Heirlooms are meant to be preserved, kept, and treasured. Unfortunately, not everyone is lucky enough to hold on long enough to these priceless items. They get lost and as they say, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. But what if one man’s treasure is another man’s greatest belonging?
This is exactly what one woman thought. She knew that flea markets were rife with great finds that would definitely be appreciated by someone else. But instead of selling these for a high price, she does it all entirely for free.
Chelsey Brown has a unique hobby. She enjoys trawling flea markets and thrift shops in search of interesting finds. Instead of using these items for decoration or to add to her collection, she does something even better.
As an amateur genealogist, Chelsey has a hobby of looking for the owners or descendants of the owners of the items she purchased just so she could give them back their lost heirlooms.
In fact, this Manhattan interior designer said that she has managed to return more than 500 objects to their owners. The best part is that she doesn’t do this for the money. It has simply become a great passion for her.
“I love the thrill of the chase; I love to close out the mysteries,” shared Brown. “It’s insane the things I have found. All of the Holocaust items I have been able to return have been special.”
What she does is look for a telling clue on the object she finds before looking for a demographic information in city census records and the other resources at hand. This search often leads her to a marriage certificate or other distinguishing legal documents that link her to the worthy recipient.
Once she is able to do the right kind of research, she is often successful at tracking down the rightful owner and contacting them. She then tells them about what she’s been trying to return. Admittedly, many were skeptical because most of them assumed that it was all a scam. But Brown also believes that many of the same emotional dramas that have brought about disruptions in relationships and households today were just as common years ago.
In her search, Brown was able to come across several interesting items such as love letters from decades ago. These were proof that the struggles then were just like the struggles today. Issues such as clinginess and ghosting were common too.
“Heartbreak, affairs, and family drama were all still happening then,” said Brown. “I think it comforts people to know if they don’t get any contact with someone after going on a date that the exact same happened to some in 1850—but with letters.”
She typically specializes in letters, such as a romantic series during World War II, or a diary of two teenage lovers who were forced apart or simply drifted by time and circumstances.
“I found this amazing one written by a woman who was in a long-distance relationship. It was full of love letters and poems,” she said. “They decided to end the relationship but then I found out they got back together years later and are married with six kids. It’s really exciting returning them to the families.”
All the work and focus she had put on someone else’s past has given her the idea to create a time capsule book.
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