A MAN is appealing for Bolton folk to help piece together the jigsaw of his family history.

David Felton opened a "forgotten" chest left by his grandmother, and discovered around 2,000 photos and hundreds of letters and postcards from Bolton around the beginning of the century.

The treasure trove of Bolton's past had been left untouched in an old cow shed at Mr Felton's home in Rushton Spencer, near Macclesfield, since his grandmother's death 20 years ago.

Mr Felton, 55, is now asking Bolton folk to help him in his quest to find his family's identity.

The father-of-three knows his grandmother lived in Bolton until 1926 but he only has a few tantalising clues to her past.

Mr Felton, a vintage car restorer, said: "There are about 2,000 photographs.

"I've no idea what a lot of them are.

"We just put everything into the chest when my grandmother died.

"It was an amazing surprise to see it all again."

He has found that his grandmother, called Elsie May Levitt and born in 1886, lived at South Dean in Smithills and may have also lived at 430 Chorley New Road.

She was a school teacher at St Thomas' Primary School in Halliwell before getting married in 1914 to Ernest Hart in St Margaret's Church, Halliwell.

They were married only six weeks before Mr Hart, who was born in Peterborough in 1888, left to fight in the First World war.

He was not discharged until 1922, despite having a shrapnel wound which had lodged so close to his heart it couldn't be operated on.

Elsie's father Charlie Levitt was an agent for Bolton Conservative MPs.

The thousands of photographs range from a Sunday school outing in 1905 to photos of First World War soldiers and his grandparents' wedding pictures.

Mr Felton said: "I've got a monumental task. There is so much, it is just overfacing. You get through a fraction every day.

"It's like putting a puzzle together."

Mr Felton reckoned the chest of historical treasures would thrill any of Bolton's local historian, adding: "It's a record of the times."

Anyone who can help or any local historians wishing to see the photos or documents should ring David Felton 01260 226451.

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