[If you should choose to adopt this prompt to contribute your own stories of folks who have gone out of their way to lend genealogy-related assistance to others, I would greatly appreciate a mention to Filiopietism Prism whenever you do so. Thank you! And please do use the same photograph below to illustrate the prompt. ;-) ]
Peggy Eddington-Smith never met her father because he was killed in Italy in June 1944 during World War II; but before Pvt. John Eddington was shipped out from his base in Texas to Europe, he wrote a letter to Peggy's mother and to Peggy just after Peggy was born. The problem was, neither Peggy nor her mother ever received the letter -- and why remains a mystery.
About a week ago, after almost 70 years, Peggy, now 69 years old, received her father's Bronze Star, Purple Heart, reproduction dog tags, AND the three-page letter her father wrote to the newborn Peggy and her mother.
To read where the letter was found, to find out about the Good Samaritan who worked the internet and libraries for years to find the people the letter was addressed to, and to learn what other items of her father's Peggy now has, go here and here. You can see the wedding photo of Peggy's parents, a photo of Peggy receiving items belonging to her father, and a photo of the amazing escort Peggy and her Good Samaritan received on their way to the presentation ceremony.
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Photograph of the The Good Samaritan sculpture by Francois-Leon Sicard (1862 - 1934). The sculpture is located in the Tuileries Gardens in Paris, France. The photograph is by Marie-Lan Nguyen and has been placed in the public domain by her. See, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Good_Samaritan_Sicard_Tuileries.jpg
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Copyright 2013, John D. Tew
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