The power of search

On Monday, February 21, I heard the familiar "pop" notification sound on my phone, indicating I had a new email message from one of the half dozen accounts I maintain (and yes, they all serve a distinct and useful purpose!). Assuming that it was just another Groupon, some deal from Amazon or Lowe's, or a Facebook status update, I opened my inbox and was surprised to see a message from the Picasa Web Gallery that hosts the photos from Grandpa Givan's treasure chest of World War II mementos.

That message was a short question from "haroldar" and simply asked "Is this my cousin Wallace Greenlee Ralston's photo?"  The photo was the first platoon while at Camp Pendleton, CA.

I replied back to Mr. Ralston and said, yes that photo was given to me by a Mr. Wallace Ralston from Caledonia, IL. I knew his middle initial was "G" but I didn't know the full name, so I was hopeful and excited that this may really be a family member of Mr. Ralston's. I asked the visitor how he had found the site and if he had viewed the other photos featured in the gallery.

About an hour later, he replied and provided a link to the genealogy web site that he has been working on for the past several years - www.ralstongenealogy.com. While adding photos to his own gallery, he did a search for "Ralston" and stumbled across my web site.

This is exactly what I had hoped would happen by publishing the gallery, developing this blog and creating the original thesis web site - people all over the world would be able to find photos, stories and memories of their friends, family and loved ones. The power of search and the endless resources available online have made all of this possible - the project, the blog, and the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people related to the veterans from Grandpa's unit. I am happy and excited to include Mr. Harold Ralston among that group of people, and I look forward to visiting his web site and learning more about Harold and Wallace Ralston and their family.