121-Year-Old Mystery Postcard Delivered After Decades in Wales—a Museum-Worthy Find

Staff at Swansea Building Society on Cradock Street in Swansea, Wales, received a 121-year-old postcard that had been delivered more than a century late, stunning researchers. The postcard, which showed a picture of a stag in front of snowy mountains, was believed to be from 1903.

According to the society's manager, the postcard contained the following message: "Dear L. I could not, it was impossible to get the pair of these. I am so sorry, but I hope you are enjoying yourself at home. I have got now about ten [shillings as] pocket money not counting the train fare, so I’m doing alright. Remember me to Miss Gilbert and John, with love to all from Ewart."

Henry Darby, the society’s communications manager, said in a statement to the Smithsonian , "The postman came to the door as normal with lots of letters regarding mortgages and savings. As one of the managers sorted through it, this postcard dropped onto the table—no envelope, no note, just as it was." Darby further explained that the postcard had a postmark reading 'AU23 03,' which he believed meant August 23, 1903. The stamp also featured a picture of Edward VII, the UK king who ruled from 1901 to 1910.

Knewz.com noted Mr. Darby's comments about the 1901 census records, which suggested, per Indy100 , that "Miss Davis was probably 16 when receiving the postcard. She lived there with her parents and five siblings—she was the eldest." He further added, "The plan was to get it back to someone who might be related to Lydia so it could be a keepsake for them, passed down through generations."

Darby thought they had a breakthrough when the census revealed details about a male resident from London who was supposedly married to Miss Davis. The details suggested that he owned a hotel in Pall Mall, so Lydia’s family might no longer have been living in Swansea, and the postcard could have come from somewhere far away. Darby also mentioned per The Independent , "We’ve had a few promising leads suggesting there may be surviving family members related to Lydia. The only challenge is that being in Wales, the last name Davis is very common."

He also inquired with his building staff, but no one had come forward to explain how the postcard ended up at 11 Cradock Street. Darby shared, per Indy100 , "No one’s come forward to say, 'Yeah, I found that in an antique shop,’ or ‘I found that in a book,’ or ‘I found it in a charity shop and just put it in the post box.'" He was in touch with a woman who might be Davies’ grand-niece and was keeping the postcard safe in his desk drawer for now.

However, the truth had been unearthed, and Lydia's extended family was able to reunite. Helen Roberts, 58 years old, had been searching for her family tree online and still lived near her grandfather's childhood home. Her grandfather had been the brother of Ewart, who sent the postcard, and Lydia, who received it. On Wednesday, Helen and her sister, Margaret Spooner, met with Ewart's grandson, Nick Davies, and Lydia's great-granddaughter, Faith Reynolds. Nick had traveled from West Sussex, and Faith had come from her home in Devon for the family reunion.

Ms. Roberts expressed to Sky News , 'It was great on Wednesday, meeting two members of my extended family who I'd never heard of before, let alone met. This enabled me to close a few loose ends and find out more about my grandfather's siblings.'"