A woman dubbed the ‘heirloom hunter’ has reunited a long-lost bible from the 1800s with ancestors of the original owner – after a stranger online begged her to help track down the living descendants.

Chelsey Brown, 28, from New York, US, gained the nickname after dedicating her time to reuniting ancestors with long-lost family treasures.

To date, she has found and returned hundreds of items – including the nursing diploma of a war heroine, love letters from the 1960s and old family albums.

One recent find was the bible – which fell into her hands via a woman in Australia who had discovered it two decades prior.

“I didn’t find the bible – the bible found me!” Chelsey told Jam Press.

“Aside from finding lost heirlooms at flea markets, people from all over the world message me about items they have found and need help tracing back to the original family.

“In this case, the woman who contacted me found the Bible in an op-shop her church was having in Australia about 20 years ago.

“She said ‘I always felt that there was something special about it, it was a well-used and obviously well-loved’.”

The incredible artefact is in remarkably good condition, with a small amount of wear and tear around the binding.

Inside, the first page reads: “The Holman self-pronouncing Sunday-school teacher’s bible. Containing the old and new testaments translated out of the original tongues and with the former translations diligently compared and revised.”

In the back of the book, a handwritten text gives information on a man called Henry born in 1847 in Victoria, Australia, along with details of his marriage and family.

Using this, Chelsey was able to put her talents to good use and track down the living descendants of Henry.

She used MyHeritage.com to look up the names written in the back of the bible, and found the family “within minutes”.

She messaged the owner of the family tree and contacted Henry’s great-great granddaughter and great-nephew.

She found the family were still living in Australia and was able to organise having the bible shipped over to them – though first she had to convince the family she wasn’t a scam artist looking to make money out of her hobby.

Chelsey added: “It happens quite frequently – many people think it’s scam at first when I contact them about an item I found. I never ask for repayment for items I find or for shipping costs.”

The family were thrilled to see the bible and sent Chelsey a message thanking her for her troubles, which reads: “I was touched and delighted that you took the trouble to contact me.

“These primary resources are very precious as relatives actually touched these, used these, making a physical connection over the years.

“Bibles in those times, were where people recorded their family details - births, deaths and marriages so I'm keen to see what's there.

“Many thanks to you Chelsey for taking the time and making the effort."

Chelsey shared the results with her 93,000 followers on Instagram (@citychicdecor), where fans were stunned by the story.

One person said: “That is so cool! Would love to be on the receiving end and being the person who gets a piece of their family history back.”

“Wow such a cool story time,” agreed another viewer.

Someone else commented: “This is fantastic, such a thoughtful gesture and I imagine very healing and touching for some families you reach out to!

Another person added: “What an inspiration to use social media for purpose. There are not enough good surprises in life. Amazing how easy it is to connect to people these days.”

“I love that you’re doing this… so incredibly special!” said another user.

Another person commented: “You are so amazing! I love the stories. I can see a Netflix or YouTube series on your work in the future.”

“This is so cool. Love restoring items like this and finding their origin,” agreed someone else.

A woman dubbed the ‘heirloom hunter’ has reunited a long-lost bible from the 1800s with ancestors of the original owner – after a stranger online begged her to help track down the living descendants.

Chelsey Brown, 28, from New York, US, gained the nickname after dedicating her time to reuniting ancestors with long-lost family treasures.

To date, she has found and returned hundreds of items – including the nursing diploma of a war heroine, love letters from the 1960s and old family albums.

One recent find was the bible – which fell into her hands via a woman in Australia who had discovered it two decades prior.

“I didn’t find the bible – the bible found me!” Chelsey told Jam Press.

“Aside from finding lost heirlooms at flea markets, people from all over the world message me about items they have found and need help tracing back to the original family.

“In this case, the woman who contacted me found the Bible in an op-shop her church was having in Australia about 20 years ago.

“She said ‘I always felt that there was something special about it, it was a well-used and obviously well-loved’.”

The incredible artefact is in remarkably good condition, with a small amount of wear and tear around the binding.

Inside, the first page reads: “The Holman self-pronouncing Sunday-school teacher’s bible. Containing the old and new testaments translated out of the original tongues and with the former translations diligently compared and revised.”

In the back of the book, a handwritten text gives information on a man called Henry born in 1847 in Victoria, Australia, along with details of his marriage and family.

Using this, Chelsey was able to put her talents to good use and track down the living descendants of Henry.

She used MyHeritage.com to look up the names written in the back of the bible, and found the family “within minutes”.

She messaged the owner of the family tree and contacted Henry’s great-great granddaughter and great-nephew.

She found the family were still living in Australia and was able to organise having the bible shipped over to them – though first she had to convince the family she wasn’t a scam artist looking to make money out of her hobby.

Chelsey added: “It happens quite frequently – many people think it’s scam at first when I contact them about an item I found. I never ask for repayment for items I find or for shipping costs.”

The family were thrilled to see the bible and sent Chelsey a message thanking her for her troubles, which reads: “I was touched and delighted that you took the trouble to contact me.

“These primary resources are very precious as relatives actually touched these, used these, making a physical connection over the years.

“Bibles in those times, were where people recorded their family details - births, deaths and marriages so I'm keen to see what's there.

“Many thanks to you Chelsey for taking the time and making the effort."

Chelsey shared the results with her 93,000 followers on Instagram (@citychicdecor), where fans were stunned by the story.

One person said: “That is so cool! Would love to be on the receiving end and being the person who gets a piece of their family history back.”

“Wow such a cool story time,” agreed another viewer.

Someone else commented: “This is fantastic, such a thoughtful gesture and I imagine very healing and touching for some families you reach out to!

Another person added: “What an inspiration to use social media for purpose. There are not enough good surprises in life. Amazing how easy it is to connect to people these days.”

“I love that you’re doing this… so incredibly special!” said another user.

Another person commented: “You are so amazing! I love the stories. I can see a Netflix or YouTube series on your work in the future.”

“This is so cool. Love restoring items like this and finding their origin,” agreed someone else.