Helen Roberts, a resident of Swansea, UK, recently had the extraordinary experience of meeting long-lost relatives for the very first time after a 121-year-old postcard was finally delivered to its intended address earlier this month.
The postcard found its way to the Swansea Building Society, which was once the childhood home of Roberts’ grandfather, who still lives nearby, according to Sky News.
Her grandfather was the brother of Ewart, the sender of the postcard, which was addressed to his sister, Lydia.
Reports indicate that Ewart sent the postcard while staying at their grandparents’ home.
The message on the postcard reads: “Dear L, I was unable to get the pair of these, and I’m truly sorry. I hope you’re having a lovely time at home. I’ve got about 10/- [shillings] in pocket money, not including the train fare, so I’m managing fine. Please say hello to Miss Gilbert and John for me. Sending love to everyone from Ewart.”
Interestingly, while Roberts was researching her family history online, she received a message shortly after the postcard was briefly shared on social media.
She recalled, “A lady who saw the article reached out to me. She entered the name and address from the postcard into Ancestry and traced it back to my family tree,” as quoted by Sky News.
Since then, Roberts and her sister, Margaret Spooner, have reunited with Ewart’s grandson, Nick Davies, and the great-granddaughter of Lydia, Faith Reynolds.
Roberts expressed her joy, saying, “Meeting two members of my extended family who I had never known before was wonderful on Wednesday.”
She also mentioned that this connection has allowed her to “tie up some loose ends” regarding her grandfather’s siblings, noting that they have exchanged emails to maintain their newfound connection and learn more about each other’s families.
In an unexpected twist, another distant relative based in Canada reached out to Davies after the story gained traction online.
Roberts concluded by saying, “The entire experience has been incredible. Not only did the postcard show up, but it also connected the family in ways I never anticipated, and the fact that it went viral globally is just astonishing.”