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Memories Lost - Suitcase Full Of Family Photos Found At Estate Sale

ESCALON (CBS13) — An accidental discovery of a lifetime of memories, packed away in a suitcase and picked up at an estate sale. Now the search is on to find its rightful owner.

That suitcase was filled with family photos and important documents from an Italian man who immigrated to San Joaquin County in the 1930s

The show owners are hoping the items, names, and dates ring a bell for someone so they can end up in the right hands.

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Margaret Fernandez and Terry Gannon are always on the hunt for hidden treasures as co-owners of MT Pockets, but what they found inside an antique suitcase are riches they're trying to return.

"I bought it because I knew if I bought it I'd be searching for the people that these photos should be with," Fernandez said.

Those photos started to tell a story of Giuseppe Ferrari. His immigration papers show he came to San Joaquin County from Italy in December of 1936.

"He had a bakery is what one of the newspaper clippings said," Glannon said.

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So far, clues point to a military family, a daughter, Alice who graduated from Lodi High School, and a son Bruno.

The photos and documents show weddings, vacations, postcards and even western union telegram letters asking for money during the war.

"There's just so many things in here that would mean so much to the grandchildren of these people, that I really believe it should go back to them," Fernandez said.

Fernandez and Gannon have turned to social media to help piece together this family puzzle. Their hope is that these faces don't remain a mystery for long.

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