US woman reconnects families after restoring 160-year-old home

The Story in Brief

Lauren Iraeta, a 44-year-old real estate agent in the US, spent 10 months renovating an 1860s waterfront house with her husband. After the physical work ended, she turned historical investigator, researching the home's past and tracking down descendants of former residents.

Inside the widow's walk, a rooftop feature, she found names carved into the wooden walls by earlier occupants. Her research led her to elderly siblings in California, now in their 80s, who did not know their father had left a 10-page account of his childhood in the house around 1910. Iraeta gave them a copy. She also hopes to identify pets buried in a backyard cemetery.