Hi, Bonnie,

What a coincidence! I just got a message a few days ago from Jon C. (Are you cousins?) Here's a copy of what I told him:

Hello, Jon,

I must admit I didn't remember this posting; it was so long ago. I'm on vacation right now, and I don't have access to all of my genealogy materials, so I'll see if the following makes sense.

One of my genealogy-related pastimes is reuniting lost treasures with living descendants. If this is the right case, I bought a photo on Ebay.com of a young man wearing what looked to be some sort of military uniform. It was supposed to be his high school graduation picture taken in Portland, ME. I think it was likely an ROTC (if that existed back then) or perhaps a band uniform. It seems to me it was taken about 1900 or so, plus or minus a decade. There is no insignia visible on the photo (which is black and white).

After doing some research, I located some living descendants in, I think, Massachusetts. I wrote a letter (perhaps two?) offering to give the photo to a living family member, but I never received a response.

I don't like to pester anyone, especially senior citizens, because I wouldn't want elderly folks to worry that they were being targeted for a scam. My letter would have asked only that a donation be made (covering just my costs) to the recipient's organization of choice, such as a local library, historical or genealogy society. Plus, I would never "check up" on this. It's my own little honor system.

If you have a way of checking out this story, let me know. Did any of Benjamin Cobb's children wind up in Massachusetts? Unfortunately, the details are on my computer at home. I'll be back in California about the second week of August.

If it turns out that this is a picture of your grandfather, I'd love for you to have it back in the family. I'd really HATE to see it wind up on Ebay again! It makes me sad to see old photos in antique stores and yard sales. Maybe it's because my own family has so few mementos and pictures.

Anyway, thanks for getting in touch.

Sioux L. Stoeckle

President, Palo Verde Valley Genealogy Society, Blythe, CA:
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~capvvgs/Site/
Volunteer, Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness, Riverside County, CA:
http://www.raogk.org/
USGenWeb Host for the Town of Penobscot, Hancock County, ME:
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mecpenob/