A man found a lost wallet and wanted to return it to its owner, but then he discovered that the wallet's contents dated back to the 1930s and the owner died decades ago.
That's when he called Boston's WFXT.
"I'm the guy who's eating boneless chicken, I'll find the bone in the chicken. It just happens that way," Bill Donovan said.
So it makes sense then when Donovan was renovating a home, he found this wallet inside a wall. It was intact despite its age.
"Drivers license, Social Security card, couple different business cards," he said.
Plus 3-cent stamps, paperwork and receipts dating back to the 1930s.
"This is really old. It's almost like a time capsule, basically," Donovan said.
Years later, Donovan finally set out to find the owner and return it to his family.
He discovered that the owner, Albert J. Guerzoni, died in 1985, but he was having a hard time tracking down any relatives.
So when Donovan showed the wallet to WFXT, which aired video in hopes of finding Guerzoni's family.
"It was amazing. Laying in bed. Text story had aired. Called (WFXT). Put me in contact with Bill. Exciting," John Guerzoni said. "A friend who lives in Boston and saw it and texted me. Last name not common. Looked into it."
John Guerzoni is Albert's great nephew. He contacted WFXT after hearing about the story, and on Saturday, the station was there as the two connected.
"Died in June of 1985. I was only 4 when he passed, hoping to learn more about him now," John said.
Through an invaluable piece of family history that lives on.
"Nice to have this piece of history in the back in the family," he said. "They're all eager to see what's in there and try to connect dots."
Donovan also returned a class ring to another man after finding his initials and tracking him down in a yearbook at a local high school.
About the Author