Siblings Separated for 65 Years United by Facebook-Savvy 7-Year-Old

Petr Svab
3/23/2016
Updated:
10/5/2018

What’s the best thing about Facebook? Many people’s first answer may be simply this: It’s a chance to catch up with people we’ve lost contact with. But it may be hard to imagine how true that was for Clifford Boyson of Davenport, Iowa.

When Boyson was 3, he was separated from his five-year-old sister, as each was sent to a different foster home. He tried to get in contact with her, even wrote her letters, but none were ever recieved.

In 2013, Boyson, 68, said no one would help him find his sister. That is, until Eddie Hanzelin learned of his story.

Eddie, the seven-year-old son of Boyson’s landlord, wanted to help.

“Clifford didn’t have any family at all, so I wanted to help Clifford find his family,” the boy said while a guest on ABC show “The View.”

 “Sometimes Clifford gets lonely.” 

The boy grabbed his parents’ iPad and—using his mother’s Facebook account—started to search.

“I went on Facebook and I typed in Boyson,” he said, according to ABC News. “There were a whole bunch of pictures that showed up. One of them kind of looked like Clifford and I zoomed in on it and it started to really look like Clifford, [so] I showed it to my mom and dad.”

It turned out, Eddie stumbled upon Betty Billadeau, the long lost sister of Boyson.

Eddie’s father, Glenn Hanzelin, contacted Billadeau’s daughter over Facebook to help arrange the reunion.

“He won’t be lonely anymore,” Eddie said.

Petr Svab is a reporter covering New York. Previously, he covered national topics including politics, economy, education, and law enforcement.
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