A family has been reunited with a letter written 130 years ago by one of their ancestors.
Newsweek reports about this.
The message, once sent to London, arrived years later 4,700 kilometers away, in a thrift store in Campbell River, Canada. The 1880 Bible with the included letter caught the attention of Marie Racine when she happened to find it in a store and decided to buy it as an antique.
Upon returning home, Racine discovered a message dated 1894, which referred to emotional moments in the life of a man named Henry Harris. In the letter, addressed to his daughter Irene, he thanked her for his care, described his deteriorating condition and sent love to his grandchildren, adding that “the summer will soon be brighter”. To learn more about the letter, Racine turned to the Reddit community. Users helped decipher the text and identify the author of the letter, who turned out to be Dr. Henry Harris – a respected doctor and member of the Liberal Party who died of tuberculosis in 1895. A user found Harris’ direct heir, his great-granddaughter Leslie, whom Marie Racine contacted. According to Leslie, reading the letter written by her great-grandfather stirred deep emotions in her. She also learned many new details about him, such as the fact that he was nicknamed “the little doctor” because of a congenital spinal condition. Racine decided to give Leslie the Bible and the letter, refusing to accept payment for the return of this family heirloom. Attaching a personal message as a gift from him, she sent the book back to its current owners, adding that it was for the sake of good karma. A Reddit user was able to run the letter through an artificial intelligence program that confirmed what was written. The content painted a vivid picture of a person’s struggle:
“My dear Irene, thank you for your letter and flowers – almost the last breath of summer. I am better, but very weak and trembling. Of course, it’s a stronger shock than sixteen years ago – but I hope I can last a little longer. This year I completely forgot about your birthday and just did it at the wrong time. I was very sick at the time. Tell the children that I am always glad to hear from them, that I am glad to hear that Charlie has settled down at work, and that I trust that he will have a peaceful and successful life.
(PS I think this summer has been my friend – I haven’t been away and have been very sick since mid-July – Maybe things will be much brighter again soon). I haven’t written much yet. It is one of the most unpleasant features of my illness – the difficulty of writing. With love to Tom and all the little ones.”
