Man renovating home finds hidden letter—then comes reunion 100 years later

A man in Wyoming has recalled how a renovation project sparked an unexpected family reunion some 100 years in the making

Home renovations can be a painful experience, with the initial expense only the start of it. A survey of nearly 1,000 U.S. homeowners conducted by home renovation and remodeling company Sweeten found 85 percent of respondents found remodeling stressful.

On paper, the project undertaken by Curtis Smith from Casper, should have been the source of similar levels of stress.

“Our house, built in 1917, had a Jack and Jill style bathroom [a bathroom located between two bedrooms, connected two doors], which is fairly common in older homes,” Smith told Newsweek. “We decided we would do away with that by removing our bedroom closet and making that a hallway.”

The process began with the demolition of the closet, which would open up that area, creating room for the hallway they wanted. It was a big task and a stressful one at times, but in amongst the chaos, Smith experienced something magical.

“When we were loading up the plaster and lathe that had been torn out, I found a blue envelope hidden under the rubble,” he said. Smith’s initial reaction was one of “surprise and elation.” Just a few day earlier he had told his family “I hope I find an old letter in here someday.” Little did he know. “Somehow I just knew when we moved in I would find something like that, and there it was,” he said. “It was literally a dream of mine come true.”

Stopping work momentarily, Smith opened the letter and began to read the contents. It had been sent to a man named Cornelis Patrick Shea, or Con Shea as he was referred to in the letter, in September 1917.

Shea had emigrated to Wyoming from his native Bantry in Ireland. A sheep herder by trade, the letter appeared to have been sent by Shea’s sister back home. “The contents of the letter were a quick note thanking him for the gift he had sent back home to his family, as well as informing him of the events going on around Bantry,” Smith said. “There was also mention of he and Mary’s baby, which I assume to be his son John, who was born in 1914. It was a very touching letter wishing them all the best health and many thanks for the gift.”

Intrigued at the discovery, Smith turned to Google in search of more information about Shea. He learned of his success after moving to America, how he was an established pillar of the Casper community in its early years.

Then something even more interesting happened. Smith posted the pictures to a Flickr account. A distant relative of Shea reached out. They spoke over the phone, with the relative sharing photos and more information about Shea and his family.

As December rolled around, Smith decided to do something special with the letter. Obtaining the address of one of Shea’s living relatives, Smith posted the letter to an address in Boston, reuniting that last piece of Shea’s life with his living relatives, the rightful owners. He went on to share the experience in a Reddit post uploaded under the handle u/Ghosttowncs.

Smith can’t say for sure how the letter came to be where he found it, but he has his own ideas. “My assumption, and hope, was that the letter had been left there as a sort of time capsule for someone to find in the future,” Smith said. “It’s also possible that it had just mistakenly found its way into the wall, as there was also some construction trash left in there as well.” 

Ultimately though, he’s just happy to have helped preserve some small part of the family that once was and still is today.