One of our favorite posts in our entire archive is this one about hearing from our first house’s original owners. It was so much fun to see photos of their family in our house back in the 60’s, and we studied every inch of each picture and relished every detail that they shared in their letter.
We were also friendly with the people who sold us our second house, so although we never heard from the original owners, it was really great to know the sellers who had lived there for 22 years! So we always hoped to hear from the original owners of our current house. For a while… nothing. And then it happened! We actually met their daughter-in-law Chris at an event here in Richmond a few months back and big hugs ensued. There’s nothing better than hearing how special a house that you love is to another family, and she gave us permission to share some snippets from a letter that she sent us along with some old photos, so here it goes!
The house you are currently in has had a wonderful history of family memories. My husband’s parents bought it when his dad was transferred to Richmond from Cleveland, Ohio over 30 years ago. They had just become “empty nesters” so they searched for the right house in a perfect location for their future grandchildren to come visit. As a matter of fact, the first of their grandchildren was on the way during their move! It was a crazy time for them, buying the house under construction and moving from 500 miles away. They somehow fit in traveling to Texas for the birth of the first grandson, and saw the births of nine more grandchildren, and one great-grandchild while living there! They were dog lovers and brought their beloved dog, Chelsea, an English Foxhound, with them to Richmond. Sometime after she literally disappeared into the woods one day, another dog (Lady) followed my mother-in-law home. She was well loved and stayed with them a long time.
My husband and I lived in Richmond during the births of all four of our children. Before they were born we acquired our first “child,” a dog from the Richmond SPCA. We took her directly to the house to visit “grandma and grandpa” before even taking her to our own home!
All of our children remember the house as a place we celebrated Christmas Eve every year, plus multiple birthdays and other holidays (this photo was taken in the back porch, which you call the converted sunroom, around 20 years ago).
My father-in-law used to put a Christmas tree in almost every room of the house, and they were always decorated to perfection. He used to play a game with our kids, “find the ornament.” He would spy an ornament on the tree, and the kids would see who could be the first to find it. It wasn’t easy! He had hundreds on one tree alone!
My mother-in-law was a fantastic cook and had us over not only for celebrations but just because she felt like cooking. The kitchen was extremely well used and well loved by all. She would spend days baking cookies to take to Virginia Beach every year, when some years all three of her children and ten grandchildren would also be there.
There was an antique chandelier hanging in the kitchen that was precious to my mother-in-law. It belonged to her grandmother. She loved it, but it hung so low everyone knocked their head into it at least once in their visits there! It was removed before the house was sold.
The outside deck and back porch were added by them after moving in. They used the porch on a daily basis, him reading the newspaper and her doing her needlepoint pillows (this is a photo of my mother-in-law presenting one of her pillows to my daughter in the living room).
The tree in the middle of the deck (that you have removed) was just a small thing when they decided to build the deck around it. They wanted to keep it for the shade it provided. It really got huge!
It is really nice to be able to see what you are doing to make the house your own. I love the hardwood floors you have put in upstairs and really like the stenciling you did on the bathroom floor. Your daughter’s room is where my mother-in-law slept during her later years. She would be so happy to see new life there, with the fun girly room you have put together! I also really love how you transformed the half bath downstairs. It is so much brighter and clean looking! I’m looking forward to seeing more improvements in the future. I wish you many years of happiness in your home! – Chris
We’re so grateful to Chris for reaching out and sharing those details and photos with us! It was amazing to hear that the tree on the deck was tiny once. Remember how big it was when we had it taken down?
We realize this letter may not be as touching for you guys, but it was so heartwarming to us. To have a better sense of the life this house has lived and how it has been loved by so many people (filled with grandchildren, home cooking, and Christmas trees) makes us feel so grateful to be here. As a total bonus, we also heard from Erin, one of the grandkids who grew up visiting this house. Here’s her letter:
I’m one of the 10 grandchildren of the original owners of your current house. My mom shared your blog and I am blown away. The house looks wonderful! I have so many fond memories from that house. I am so thankful that you two have moved in and have posted pictures of your updates to the house. Thank you for providing a way for me to still feel connected to the house and for bringing new life to its foundation. – Erin
Amazing, right? It really is awesome to hear from others who are essentially strangers, yet you share something so personal with them: the love of a home.
Have you ever heard from your home’s original owners? Or uncovered anything cool in the house (like this stuff that we found buried under the original cabinets in our first house’s kitchen)? I can’t wait to see if we’ll discover anything when we open up some walls and redo the kitchen! So far all that has turned up is an old water bill from ten years ago in the bottom of the trash compactor.
heather says
There’s a lot of history to our house, all the way back to when it was a farmhouse that had a fire and the current (original) house was built on the foundation many years later. There are many stories about the families who lived in our house before us, unfortunately none of them are very great. Except there is one great memory – our neighbor helped build the house with her husband and some friends, and she’s about as sweet as they come. You can tell that time period was a fond one for her. She’s enjoyed watching our progress from just a couple houses over. We’ve decided that as we gut the house and rebuild it, we are rebuilding a once loved property from many many many decades ago. We’ve uncovered a lot of granite which used to be the barn foundation, among other pieces of old New England hardware. We’ll be using some of these things in our landscaping as an ode to the property, and well, because it’s there and beautiful!
Our home had a lot of work that needed to be done to it when we bought it (understatement). We’re not just renovating, we’re building up a new story for the property filled with love.
Jennifer I says
I am so in love with the Christmas tree and ornament hunting story.
Stephanie says
Probably not exactly the heartwarming tale you were looking for, but in our first house, my husband and I found on the top shelf of our closet a shotgun and some, um, “personal” electronic items. We called the former owner to pick up the gun, but just threw the other items away because that would have been a tad awkward to hand over…
Nora says
I love this post. Whenever I’m home in NC, I will find an excuse to drive by the house I grew up in. I’ve thought about knocking on the door to ask if I could take a peak but never got up the nerve. It’s funny how a “building” can conjure up so many memories.
Meg says
Thanks so much for sharing this post, it is great to hear how the house was previously enjoyed!
I was born in a small town in West Virginia and have vivid memories of playing in certain areas of the home even though we moved when I was just 4 years old. My grandmother still lives in the town and when we – my husband, father and I – were visiting her a few years ago decided to drive by our “old home” Something struck me and I decided to go up and knock on the door to introduce myself to the new owner. I couldn’t believe someone actually answered and was so kind and welcoming. We ended up spending over an hour there talking, sharing stories of the updates they had made, and my memories of this little picture window along the staircase. It was such an amazing experience, and your post brought back that day…thank you for sharing!
Sandra says
I love these stories!
I used to work with a woman who sold her home after her divorce. She and her ex-husband had built the home and she did all the landscaping, which was gorgeous. Really elaborate islands, ponds, waterfalls and specimen plants. After the new owners moved in, she would drive by to make sure they were keeping up with her masterpieces. They were not. She would knock on their door and scold them for letting her gardens go! We would all glance at each other with these OMG looks as she would tell these stories. Finally, the husband of the new owners told her to never stop again, and he now knew why her husband divorced her. She was outraged! She was only trying to “help” them!
Ahhh, even though homes are made from wood and stone, the emotions are just as strong as if it was another living being.
Becky says
Thanks for sharing! I don’t know any history of my home. I bought if from a single man who didn’t have a family and was constantly traveling. The fridge held beer…that was it. LOL
Kristin H. says
Our little New England fixer upper is 96 years old and we are only the 3rd owners! My favorite discovery has been finding a few mini chocolate Easter eggs on the tops of two window mouldings, and a door frame. Someone was *really* good at hiding them!! Made me all teary to not only have heard directly from the previous owners how much they loved the house, but then to see actual evidence of all the fun they had here :)
Lisa in Seattle says
I’m not at all sentimental, but your post made my heart grow three sizes today. Your kindness and respect when talking publicly about your house must be a blessing for the family who lived there before. Our 1968 bi-level in an iffy neighborhood is almost completely without charm, and the previous owner’s (not the original owner) choices didn’t help. We often look at each other and wonder “who painted this room – badgers???” The only thing we’ve found is a support beam in the garage where the first owner carefully penciled information about his car – timing notes, oil change dates, etc. My husband plans to leave the notes alone as a show of respect for Man Stuff. I have found it very difficult to connect with this house in any way, but other commenters have given me some ideas on how to interact with it differently.
Elaine says
This post made me tear up!! I’m glad they are grateful. I don’t want to see my grandparents house redone. LOL I have chosen not to look at pictures of what they have done to it. Although I am positive it needed the changes. I just dont want to ruin the visions in my head of all the wonderful things that happen in their old house. :) I know I said it but if I wasn’t at work right now I would be bawling – I TOTALLY GET IT! :) Blessings!
Erin says
The timing of this post is uncanny…
We have a house that dates back to 1911 or so but we are only the third owners (we bought it in 2009). The first owners stayed for 40-50 years as did the second.
Just two weeks ago, while doing some work outside the house, an unfamiliar man approached the house. He turned out to be the previous owner (the husband of the couple we bought the house from). I brought him inside and let him look around. When I asked why he was in town (I remembered they had relocated to Florida) he heavy-heartedly told me that his wife had died the week before. He was in town for her funeral and they had buried her the day before.
I’m still so moved that he came back to the house so immediately after she passed away. I love how much they loved the house and thinking about how happy they were in it.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh Erin that’s so sweet! We have loved reading everyone’s stories today!
xo
s
Erin J. says
We bought our 1953 Cape Cod from the daughters of the original owners, and since we live in a small town, so many of the neighbors (who have been in their homes for 50+ years) like to comment on all of the nice things we’ve done to the home. It’s super comforting to hear how lovely the family was who owned our house first and how everyone appreciates the love we’ve put into restoring it. One of our elderly neighbors told us that the former owner used to let the neighborhood kids hang out on her front porch while they waited for the school bus – she would even make them hot chocolate on the cold days! We’ve also found lots of awesome relics of the past while renovating: vintage doll shoes/hangers, an old set of Pick-up Sticks, a plywood box that the original kitchen cabinets came in, a chruch Christmas program from the late 50s. Most recently, we removed a window from the basement and found a newspaper page from October 27, 1954 in remarkable condition! There are so many amazing ads on the newspaper page – we are planning to frame it and hang in the house…maybe it’ll stay with the house forever? :)
Rachel W says
This is so so special! I would love to see the inside of my grandparents old home now. What a neat connection for you and the family!
Rachael says
The summer after I graduated from college, I volunteered for a State School Board political campaign. My job was to drive around the state of Georgia and deliver yard signs to people that had requested them.
I drove to one home and when I got out of the car, I realized it was the home I had lived in from birth until I was 5. I awkwardly told this to the woman who answered the door and she gave me a tour. She and her husband had bought the home from my parents about 18 years prior.
It was fun seeing what I remembered and what I completely did not. I also took photos and showed them to my parents. They noticed that the chandelier in the dining room was the original and the current owners had spray painted it, and that they cabinets were original.
It was fun touring the house, so I imagine the family of the original owners of your home(s) love reading your blog!
Kim L says
Gahh… I’m seriously over here with tears in my eyes! I think it’s wonderful that your blog provides a glimpse into the houses they grew up in. I remember when we moved out of my childhood home, I cried and cried. I did not want to move (even though we literally moved 2 houses down the same street) because I had such a great childhood there and it was the only home I had ever known. Before we left on the last day, I wrote a letter and placed it on the mantle and told the new owners that I hoped they took good care of it.
Rebecca says
We’re the second owners of our house and the original owner stuck around at our walk through to give us info like the garage door code, info on the central vac and intercom system, that sort of thing. She cried a little as she told me that this was her dream house and she had to move because of two failed marriages. I wish I had hugged her. I think about that when I feel down about how very un-dreamy this house is. We’re fixing it up as our budget allows and someone before us thanked their lucky stars for our nice patio (even if it needs to be re-stained) and jetted tub (even if I do wish the shower were separate) and more.
My mother and her sisters knocked on the door of the house they grew up in and asked for a tour. And you know what? They got a tour with a smile!
Randi says
All of these house stories are SO amazing! Definitely making me tear up. We are the second owners of our home built in 2006 and now I’m really wishing I had an old house with a story like your’s haha.
Owell though! Thanks for sharing this amazing piece of your home’s history. I never want to get so caught up in the craziness of life that I forget to appreciate the incredible memories my husband and I are creating in our first home together.
#blessed
:)
Laura says
That’s so awesome. I love this stuff. Makes you wish there was some way to easily connect with previous owners!
Allison says
We bought a tiny 100+ year old house at the beach that was ready to be torn down. We rescued it and saved it. We ended up having to gut the upstairs walls that were all rotted through the plaster and lath. We it was pulled off, we found loads of metal and steel baby toys from the early 1900s buried in the walls. So cool. Though when we pulled off the walls in the kitchen during the redo, behind the fridge we saw 3 couples: “John loves Roasalie” and 2 others – who had lived there. Then that paneling came down and the walls were filled with swastikas. Horrifying! 40+ names signed in crayon. Creepy stuff. They must have had KKK mtgs there or something. So it’s not always all warm and fuzzy! But still telling me a story. Now it’s filled with love and little ones!
Rose says
I love that you shared this, and that the previous people from this house’s life shared with you. It is my strongest wish that the buyers of both of my grandparents homes would do something similar, because I miss those houses immensely and I long for that connection.
Nichole says
Our previous owners don’t like the changes we’ve done to the outside! They haven’t seen the inside, I’m guessing they wouldn’t be too happy with those either!
After we bought our house I found out my grandmother actually owned the house (or part of it) and it’s where my mom grew up! Stories she used to tell is from when she was younger are from my current house and I had no idea until after we bought it! (My grandmother sold the house to my aunt who then sold it to another family who completely redid the house – they weren’t granted a permit to remove the old house to rebuild a new one so they just built around my grandmothers house so there are stil some features of my grandmothers house that are still here! After they finished rebuilding the house they sold it to the people we bought it from!)
We recently started renovating the basement and found 2 electricity bills and the bill from the company who they contracted to rebuild the house!
bridgett says
We just recently moved into our home with our three boys and our closing was with the previous owners niece! O.F, the original owner of our new home, moved in when it was built in 1964 and lived here until he passed away at 93! It was an extremely emotional closing and it was so nice to know she left reassured that this house would be treasured by the new family/owner moving in! She gifted us all of the original documents including the blueprints which we plan to hang in memory of him! Although I didn’t receive any photos from the memories made in this home, I know it was loved. I absolutely loved reading this post! Warms my heart! xo Bridgett
Krista says
Our house was built in 1964 and we were lucky enough to buy it from the original owners. They raised 5 kids there! Before our move in day they had us over to show us where all the light switches were, why they built the back deck the way they did (it’s notched out on one side because at the time it was built the neighbours had a seating area out back and they wanted them to have their privacy)and why the changed the original design of the house to have the laundry downstairs as opposed to the main floor (it’s a walkout and she had clothes lines there and didn’t want to o the stairs). We’ve also found some old newspaper articles in the walls. ;)
Heather says
We purchased our house last summer from the original owners. They lived there for 40 years.
While they are very pleasant, they are less than thrilled with us and the house. They were retired and master gardeners. While we have kept the yard up to above HOA standards, we have chosen to spend this past year tearing out paneling and drywall instead of pulling weeds and trimming roses every afternoon. The previous owners visit their friends on the street often and have made snide comments about our yard and how DARE I take down that expensive custom (1970’s) wallpaper.
Rose says
If they are master gardeners, befriend them and let the take care of the landscaping for free! Maybe they’d like to!
Heather says
@Rose, We actually had that conversation with them, but the reason they sold their house originally was their poor health and inability to keep up with it all. Bummer, huh?
Megan A. says
The previous owners of our house actually stopped by last summer! We gave them a tour of the house (a small brick ranch house), and they were so happy to see a young couple had moved in and was taking care of it after they had lived there for 17 years. It was so fun to see the reaction of the father when we showed him how we gutted and refinished the basement—something he had always wanted to do. Their youngest boy didn’t want to leave because he was having so much fun playing with our dog. I would love for them to stop back by once we have a few more projects completed!
katherine bryden says
Very cool :)
Erica says
Our house’s original owners were my great-grandparents. It was built in 1931 and has had family living in it ever since.
Your experience has had me wanting to find out about the people who live in my grandparents’ house. I loved the house and am so curious how they’ve updated it.
Marie says
The sellers of our house had lived there for 55 years. We even purchased some furniture from them…one piece of which has a particularly good story: http://lifebeyondsilicon.com/2014/06/09/refinishing-a-pic-a-nic-table/
Ana says
What a great story–I love house stories! I actually live in a 100+ year old house that my grandparents bought in the 1930’s. I was the only grandchild, so I have a lot of memories of this house, and we actually got married on the front porch! After my grandmother passed away, we moved in, and lived there a few years–we thought we could redo the entire house on the weekends, but houses this old are like a sweater–you start pulling a thread and the whole thing starts unraveling. So after about 5 years we packed up, stored all our belongings, and redid the whole thing, top to bottom. We did find some interesting things–a postcard from an orchard from the early 1900’s, a suitcase in some empty space in the attic, and two paintings. There were several sets of people who lived here before my grandparents–we went to City Hall to look up their names, but don’t know any other info about them. I’m a longtime reader, and love your stuff, keep it coming! :-)
ashlee says
We haven’t heard from the previous owners to our house but we hear stories about them all the time from the neighbors who knew them. We have found some interesting things though.. like Granny panties behind the old dryer when that was removed and seen by all involved (Home Depot delivery men included) and vodka bottles in walls and roof. There’s a random box in a cubby space in the laundry room but quite franklly we’re afraid to move it.
Sarah T says
We bought a foreclosure so we never met the owners, but a few months ago I found their divorce papers. :/
My Crappy House says
After the things I found during the demo phase of my house, I don’t think I want to hear from the previous owners. Ever. Amongst all of the dirt and grime was a hypodermic needle and a tampon – thankfully, both unused, but who leaves stuff like that laying around??
Katy says
Our neighbor tells us stories about the original owner of our home, Penny, and they still keep in touch. A single mom to three boys lived in this high-maintenance house for 30+ years! Her hobby was gardening, so while the exterior was well-tended, short-cuts were taken inside. We’ve had to (re-)fix a lot of plumbing issues, but I don’t mind because I imagine the repair costs would have been a burden to Penny. When I meet new neighbors, I say that I’m in Penny’s house, and they all know where I live.
Sarah says
I am engaged and just bought my first house with my fiance. During the inspection of our new house, we noticed the previous owner’s framed wedding invitation. They were married almost exactly 7 years before our wedding date (off by one day!). They are also 7 years older than us, and bought the house 6 months before they were married just as we did. So basically, we’re on the exact same timeline, just 7 years later. In the seven years they owned the house, they got married and had their two babies and probably made a million other happy memories in that house. I can’t help but hope that in seven years we’ll be in the same place and that makes me unbelievably excited.
Also, isn’t insane how much you learn about people by just being in their home? I swear I wasn’t snooping!!
Lori says
The children of our house’s original owner (built in the 60’s) contacted me asking to bring their elderly father back to the house he loved as a Christmas present last year! They were so adorable and I loved hearing all their great stories and memories! They recorded their growth chart on the wall in our garage and it’s still there! One of the sisters was in tears when I showed her. They were so grateful for the experience and even had flowers delivered a few days later. Very cool for me too!
AshleyM says
That is SO SO cool!
Jen @ The Decor Scene says
awwwwww, now I need a tissue. What a wonderful story. You guys are so lucky. The previous owners/original owners of our house were just not nice people from all the stories we have heard from our neighbors. It was a pig pen & they even sold drugs out of the house at one point. But we can feel good now for bringing a neighborhood together again. Now our neighbors sit outside and enjoy our yard and theirs. The neighbors never wanted to come out because they looked out onto a very gross & unkept house & yard. Now we all have each other over & BBQ. Maybe we can leave a wonderful story behind if we ever move out of this home. Leave something somewhere where the next owner will maybe find it one day. Love that!!! :) Thanks for sharing. :)
Laurel says
Fun post. This may sound ridiculous, and maybe you answered this above, although I though I read every response-How do you go about locating and contacting former owners of your house(s)?
YoungHouseLove says
In the case of our first house and this house they have just found us through the blog! Isn’t that amazing?! For our second house we became friendly with the former owners through purchasing the house from them (we knew their agent). We still run into them on occasion and love to catch up!
xo
s
Julianne says
So sweet for everyone! Nice to hear that they are enjoying what you are doing and appreciate the trip down memory lane. That is so special! When we renovated our first house, which was built in the late 1920’s, I believe, we found old newspaper stuffed in the walls. Our contractor told us that this was common, as they used to try to add insulation to the walls with the newspapers. Also some old dates and names written on some of the wood. It was really cool to be the first to see inside the walls…like opening a time capsule. :O)
Kristen says
When we refinished our basement, we left a little “time capsule” in a wall, hoping that it will be found by a future owner. We included pictures of the basement when we moved in, as well as a picture of us in front of the house and a letter with information about us. I would love to hear from the people who have lived in this house previously! And, I think it’d be neat to get in touch with any future owners! Thank you for sharing this post.
Allison El Koof theubi says
So fun! We just moved into a new house in August in Lafayette, Louisiana. The house was built in 1921, so it would be impossible to know the original owners…however, we do know something about them, since one of their grandchildren wrote a book about the house: “A House for Eliza: The Real Story of the Cajuns.” One of the most remarkable things about this house is that they raised 17 children in it! (My husband wants to beat their record and have 18 children, but I’ve told him he needs to birth about 14 babies on his own if he really wants that to happen :) We are awaiting the birth of our second child so it’s exciting to know of this legacy. Actually, we’ve become friends with one of original owners’ great-grandchildren and had his family over for lunch – just think the great-great grandchildren can know the home where their great-great grandparents lived and raised their extraordinary family!
Lee says
Really loved reading this heartfelt post! I teared up too. A home means so much to many of us. It’s where memories are made. :) It was so nice to hear the original owners stories. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Melanie says
This is so cool. When we found out that I was pregnant for the second time (and had our hands full with a rowdy 15 month old), my husband handled it by finally breaking ground in the backyard on a patio we meant to get going on months earlier. He spent most of the day out there- we were both thrilled, just surprised at how quickly it happened. While digging he found and almost discarded what he thought was an old pop-tab but actually ended up being an amazing art deco-y diamond ring! We’ve polled all of the old families on our street and nobody has any leads. Our youngest daughter is now one and a half and I can’t wait to show her the ring and tell her this story when she is older.
Jule says
I love the story you are sharing here. As we had our house built in 2010, we are the first owners of our house and hope to share some amazing stories and experiences with the next generations to come. Over here, you usually build a house and then you stay there – unlike in the United States where everyone seems to move every other year or so. I keep asking myself how you can put so much effort in improving a house that you bought when you know that in a very little while you will leave it again and move on…
Jule
Emily Carriveau says
Our first house was built in the mid 1920’s. We loved it but it definitely needed some TLC. Through tearing down walls and working on projects we were able to find hidden all sorts of small cards that were dated to 1927 and had events like dances and city party information on them. In one room we located a VERY old drivers license from the son of the original owner and through our research figured out that they had built the house and he grew up in it. Once his parents passed away he lived there until he eventually passed away. He grew up in the city that we owned the house, went to high school, but never married. I love history and finding out the tid-bits of information made us feel more of a connection with the home! <3
Beata Korosi says
It will be a rather unusual comment, from Budapest, Hungary. I am a YHL reader for years now, and this is the first time “speak up”…
Seeing these photoes and reading the story behind was kind of moving as was our apartment’s “previous owner’s” story. We live in a nice central area of Budapest, in a condo built in 1912. We bought this apartment in 2006 from a family to whom this apartment was given by the government during socialism, around 1950. It was quite usual during the communist era that people were given houses and apartments taken away from the rich ones. Anyway, in 2006 we legally bought the apartment for a nice sum of money. I asked the seller if he knew anything about the family that lived in the apartment before them but he didn’t know anything about them; all he could tell that it was a family called “Sziklai”. That’s all, I thought. My husband and I moved into the apartment, and as soon as we settled in, our fist son conceived. I can’t describe how happy we were! (We waited for that child for four years then, and he just kind of “moved in” with us:-)) Only one thing. I had the weirdest dreams during my pregnancy. Armed men rush into my home and take me away with them. In other dreams I was put on a freight train with many other people. Or I was walking with abandoned country roads with many other people in lines… These kind of dreams kept coming, so I was kind of freaked out. My son was born in the next year after moving into the apartment. One day I was taking him down to the street in his baby carriege, we were away for about an hour. When we got back, a copper memorial tablet was installed right in the front of the house on the ground saying: “Jeno Sziklai and Gabor Sziklai, father and son lived in this house and was taken to Auschwitz from here in 1944” I can still remember that feeling when I first saw those lines engraved on the tablet… It was overwhelming. I called my husband in tears, explaning what just happened. Of course he knew about my dreams and it was a kind of tearful and painful relief to know from whom we “inherited” these feelings we can’t help having. After this day the dreams automatically stopped coming. I prayed a lot for the Sziklai father and son, and in my mind I thanked them that we had the chance to live in their home and to build up our own family and memories here. I somehow (without ANY esoteric suggestions!) feel that we are protected here… In 2009 I had another pregnancy, twin boys! so now a family of five lives here in happiness and in peace. I don’t have pictures about them, but I will remember them with gratitude all my life.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh my goodness, I have goosebumps!
xo
s
Donna says
Wow, what an incredible story! Blessings to you and your family, Beata!
Kingsmom says
Just over a year ago, we bought a house built in the 1960’s from the estate of the original owners. We live in a small town and had never met the couple but they are beloved in the community. The house came furnished since they had both passed. The kids took the majority of the personal stuff but we’ve found some really great memento’s. The house has a wine cellar and the owners had their own wine label. The cellar is packed full of opened bottles but we found a very old unopened bottle of Sauv Blanc. In the potting shed in the garden the owners 4 grown children had each left a note to their mother on the wipe board which we have kept. We continue to find things buried in the yard and in the garage. It is very emotional to connect with people you don’t know this way. One of the children brought their daughter by recently for a visit. It was very nice.
Cair says
My house was built in 1925 and I’d love to know about earlier occupants. Once, when my daughter was young and we were running out to soccer practice a young man, about 35, showed up. He had grown up in the house. We talked briefly, and I showed him the first floor. Unfortunately we had to run and I didn’t have the opportunity to talk to him further.
When we were cleaning out my parents’ house I found the original blueprints to a (different) house they had built in 1957. Classic mid-century. Your post is giving me the impetus to put those in the mail. I hope the current owners will find them interesting.
Heather MacFeather says
What a neat story. I already commented on facebook about previous owners, but now that I have read the post I see the question about buried treasure. I found some neat things in renos past (evidence of hideous carpet in the kitchen, a huge wasp nest in my current kitchen’s ceiling, Nabob coupons, a Monopoly board, and more recently, a paper from 1955 in my current basement). I was so enamoured by the idea of buried treasure that I will re-bury the newspaper from 1955 and some new things when I finish my basement reno work in the coming weeks. I built my very own wall (next up, Pyramids! ha ha…I’ve been singing BBT theme song all week) and will include the Homer Simpson Lego minifig (Mint in package), an Angry Birds collector’s card, a current newspaper, and a story about these “treasures” for the next renovator to tackle my home. I’m looking for ideas of other treasures to include if you have any cool ideas.
Love the progress on the covered porch and frequent pics of the new guy.
H
AshleyM says
Last week I had to take my new car into the service center and the man at the Honda service counter was checking my phone and address and said, “hey I used to live on that street. It’s been so long though, I can’t remember the number.” And then he described the location to me, and he was the second owner!!! It was such an exciting moment and we had a talk about all things- good and bad- with the house! It was so neat to know that he was the one who worked so hard to make the yard beautiful and that I could peg the owner before him with the poorly built deck. Ha ha. Such a great moment in life. : )
YoungHouseLove says
So crazy! I love these stories guys!
xo
s
Braelin says
I love this— I’m a sucker for nostalgia like this. Actually, it kind of makes me want to reach out to the owners of the house my parents built when I was a young child. I have memories of my dad pouring the foundation and everything! Have you thought about doing the reverse? (i.e. reaching out to the current owners of the places you grew up in, if your parents don’t still live there?)
YoungHouseLove says
That would be really fun! I think the same owner who bought my childhood house in high school from my mom still lives there today! And John’s parents have occasional contact with the folks who bought their home after they lived there 32 years!
xo
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