A lot of interesting treasures can be found at thrift stores.
A thrift store in Belgium once found a photo album of a mystery woman posing with some of the world's biggest celebs. This included Robert Downey Jr. and Angelina Jolie.
This latest discovery goes back over a century! A thrift store found a marriage certificate from the 1870s. Even better: the internet helped find the couple's family!
The organization raises money to help survivors of domestic violence and their families.
The painting was of a young girl putting flowers in a black dog's collar. The words on the top read, "Christmas Number Illustrated London News 1889."
This discovery was alerted to Karmen Smith, executive director of Hope Harbor Home Inc.
She took to social media with a sole mission: find any living family of the couple.
She began by sharing more about the certificate. "Upon looking at the back it was discovered that beneath the paper was a hidden file folder. This file, contained the Marriage Certificate of a New Jersey couple." The date of the vows was April 11th, 1875!
"As a society we have lost the value of story telling so its safe to assume that the story of the stowaway marriage certificate got lost in the generations that followed it."
Thankfully, the power of social media is mighty strong!
Despite the font being worn, social media users were able to determine the names and then search through public records and family search websites.
On August 9, Irene Cornish, 65, came forward as the great-granddaughter of DeWorth and Havey. Cornish traveled all the way down to North Carolina from upstate New York to retrieve the certificate and painting.
She was shocked that the document from the 1870s still existed and that it had survived in the picture frame.
She was also touched that strangers helped her reunite with a special piece of her family history.
She told FOX News that she’s hoping someone else will come forward if they recognize the painting it came with. "This particular great-grandmother has always been of interest to me," she said.
"I would love to know where in Ireland she's from," Cornish continued. "I've never been able to trace that back." This discovery has inspired her to continue researching her great-grandparents.
"We read about history, but our ancestors are our own history," Cornish said. "And that's why I'm fascinated by it."
"Hope Chest Thrift Stores would like to thank our AMAZING community for the love and support over this last week as we hunt for the owner of the discovered Marriage Certificate hidden in a donated picture," she wrote on Hope Harbor Home's Facebook page.
She was also delighted that this incredible story brought awareness to their program and services for victims of domestic violence. Learn more about this here!
