Scrapbook Returned to Iowa Woman

I have been looking for this story to post here. I am hoping it will reassure those people who think, when I contact them, that I am looking to sell items back to owners or that I have a scam. This is the story of the first scrapbook I returned to an owner.

Lois Jean McMannus, Born 1948, Ohio/ Update

Update: I heard from Lois' brother today, I had sent him a message on Ancestry. The baby book will be going back to Lois.

I have been away from my blog way too long but, to be honest, when you try to find people to return photos or albums they view you as a scammer so I stopped for awhile. My only interest is in returning photos to the families they belong to. I am a genealogist and I would be thrilled to death if someone had photos from my family and they went to some trouble to find me.

I bought this baby book in 2007 or 2008, on ebay. I posted on several message boards on rootsweb and Ancestry, never received a reply. I got the book out yesterday. This time I located an obituary for the mother, she only died in 2015. She put a lot of love into this baby book, I have never seen a 1940's baby book with this much information. She journaled month by month.There are lots of photos and there's even good genealogical information. It would be a shame to have to get rid of this book but when I die I can assure you my kids won't be trying to locate the owners.

Lois Jean McMannus was born on June 21, 1948 in White Cross Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Her parents were Lloyd and Eleanor Pfefferle McMannus, they lived in Worthington, Ohio. In the book is a baby announcement from 1970 for a Heather Denise Johnson, born September 23, 1970 in Fort Riley, Kansas to Lois and Tim Johnson. It is in an envelope addressed to Mrs. Lamar F. Bierly in Worthington, Ohio. I believe Lois Johnson is Lois McMannus, and Mrs. Lamar F. Bierly is her mother who compiled the book. She had a second marriage, I surmise.

I would really like this book returned to Lois, or if she is deceased, to her daughter Heather.

Why I Do This Blog

I am going to be returning to this blog but I don't want my introduction to be on my new genealogy blog so I'm moving it here as a post.

I have always loved photos, which led me to become a scrapbooker. I’ve been curious as to how photos become separated from the person or family they belong to. I have collected quite a large collection over the years of photos that either don't belong to me, or photos that do belong to me but I don't know the identities of the people in the photos. I have bought several albums on ebay, with the purpose of locating the proper owners to return the albums. I've returned three so far: one to IA, one to PA, and just last week one to NJ. I have never asked to be reimbursed for the albums I buy. Most have run about $50 plus postage. Postage to return the albums is generally around $15 to $20. Now that I am living on a fixed income I am having to decrease what I spend on this hobby. If anyone cares to reimburse me the postage I appreciate it but if it can't be reimbursed I still return the album.