Family meets for first time after ancestor's postcard is delivered 121 years after it was sent
A family met for the first time thanks to a postcard that was delivered to their ancestors' childhood home 121 years after it was first sent.
The Swansea Building Society, a mortgage loan business in Swansea, Wales, received a very old piece of mail earlier this month that took staff members by surprise.
Henry Darby, marketing and communications officer for the company, told Fox News Digital previously that the delivery of the piece of mail was "a true anomaly."
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The postcard was addressed to "Miss Lydia Davies" and dated Aug. 3, 1903 — making it almost 121 years old.
"This postcard has uncovered a forgotten piece of our local history," he added, "offering a rare glimpse into life in Swansea 121 years ago."
After posting the unique find on social media, family members were introduced for the first time to their long-lost ancestors.
The Swansea Building Society detailed in a press release that family members of both the sender and the intended receiver were reunited at the postcard destination this week.
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Two of Lydia Davies' great-nieces, Helen Roberts and Margaret Spooner, were in attendance, along with Davies' great-granddaughter Faith Reynolds.
The sender, identified as Ewart Davies, was represented by his grandson, Nick Davies, 65, at the meeting.
Nick Davies told the BBC that the experience was "like a family reunion where the only connection you have is a common ancestor dating back to over 100 ago."
After digging through their history and geneology, the family confirmed the postcard to be from a then-13-year-old Ewart Davies to his younger sister, Lydia Davies.
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The postcard was from Ewart Davies while he was spending the summer at his grandfather's home, according to the press release.
Lydia Davies was known to save and collect postcards.
"The postcard, which contains a message apologizing for not being able to ‘get the pair of these,’ has been interpreted by the family as referring to a pair of postcards," it read.
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The two were among the six children of John F. Davies, who ran a tailor's shop from the address.
The family reunion took place at the West Glamorgan Archives on Wednesday, August 28 — with the long-lost relatives saying the experience was "extraordinary," per the press release.
Darby said when the postcard originally arrived with the day's normal mail delivery but bearing a stamp with 1903 King Edward VII on it, he could tell the postcard was from a certain time period due to the style of writing.
The postcard’s original location appears to be Pembrokeshire, Wales — which is about 62 miles west of the intended delivery address.
Darby said his company’s building occupies the space where traditional homes once stood — noting that the Swansea Building Society was created 20 years after the postcard was sent.
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"The address is correct — we are still 11 (and 12) Cradock Street, but it’s 121 years later than expected," he said to SWNS, as Fox News Digital previously reported.
"We know it’s quite a long time ago, but it would be fascinating to uncover what life was like on Cradock Street 121 years ago."