Old family photos found in Norfolk home now back with their rightful owner

Posted: Aug 20, 2020 / 06:03 PM EDT / Updated: Aug 20, 2020 / 06:03 PM EDT

KING GEORGE, Va. (WAVY) — Norfolk resident Michelle Miller was on a mission.

Recently, Miller came across some black-and-white family photos. Miller works for a company that cleans out homes after foreclosures. She wanted to get the photos back to the family they belonged to.

Less than a week after 10 On Your Side featured Miller’s quest, the rightful owner was found.

It may be a small box, but it contains an enormous amount of family history for 75-year-old Margaret Ballentine.

“Oh my goodness, look these old pictures of me,” Ballentine said.

Ballentine hadn’t seen these photos in many years.

“I didn’t have any idea that there was anything in the garage like pictures,” she added.

The pictures were left in the Ballentine’s former Norfolk home on Chesapeake Boulevard. She sold the house and moved out of the area after her husband died.

“It’s wonderful to get back [the] pictures, especially those really old ones when my parents were really young,” Ballentine said. “That is wonderful.”

The photos were almost thrown away.

“I had told [WAVY reporter Jason Marks] that I had lost some things in the move,” Ballentine added.

10 On Your Side did a records search of the house. After a few phone calls, we found Ballentine living with friends in King George, Virginia.

“I never imagined we’d find them in such a short time,” Miller said. “I wanted to give a social thank you to the WAVY-TV 10 family for helping us.”

The pictures of Ballentine as a young girl and her parents as newlyweds can’t be replaced. Ballentine can’t be any more thankful to have them back.

“Really all I have is pictures and memories, and so it’s a real blessing to have them back,” Ballentine said. “I will enjoy them very much.”