See Photos.  Comes from a clean nonsmoking home.  Family history and paper ephemera ranges from acceptable to very good.  Far too large to completely document in the space we have here.  This family genealogy has three main pods documentation.  First off is the Benedict family in the late 19th century.  The cache includes a large photo of men in the family with the names written on the back.  Neal was part of the Alaska gold rush and was a photographer.  He shot many a photo that are included in this archive. Next, we meet Victor and Olga Skorapa in Richmond, VA.  Twenty-one pounds of paper documenting their lives.  Lastly, George Carter in Durham North Carolina.  All three pods of family members are linked as all the documents came from a single trunk from the Carter estate in Durham NC.

A large Benedict family photo includes (in the top row) Samuel L, Neal, Lorenzo along with (front row) Raswell A, Edgar, Seeley, James E (father) and James E. Benedict Jr.  Neal was a photographer.  Unclear if any other family members went to Alaska with him.  One documents "The Cooperative Prospecting Co. of Washington D.C." written on the roof of a cloth tent.  A number of the photographs are numbered and have "Copyright 1899 by Neal. D. Benedict.  View No. (handwritten number) from the Valdez(?) and Copper River Trail Alaska with 158 Photographic views by Neal D. Benedict" stamped on the back of the photos. The photos show an open water trip (documented from Seattle that took shelter in a Montague Island bay), then snow, rivers, hills, and tents.  Also includes life inside the tents and presumably mining activities on streams.  Most photos are 4" x 4" on cardstock.  Many are on a larger cardstock with "G.S. North So. Norwalk, Conn" along the bottom.  104 cabinet card type of photographs in total.  Within the North photos, we see what could very well be the Chilkoot trail.  Lots of snow and people WAY up near the top and a small line of people.  Perhaps the lines died down in '98 or '99.  Many photos of tent camps (snow and summer) with small boats.  Might fit the Lake Bennett story, might not.  Handful of duplicate images.  

Next is the story of the Skorapa family in the early to mid-20th century.   Large stacks of family records, Czech travel papers, school records, photographs, letters, and a passport.  Victor and Olga Skorapa in Richmond VA are most prominently documented. There are references to Military records included.  Most from WWI (photos of soldiers and airplanes) and WWII era.  Victor Skorapa and wife Jean Marie Stevens are documented.  Includes involvement in Czechoslovak National Council in America and the NYC World Fair Czech Pavilion.  Includes school reports and projects done by family members.  Includes Victor's (watch maker in Richmond) 1950's business ledger.  Approx 21 pounds of paper.  They were very involved in the local Czech Slovakian culture.  Looks like they were traditional dancers and perhaps musicians.  

A Skorapa married George Carter from Durham North Carolina.It is how we came upon this collection.  A document shows that Buford Carter was involved in the Manhattan Project and the development of the Atom Bomb.  We leave the story here for you to complete.  There are many avenues of investigation to be completed.  Pictures give hints of places in Alaska with named buildings in the background as well as here in the South.  All in all, a truly American story.  From the sourdough stampeders to the 20th century, a proud Czech Slovak heritage, and WWII Manhattan project mashup.  Once you put it together, we'd love to read it!

We see some correspondence mostly from the 1920s and 1930s.  Maybe 20 letters?  It is in either Polish or Slovakian. and seems to be familial in nature.  There is a leather ledger from the 1950s from the optometrist.  There are several notebooks with many scientific and biological notes.  Looks more like student type of notes.  We tried to push the most interesting items into the photos.   

We have muddied the photos shown in this listing such that the buyer can be assured to own the only clear and clean copies.  For contrast, photos #2, #8, and #9 have not been modified.  This should give the buyer a better idea of actually clarity.  Seller Lot #1548-CALT.