MOORESVILLE — A box of priceless family memories is back with its rightful owner after a Hoosier saved it from a trash pile. He bought the box at an auction in Mooresville and contacted WTHR last week. WTHR then tracked down the owner’s adult daughter who lives in Montana.

Looking at it, it’s an ordinary, plain, cardboard box.

“What we’ve got is a man’s whole history,” said Indianapolis resident Ort Taber, who knew when he saw the carton at an auction in Mooresville there was more to it.

“I felt in my heart that I had to buy it in order to see if I couldn’t give it back to somebody, cause this goes all the way back,” the 72-year-old said.

There’s a Marion County marriage license from Dec. 3, 1949 and pictures of the happy couple, as well as the wedding announcement in the Indianapolis Star.

“Then there’s just tons of old pictures in here,” said Taber.

Pictures of a 20-year-old second lieutenant in the U.S. Army — a field artillery unit commander. There’s an old frat picture from Purdue University and a couple of beauty shots on Monument Circle, including Christ Cathedral in the 1940s.

“He’s a patriot. He served our country,” said Taber of the man in the photos, “He’s got his discharge papers here, a graduate from Purdue, family man.”

A family that included at least two girls; there are baby pictures and school photos. From the documents, it’s clear this is Albert Kohlstaedt and his family.

“I just feel that it belongs to ’em, whoever we can find,” said Taber.

So Ort packed everything up. He asked if WTHR could help to try to find the rightful owners. Finally they found a daughter, Elizabeth Kohlstaedt, now living in Montana.

“Oh wow,” she said after they described the contents of the carton, “Wow! How on earth did you track me down? That is fabulous!”

The pictures, which include parts of her childhood, were sold with the rest of the contents of that house. They could have ended up in the trash. But the real thanks go to the person who saw this box and bought it for $30, Ort Taber. He was certain it was someone’s treasure.

“I just knew that if this guy’s got any living relative at all, if we can get it to ’em, it’s a very valuable — it should be valuable to that person,” said Taber.

Taber said that Elizabeth Kohlstaedt called him on Feb. 10, grateful for his find and kindness in making sure the pictures were returned.

The box will be shipped to Elizabeth on Feb. 11.

Source: WTHR