Kennedy: Old bank safe contained war-time savings bonds. Could they belong to you?

Timothy Withers, of Liberty Township, Ohio, found several old U.S. savings bonds in an old safe linked to Chattanooga. He is trying to locate the family of the original owner. / Contributed photo by Timothy Withers Timothy Withers, of Liberty Township, Ohio, found several old U.S. savings bonds in an old safe linked to Chattanooga. He is trying to locate the family of the original owner. / Contributed photo by Timothy Withers

By Mark Kennedy August 20, 2020 4 min read

Timothy Withers, a United States Air Force retiree, is trying to solve a lost-and-found mystery.

Somebody lost (or perhaps forgot about) a handful of World War II savings bonds issued in 1942, and Withers eventually found them inside an old safe.

The former Dalton, Georgia, resident, who now lives in Liberty Township, Ohio, is trying to locate the rightful owner (or, more likely, their heirs) so the bonds can be returned.

The face value of the seven $25 U.S. war savings bonds is modest, Withers said, but he’d still like to see them in the right hands. The bonds were issued by the former Hamilton National Bank to a Mary P. Parker.

A Treasury Department website calculates that $25 Series E savings bonds, like these, issued in 1942 would have earned interest for 30 years and would be worth $99.95 each today.