neither of whom had children, it’s cool that someone in the family now has it–and can share it online with others. I still want to share more although I did quite a few blog posts about the Culvers.