Inn at Laurel Point on the hunt for owner of forgotten photo album
February 23, 2011
Over the years, here at the hotel we have had our fair share of strange items left behind in our guest rooms. Some of the most memorable ones include a prosthetic leg (with its shoe still left on), a set of dentures, a urine sample and a slew of, ahem, unmentionables. But one keepsake, a photo album containing 203 black and white images, some dating to 1914, has weighed heavy on our minds for the past 30 years.
Front Cover of our mysteriously left behind photoalbum
Hotel lore has it that the book was discovered by housekeeping. In the days before the Internet and widespread computer use, staff couldn’t locate the owner and so the album sat on a shelf here at the Inn at Laurel Point for the past three decades. We’d love to get this book back into the hands of the family it belongs to and, in posting this blog, hoping someone out there might have a lead on its owner.
Inscriptions in the teal-coloured album bound with red string are mostly of locations in Scotland, such as Glen Coe and Cambuslang.
Some notable characters in the album include a cat named Blinkie and a Mrs Turner who also seems to go by Aunt Helen.
Aunt Helen
But what really tugs at your heartstrings is the amount of care that went into creating this book. Someone carefully inscribed captions on nearly all the photos. It’s easy to see that there are a lot of important memories catalogued in this album: a wedding, a prisoner of war being welcomed home, the first ride on a motorcycle…
If you have any leads on who this photo album belongs to (or any tips on how to find the owner), please contact me at 250-414-6731 or avril.matthews@laurelpoint.com. To claim the book, you’ll be asked a few identifying characteristics.
We also want to hear from you if you have any great stories on items you’ve left behind at a hotel. (To embarrassed to post them here? Email me and I’ll do it on your behalf.)
Stay different,
Avril
This entry was posted in Uncategorized.6 Responses to Inn at Laurel Point on the hunt for owner of forgotten photo album
-
-
barbara toner says:
i would love to find out the outcome of this album , please if you find the family and return it post the news
regards
Barbps . great that your taking the time to do this
-
I will for sure. Who doesn’t love a mystery.
We are all super hopefull that this gets resolved.
Thanks Barb!
Avril
-
-
Meghan says:
As a family historian and avid hobby genealogist, this absolutely pulls at my heartstrings!
I would suggest contacting a local family history society as a start if there is even one last name posted in the album. Alternatively, a historical society of the most prominent area featured in the album.
I sincerely hope you are able to find the family this belongs to!
If you need any advice on genealogical or historical societies that may be suitable, please don’t hesitate to contact me personally and I can do some research for you!
Best of luck and good on you for searching for the family that is missing this amazing treasure!
Meghan-
Hey Meghan,
Thanks so much for your advice. I will keep you contact info at the ready just in case.
It is such an amazing peice of family history and am really hopefull that we can get it back to it’s family
Avril
-
Hi Avril
My suggestion would be to contact a show called Ancestors in the Attic. They find the ancestors of different people, maybe they would be interested in trying to trace the owners, sort of a reverse of their norm. Also, ancestry.ca or .com maybe be helpful in some way.
We have a few Ellens, Ellyns and Eleanor Turners in the family, but no Helens. Good luck with your search