A couple from Arizona who snapped up a desk at a Goodwill store was surprised to discover a treasure trove of family history that dated back to 100 years ago. Amazed by it, they went the extra mile to reconnect the family with this part of history.
Jenna Riggs, 32, a stay-at-home mom who lives in Gilbert, Arizona, runs her own small business refurbishing old furniture and making jewelry.
Browsing through her local Goodwill store for pieces to upcycle, Ms. Riggs came across a secretary desk she thought would make for a good project. After buying the piece of furniture for $20, she began painting the desk in her garage.
To her surprise, while taking the desk inside her house, it tipped over to reveal unexpected contents.
“There were pillars that I thought were just part of the desk, but they turned out to be secret compartments,” Ms. Riggs told The Epoch Times. “When I found the envelopes and papers sitting there, I was shocked and intrigued as to what they could be.”
The treasure trove had beautiful hand-written letters dating back to 1917, expressive poems and songs written in cursive writing, newspaper clippings, and valuable old stamps that were later discovered to be worth a lot of money.
It was soon revealed that young girl who'd penned the poems about falling in love with a sailor and other funny little rhymes was named Martha McCollough.
A thought then popped into Ms. Riggs’s mind: to go the extra mile and connect the family to this precious piece of their family history.
“When I read the letters and saw how much sentimental value they held, I figured I should try to find out who the desk belonged to,“ she said. “I just thought to do unto others as I would have them do unto me.”
Ms. Riggs posted a picture of the desk and Martha’s name on a local Facebook group. Locating a family member didn’t take much time.
“Within three hours, we’d found Martha’s granddaughter,” she said. “A mutual friend had reached out to her, and the granddaughter contacted me.”
According to Ms. Riggs, the original owners of the desk were from Mesa, Arizona, and she believes they'd farmed in the area for a long time. The next thing Ms. Riggs knew, a news station had picked up the story and reached out to arrange for Ms. McCollough’s granddaughter Shirley Knight to see the items for the first time.
While Ms. Knight has no recollection of the desk, she was delighted to discover new family treasures. Alongside articles about her father, several letters, and the prized stamps, the collection gave her fresh insight into her grandmother.
“She said she’d never seen that side of her grandmother before, and it was neat to see her in that light because her grandma was usually quite serious,” Ms. Riggs said.
Ms. Knight was “very happy” to be able to revisit memories of growing up with her grandmother and “grateful” to be in possession of such a sentimental piece of family history.
Ms. Riggs was happy to have been able to do this for the family.
“I didn’t have the heart to throw it away because it seemed too special,“ she said. ”I am so glad that the items were reconnected with the granddaughter,” she said, adding that she knows she didn’t act alone and “God had a hand in it.”
Ms. Riggs believes in going the extra mile for people.
“You’ll be surprised how little acts of kindness can make the most difference in someone’s life,” she said.
