Jack Elliman found a box of keepsakes in the basement of a Vernon business a decade ago. He's still trying to reunite the contents with their rightful owner today.
Image Credit: Jack Elliman
December 29, 2015 - 9:00 PM
VERNON - Finding an old box of postcards, pictures and other keepsakes in the basement of a Vernon business years ago was like a blast from the past, says Jack Elliman.
But not a blast from his own past; from someone named Lorna Rothwell Thompson’s past. Elliman doesn’t know who she is, but he’s trying to find out.
“I was told to clean out the basement which was full of all sorts of random junk. I was told to throw everything away, and I found this. I thought, there’s no way I’m throwing this away, this is a piece of family history,” Elliman says.
The box, which says ‘#20 Vernon, Lorna’s Box Jewelry + Snap-shots’ on it, contained numerous old black and white photographs, postcards from all over the world, and some jewelry. The owner of the store it was found in had no idea how it got there.
Elliman asked around and inquired at the Greater Vernon Museum and Archives in hopes of reuniting the box with its owner, or her family, but never got any solid leads. That was about ten years ago, before Facebook really took off. He’s kept the box all this time, and recently decided to pick up the search again, this time with the help of social media.
“I would love to see it end up in the right hands,” Elliman says. “I can’t figure out what else to do with it, I can’t throw it away, that’s for sure.”
He posted a description and some photos on Facebook Dec. 24, thinking it would make a nice Christmas gift for the rightful owners to get the box back. The post has since been shared numerous times, yet the mystery has not been solved.
“I really, really want to find the family,” Elliman says. “Please share, comment any tips, and feel free to tag people so more people are looking at it.”
You can view a full album of photos on Elliman’s Facebook page.
One of the photos contained in Lorna's box.
Image Credit: Jack Elliman
To contact a reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infonews.ca or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2015