Should I try and track these people down to get their wedding tapes to them?

I would try to find them. Things like facebook and basic searches. If they were married in a church maybe the church can help? Long shot, but maybe some family members still attend the church. You could give us the info and see if we come up with something. I think flimfann does that sort of research?? He probably has access to the websites that have information. I might be remembering the wrong jelly.

I know if it were me I would be thrilled to get my photos back and the videos.

Good idea @JLeslie! He has the name of the church on them too.

I think you should try to find them. You could put an ad in a paper in the area where your business was asking those whose weddings you videotaped to contact you.

Facebook isn’t the best way to look up people (yet). Do a search for the various forms of “white pages directories” (pipl.com is good) and start your search there.

Well, you guys have given me courage. Just tracked one down. I started with fb, but couldn’t message, plus she isn’t very active. I called the school district where she lists herself as a counselor and they gave me her work email. :) I’ll let you know.

I can’t wait to hear what happens. I hope they are nice when they talk to you. I wonder if they are still married? Not that it matters.

Can you try to contact them anonymously? That way if they want the videos, you can send them and everyone will be happy… but if they get pissed off at you they can’t do too much?

Maybe create a new email address/facebook account?

I wondered that too, @JLeslie! I figure if they aren’t, they might still want it for their kids or something.

You know @Cupcake….Just gotta be brave. I mean, what can they really do if they’re pissed?

Working on the second one. Pretty sure I found them in Texas, but I can’t find a free white pages look up.

I would try to find them but don;t send the tapes until they say they want them. If you asked me right now, after the crap from my divorce, I’d probably say trash ‘em. I’d be mad if they just showed up in the mail.

It may sound strange, but I tracked down the family belonging to a photo album I found in a box of books through a cemetery.

One of the pictures had a name written on the back. I found an obituary attached to the name. Sent an email to the cemetery listed in the obit, saying I had found an album belonging to Mr. Joe Schmoe’s family, and here was my contact information if he’d be so good as to pass it along in case they would like it returned. They responded with an “Of course! We’d be happy to!”

About a week later I was contacted by the dead guy’s great-nephew, who was the “Family Historian” or whatever. Turned out they were a super rich New England family that owned islands and shiz. He says yes please send it to the Estate, and we’ll happily compensate you for your trouble.

Never even sent a cheque for the shipping charges. Jerk.

But, at least I feel better knowing the pictures are with their family.

Very cool @Seek_Kolinahr.

Well, yeah @zenvelo. That’s a given.

Does anyone have a FREE white pages link they can send me?

Have you tried pipl.com yet? It gives you plenty of “location” information, using which you can (still) call directory information for the location and get a telephone number (for free or whatever nominal charge your phone service costs).

And you can always use the information there to send a letter, which may give some people the cooling-off time they might need to enable a civil response.

Do a Q about finding people. Share it with filmfann on the off chance my memory is correct. The mom of a friend of mine does that sort of stuff as a hobby, she is helping me find relatives on my dad’s side of the family. I think she probably pays some of the sites for that information, and maybe a jelly here does the same and can help you.

If you don’t get anywhere I will ask her for a favor to run some of the names you have, but I don’t want to ask for too much from her.

Whitepages.com is good, too. I just looked up your information, and if “8768” rings a bell (or would), then it might even be correct.

Thanks @CWOTUS. 2 down….left a VM at that number.

Well, I’ve done my best. I contacted all but one…and from the looks of it, they may not be married any more.

Even If they are not married anymore , there kids may want the pictures.
If you cannot contact the rightfull owners of the Wedding picts, try media.
Years ago someone found a box of photos and went to the local media who
then put out a bulliten on there TV network.
I was just thinking…why don’t you UTUBE it?
Take a film of the box of pictures or what have you, saying that you had come
across these and trying to locate the Bride and Groom?
That way you never state that you were in some way responsible.

So was your ex-husband being falsely accused?

I don’t know. He swore he mailed them back @bkcunningham, so he blamed it on the post office. I wasn’t part of the business any more by then, and we didn’t live together, so I don’t know.

What I HAVE are the masters that we kept in case they needed copies. Everyone (as far as I know) got their wedding tapes. So other than that one isolated incident there were no other problems that I know of.

As I said, @Inspired_2write, I contacted all but one. They have my information if they want to get a hold of me. They are not pictures, they are videos. PS…do you have spell check? Just wondering.

I don’t have spellcheck. Please, excuse my poor spelling. I forgot about the masters part.

Years ago, a new company came to town that transferred your old 8mm movies to VHS. My dad had scads of 8 mm movies and wanted to have them modernized and put on VHS. When he found out that the company sent your movies away to another company by mail, he said he was afraid of losing the movies. He wouldn’t budge either.

One of my sisters eventually transferred the movies and photos to DVDs. I would have died trying to get those movies back if they were lost. I guess this is different, but you know what I mean.

Wasn’t asking you about spell check, @bkcunningham :) I was asking @Inspired_2write.

That’s how I felt too @bkcunningham. I just felt SO SORRY for them. :( My sister wound up with all of the 35 mm slides my dad had taken over the years when we were growing up. I asked her if she could get them transferred to DVD, and I would pay for it. Well, she presented me with a VHS tape of them….which wasn’t bad, but I expected more, considering she has a computer degree. I’m working on getting those transferred to DVD now, for what it’s worth. As well as all the old 80’s and 90’s VHS tapes…which is what started this whole wedding video odyssey.

I feel I’ve done all I can now, so my conscious is eased. Maybe those family pics are on one of them?

My sister scanned our family photos onto DVDs. When she told me she bought something called a scanner to transfer them, I had to go see what she was talking about. It was so sophisticated and unreal to me at the time. We’ve come a long way Baby.

@Dutchess_III
sorry do not have spell check .
I will have to cut and paste using another prorgam in future to avoid mistakes.
Sorry about that.

It’s OK. @Inspired_2write Just use FireFox or Chrome as your browser and viola! Instant spell check. Saved my butt more than once. (Also, vastly improves Drunk Fluthering Skills. It’s like you get up the next day and say…“I wrote THAT last night? It makes perfect sense! ;)

We have come a long ways, @bkcunningham….who would have thought that those pictures I have of family, taken in the 20’s and 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s I can now share with anyone I want to AND print them off and they look original. It’s so very cool.

” I recently came across 7 Master and “Edited” master tapes. ”

The masters are always retained by the togs. Sounds like the client was delivered without issue. Toss em’. Chances are the couples aren’t together any longer anyway.

I just read about a web pay where people send photos from found cameras and put them on the web. If anyone knows them they make contact and get their pictures back. You could send the video to them and maybe they would be found.
I don’t have any idea of the web address though.

I lost what I was going to say…
Good job, Dutchess!

Thank you @Random1324!

@RealEyesRealizeRealLies If you were in my shoes I think you’d have a hard time just tossing them. From everything I saw, all but one of the couples were appeared to be together.

@Judi I’m sure no on is actively looking for them. Like I said, they got their copy, which they paid for. But, wouldn’t it be cool if something had happened to their copy, then, like some sort of miracle, they get a message, 20 years later, that there is another copy for them? :)

Time will tell. I’ve done all I could. It’s sad that, for most of them, the thought that this is some sort of scam will probably run through their heads. :(

Apparently people scan that website all the time and with the 6 degrees of separation rule there is a better than nothing chance that someone would recognize them and let them know that they’re there.

I would hesitate to make videos of people I don’t know public like that, though…..some people can be really paranoid.