Published in African American newspapers shortly before the end of the Civil War until the 1920s, these "lost friends" ads were placed by formerly enslaved people separated from family by war, slavery. and emancipation. The text within these ads is short; constructed from memories, a name, their loved ones former owners, where they once lived. The stories are presented in groupings, illustrating a shared experience by different individuals. The repeated phrases—“Do you know them?”, “Have you seen her?”, “Can you help me to find my people?” or in Years, 1865, the years of separation—within each ad were adopted time and time again by people looking to find the family they once knew.
