The photograph that changed everything
How one unexpected discovery reminds us that family history is never truly finished.
Dear Just One Good Idea reader,
When you spend years chasing a ghost through historical archives, you get used to dead ends.
But every once in a while, a single piece of paper changes the entire trajectory of a search.
For me, it was a photograph. It arrived long after The Search for Valentina Getsch had already been published.
According to family notes, it is believed to show Valentina’s sister with a cousin. But the longer I stared at it, the less certain I became.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was looking at Valentina herself as a young girl standing beside her mother. I still don’t know the answer.
What I do know is that family history has a way of refusing to stay finished.
The memoir told the story of the search. But the search kept producing new discoveries, new documents, new photographs (like this one), and new connections long after the final chapter had been written.
That’s why I created The Promise We Made.
If the memoir is the map of the journey, the companion book is the collection of artifacts we brought home.
Inside you’ll find:,
Family photographs never included in the memoir
Ship manifests and historical records
Research discoveries that emerged after publication
Untold stories that didn’t fit into the manuscript
Reflections on what happened after we found Valentina
Explore the evidence, family records, untold stories, and reflections that never made it into the memoir. You can complete your collection by picking up the companion here.
Thank you, as always, for reading along.
Warmly,
Sandy - In pursuit of stories that remain
P.S. Many readers have asked whether The Promise We Made is simply an extension of the memoir. It isn’t.
The Search for Valentina Getsch tells the story of the search.
The Promise We Made contains the photographs, ship manifests, letters, family records, research discoveries, and personal reflections that surround it.
One tells the story. The other shows you the evidence.
Readers who already own the memoir can add the companion volume here:
Readers who want the complete experience can receive both books together in a special bundle, which is available here.