In 2009, I traveled with my father and my son to Ohio, and we visited the dairy farm that my dad grew up on. We pulled in the circular driveway and parked, got out of the car, and wandered around politely just a bit.  Dad pointed out from the distance the barn where the cows had been kept and milked, and the dairy room where the milk was processed.

While we were there, one of the new owners came out and greeted us. He was happy to meet my dad, as his wife and he were intent on restoring the farm to its previous glory as best they could. Dad told him some of the history of the various buildings, and about the changes that had been made to the farmhouse over the years. Before we left, we exchanged email addresses.

A few months later, they emailed asking if we would share any old photos of the farm, and I was happy to oblige.

About six months later, I received the following email:

Hi Tami, Hope you had a nice Christmas. My wife believes she sees a spirit in the house. {I think she is nuts}. Anyway, she says its the spirit of a young teenage boy. Have you ever heard any stories from your dad about this?  You can laugh, I did. Thanks again for the pictures.

I’m pretty open to different beliefs when it comes to these things, but this was just weird.  Here is my reply:

Oh wow… chills here. Yes. I know who that boy is, I’m sure. I’ve attached a photo.  My dad’s brother, Melbern, had muscular dystrophy and died there in the house, when he was a teenager, at just 15 years old.  Please have your wife say hi to Melbern for us all.

 

We’d never mentioned anything about the family, really, during our visit so it was really quite a surprise to hear.