DownNDirty
Bronze Member
Last year I discovered the site of a house that (based on the relics I found) existed in the 18th and early 19th centuries. The owner obviously was a man of means, as I found three silver cufflinks, an elaborate shoe buckle and coins from the 1700s. I was reasonably sure that I had found a house that is marked on the Mills' Atlas of 1825 belonging to W__ T____ (we'll call him WT), but I wasn't sure.
About a week ago I received a phone call from an elderly lady whom I did not know. She explained that WT was her great-great-great grandfather and that she had done a lot of genealogy research to about him. She had spoken with the owner of the land where I found the home site (a friend of hers) and he told her that I had located WT's house and suggested that she contact me. She was very excited to learn of my discovery and confirmed that I had indeed found the site of her ancestor's house. The fact that I found items like silver cufflinks (including one that was made from a 1762 half real coin) made sense, because WT was an attorney and a politician. She said that she and her cousins had searched for WT's grave with no luck, and she never dreamed that she would find out where he lived.
I shared some information with her and made arrangements to show her the site. Yesterday I met her, her daughter and another relative and took them there; the site is on the edge of a tiny field in the woods. Before walking to the site I showed them some of the relics that I had found there. I told her that I wanted her to have something that belonged to her ancestor and I gave her a silver cufflink and decorative dandy button
She was thrilled to receive them and thanked me profusely
So we walked to the site and I explained to them where I found the relics, and where the house would have been. I also explained how I found the site and that I knew where the structure was because of a concentration of square nails. They marked the area with flags so that they could come back to it later, then we took some photos; here is the lady, her daughter and yours truly
Call it instant karma maybe, but as I was standing at the site talking to the lady I looked down and right next to my foot was a complete arrowhead! I had never found a whole one in that field
This was a very rewarding experience for me for a couple of reasons. First, it felt good to help the lady connect to her past and to give her a couple of items that were worn by her ancestor; and second, it is cool to know who built and lived in the house and have some history for him. I metal detect because I am interested in the history, and in my book it doesn't get any better than this.
About a week ago I received a phone call from an elderly lady whom I did not know. She explained that WT was her great-great-great grandfather and that she had done a lot of genealogy research to about him. She had spoken with the owner of the land where I found the home site (a friend of hers) and he told her that I had located WT's house and suggested that she contact me. She was very excited to learn of my discovery and confirmed that I had indeed found the site of her ancestor's house. The fact that I found items like silver cufflinks (including one that was made from a 1762 half real coin) made sense, because WT was an attorney and a politician. She said that she and her cousins had searched for WT's grave with no luck, and she never dreamed that she would find out where he lived.
I shared some information with her and made arrangements to show her the site. Yesterday I met her, her daughter and another relative and took them there; the site is on the edge of a tiny field in the woods. Before walking to the site I showed them some of the relics that I had found there. I told her that I wanted her to have something that belonged to her ancestor and I gave her a silver cufflink and decorative dandy button
She was thrilled to receive them and thanked me profusely
So we walked to the site and I explained to them where I found the relics, and where the house would have been. I also explained how I found the site and that I knew where the structure was because of a concentration of square nails. They marked the area with flags so that they could come back to it later, then we took some photos; here is the lady, her daughter and yours truly
Call it instant karma maybe, but as I was standing at the site talking to the lady I looked down and right next to my foot was a complete arrowhead! I had never found a whole one in that field
This was a very rewarding experience for me for a couple of reasons. First, it felt good to help the lady connect to her past and to give her a couple of items that were worn by her ancestor; and second, it is cool to know who built and lived in the house and have some history for him. I metal detect because I am interested in the history, and in my book it doesn't get any better than this.
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. The fact that she was seeking out her ancestors history before she knew you existed, shows a true appreciation for the history of her g-g-g-grandfather. You taking her there and giving her some of her ancestors relics brought her family history alive and I'm sure she was thrilled. Just awesome on so many levels... WELL DONE.
