Yes, I run across that fairly often. The modern family just knows that it was "Grandpa's Sword" and they have had quite a bit of family history grafted to them.

Wonderful that the original sword made it back to the family - even after 50 years.

I am working on tracking a Mexican War sword for a family member that was last seen in about 1962 in a tiny county museum in Ill. Would be wonderful to get it back into the family hand - but it may turn out to be tilting at a windmill. Fun trying though . . .