P3D Moral responsibility?

["Dr. George A. Themelis" <DrT-3d@xxxxxxx>]

I am continuing this discussion from sell-3d... This is
my last sell-3d message on this issue and the first in
photo-3d...  We are discussing about trading personal
stereo slides....

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>You are not obligated to track down the family. 

Legally... How about morally?  The subtle message in the
email I received was that I have some kind of moral
responsibility to investigate the issue further, not
just sell and move on.  If I were positive that I was
doing the right thing I could have ignored this issue
but obviously it made enough of an impression on me to
discontinue the auction and ask for your opinion.

What makes things worse is that these are not "a dime
a dozen" realist slides, but glass plates of rather
intimate personal images.  Someone labored to produce
these.  There are pictures of the photographer, his
family, his parents, brother, neighbors, coworkers...
Should that kind of stuff be traded?

[BTW, it is interesting that there are 85 slides from
1940-1946.  Makes you wonder what came before and after.
One idea is that the photographer got a Realist in 1947
and switched to a different format...]

There are two kinds of people around:  The majority thinks
that these family images have no value for anyone other
that the family pictured.  A few collectors are attracted
to these family images. My wife wonders why I collect
these... She does not see the point.  I feel like I am invited 
in someone's home to visit their family, share the weddings
or good memories.  It is fascinating seeing it in glorious
3d. And now we have a new group of people:  Those who think
that you have the moral responsibility to return these
images to the families involved.

George