A while back, library volunteer/friend, Karen, gave me an envelope of items she found tucked into donated books. We call them Forgotten Bookmarks. All were interesting yet one intrigued me the most.

On October 17, 1907, eleven years after the General Society of Mayflower Descendants formed in Plymouth, Massachusetts, thirteen Californians gathered to establish what is now known as the California Society of Mayflower Descendants.

The letter's author, Herbert Folger, a founding member of the Society and its first historian, was also a Mayflower descendant.

The letter ended with Mr. Folger saying he had questions about Mr. Eaton's lineage and that he, "Wrote East to get information regarding this as soon as I heard from you, but have had no satisfaction."

There is an incredible website created to answer the question, "Are You One of 35 Million Mayflower Descendants?" I know the work of Herbert Folger led the way to this exhaustive database of names. And while Mr. Eaton would have had his answers in minutes, I still think this written inquiry is important for its historical significance and for the fact that 103 years after it was sent, it has bestowed upon me knowledge I never would have gained if not for this written correspondence, sent via the mail, and used as a bookmark. Forgotten and fortuitous. Wow.