Using City Directories and US Public Records to find someone.

As in my last post, finding Avron Wahl I used the US City Directories and US Public Record List  to locate him.  I used them  again to find Russell Budd, the son of my mother's best friend, Helen Budd in New Jersey.  I have many photos of mom, Helen Motyka, which include lots of her friends.  Some of them I was sure was Helen Budd but needed them verified by someone.  Who better than a family member.

I had a Christmas card from Mrs. Helen N. Budd from Middletown, NY addressed to my father, Bill Condit.  The postmark on the envelope was 16 Dec 2005.  (Mom would have been gone a year.) So I had an address.  Looked on the internet for the US Social Security Death Index for Helen N Budd. And there she was.  Born 22 Dec 1924 , Newark, New Jersey - died 10 Nov 2012, Middletown, New York.   There was also a record in the US Obituary Collection which had some information about her family.

 Her husbands name was Edward Budd who died in 1992. She had 2 sons, Russell Budd of Middletown and Dr. Ralph Budd living in Hinesburg, VT.  This gave me her son's names.

Next  internet search was US Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Vol.1 where I found Russell A Budd leaving in Middletown, NY.  It had his address (the same that was on the Christmas card envelope) so I wrote him a letter , hoping he was still at this address, stating who I was and gave him some history of my parents move to California.  I told him about inheriting all of my parents photos when dad passed and that I would love if he would verify his mom in some of them.  I included my email address and home address.

Well not too much time passed when I got my first email from Russell Budd. He told me it was a nice surprise to receive my letter and he remembered my mother's name. He stated the two Helen's were best of friends and had stayed connected through the years.  He remembered, back in the 60's, him and his family took a trip across country to California and visited our family.  He said he would be happy to identify his mother in my photos.

I sent a few photos ,via email, and received back that indeed they were of his mom.  He also sent me back copy of my parents wedding photo (which I already had) that his mother was in too. This went back and forth, me sending photos and him verifying his mother in them.

Then one email he stated he had been going though his parents photos and found some very nice shots of my mom and dad.  He would send the photographs to me via UPS. And a little while later I was  excited to receive an envelope with about 30 photographs of my mom and dad before their marriage in 1948.  I was giddy with delight because most of the photos were photos I'd never seen before.  They were not a part of my collection of family photos.. This was just so cool.

I could not post them all but here are a few of them.

                                                           Helen Motyka on the left/Helen Budd on the right.




Helen and Bill hiding in the bushes.

Helen Budd, Bill Condit and Helen Motyka





Using the internets US Public Records Index, US Obituary Collection along with some information I already had got me connected to someone in my mom's past and I got answers to some of my photo questions.  Plus I've gained a new email friend.


Let me know you've enjoyed viewing these photos of my parents by leaving a comment and the bottom of this blog.