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A long-lost postcard collection reunites a South Jersey family with their past

In Delaware, a casual collector of postcards became curious about a 1923 card and decided to look for descendants of the man who had received it. One of the collector's first steps was sending an email to an Inquirer columnist.

Alfonso Garbayo (center) talks with descendants of the late William G. Rohrer Jr. in Haddonfield recently. Garbayo, who collects vintage postcards, purchased 60 cards from the 1920s through '40s that once belonged to the prominent South Jersey businessman so he donated them to his family, including his daughter, Linda Rohrer (left) and his granddaughter, Stacey Vail (right). The cards were sent by family members, neighbors, friends -- and even customers of the Chevrolet dealership Rohrer owned on Admiral Wilson Boulevard in Camden for decades.
Alfonso Garbayo (center) talks with descendants of the late William G. Rohrer Jr. in Haddonfield recently. Garbayo, who collects vintage postcards, purchased 60 cards from the 1920s through '40s that once belonged to the prominent South Jersey businessman so he donated them to his family, including his daughter, Linda Rohrer (left) and his granddaughter, Stacey Vail (right). The cards were sent by family members, neighbors, friends -- and even customers of the Chevrolet dealership Rohrer owned on Admiral Wilson Boulevard in Camden for decades.Read moreTOM GRALISH / Staff Photographer