A Bolton woman left a family "flabbergasted" after she messaged them about her surprise charity shop discovery.
Emma Hornby was perusing the shelves of a charity shop in Bolton when her gaze fell upon a dusty old book. As somebody who "lives and breathes history", Emma picked up the volume entitled Manchester Streets and Manchester Men and began flicking through its pages.
The rare book, written by Thomas Swindell and published in 1906, documents the history of a number of Manchester streets and its occupants. However, it was what was handwritten in the front of the book that sparked Emma's interest.
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The book's first blank page had been signed and dated 'R A Boddan - November 26, 1906'. The address 16 Francis Street, Monton (in Eccles) had also neatly inked in pen.
On the inside of the back cover another inscription had been made, this time by Edith Keaveny (nee Boddan) dated 1990 in ballpoint biro. Both of the book's previous owners had penned their addresses as living in Monton, Eccles.
Intrigued, Emma, 39, decided she would trace the Boddan's family tree. Having already traced her own descendants in a similar way, she went on Ancestry.co.uk to find out what she could.
Emma told the M.E.N: "I thought I'll have a go and see if I can trace them because I love genealogy anyway. I've done my own family tree - it took me about 20-minutes to be honest."
Emma discovered the book's original owner, Robert Albert Boddan, was born in Eccles in 1854. A railwayman, he married and had several children.
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Her research uncovered that Edith Keaveny (nee Boddan), who had written on the inside back cover of the book in 1990, was Robert's grand daughter. She was 77 when she sat down one day, five years before her death, and decided to add her name to the book which had once belonged to her grandfather.
"I found another tree match which turned out to be their descendants," said Emma. "I got in touch with them and told them."
Emma contacted Bernice Priestnall, the wife of Martin Priestnall, through the Ancestry site. Emma's research had revealed that Martin was Edith's nephew and Robert A Boddan's great grandson.
"They had their whole family tree on there and you get told if it matches someone else's," Emma said.
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"I explained, I said I've got a book here and I think it belongs to your relative. I'd like to gift it to you if you want it as the direct descendants?
"They couldn't believe it, they were flabbergasted. I said give me an address to post it and I'll send it off to you."
Having moved from Greater Manchester several years ago, Martin and his wife now live in Suffolk. Delighted to receive the gift personally signed by two of his ancestors, Martin sent Emma a photograph of him and his brother holding the charity shop book.
He also sent on photographs of his great grandfather, Robert Albert Boddan, and his aunt, Edith Keaveny - who both inscribed the inside front and back covers of the book.
Emma posted about her research on the We Grew Up In Manchester Facebook page which received an overwhelmingly positive response.
She wrote: "How or why 'Manchester Streets and Manchester Men' found itself in a charity shop 10 miles away almost 30 years later is unclear. However, I'm somewhat glad it did.
"It's been fascinating unearthing these unknown people, joining the dots together and learning about their lives." Adding: "I'm sure Robert Albert Boddan and Edith Keaveny (nee Boddan) would wholeheartedly approve."
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While Emma surely has the skills to make a fine detective, she's more than happy with her day job as a writer of historical fiction. Her books, which can be found on emmahornby.com, are set in Bolton and Manchester in the Victorian era and World War Two.
What's the best thing you've ever found in a charity shop? Let us know in the comments section below.
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