In a remarkable turn of events, a 121-year-old postcard has reunited long-lost relatives in Swansea, UK, after it was finally delivered to an address earlier this month. The postcard, originally sent on August 3, 1903, arrived at the Swansea Building Society, which was once the childhood home of Helen Roberts’ grandfather. The story of this antique delivery has since gone viral, connecting family members who never knew each other existed.
Postcard from the Past
The postcard, sent by a young Ewart Davies to his sister Lydia, was found at what is now the Swansea Building Society’s headquarters. Ewart, then just 13, wrote to his sister:
“Dear L, I could not, it was not possible to get the pair of these. I am so sorry, but I hope you are enjoying yourself at home. I have got now about 10/- [shillings] as pocket money not including the train fare so I am doing alright. Remember me to Miss Gilbert and John. With love to all from Ewart.”
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Ewart’s message apologizes for not obtaining a pair of unspecified items and mentions his modest savings. It is believed he wrote the postcard while staying at his grandparents’ house in Fishguard, a coastal town in Pembrokeshire. The postcard had gone undelivered for over a century until it was rediscovered earlier this month.
Family Tree Reconnected
Helen Roberts, a descendant of the postcard’s recipients, was astonished to learn of the postcard’s existence. Still living in the Swansea area near her grandfather’s childhood home, Roberts had been tracing her family tree online when she received an unexpected message. A woman who had seen the postcard’s story on social media used the names and address to connect it to Roberts’ ancestry on the website Ancestry.
“As soon as I saw the address and the name, I recognized it straight away as being my grandfather’s family home as a child and Lydia being his sister,” Roberts explained.
Roberts then reached out to several newly discovered relatives, leading to a family reunion at the West Glamorgan Archive for a BBC Breakfast segment. Roberts and her sister Margaret Spooner met Nick Davies, Ewart’s grandson, and Faith Reynolds, Lydia’s great-granddaughter, for the first time.
“It was great on Wednesday, meeting two members of my extended family who I’d never heard of before, let alone met,” said Roberts, adding that the experience helped her learn more about her grandfather’s siblings and “close a few loose ends.”
Global Attention and New Connections
The discovery of the postcard has not only reconnected UK-based family members but also sparked interest worldwide. The story has been covered by major news outlets across Europe, North America, and Australia. Another family member living in Canada even reached out to Nick Davies after the story was shared online.
Nick Davies described the reunion as “extraordinary,” saying it felt like a family gathering, despite the relatives’ unfamiliarity with each other.
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“The whole thing has been mind-blowing,” Roberts remarked. “Not just the postcard turning up, but how it connected the family and how much it’s gone viral globally. It’s astonishing.”