How do I retrieve user data off the original account my refurbished computer automatically logged in to?

I recently had my iMac (mid 2005) refurbished and its hard drive replaced. As is out of the shop, I never bothered with accounts, and was not prompted to sign in to one. I never payed it much thought, though I had saved a good amount of data to my user folders.

One day, I decided to create two accounts in System Preferences. One of them, as intended, I assume to be the original account; I have the same bookmarks in Safari, and a few files and settings here and there. However, every folder I created within my user folder is gone. Could it be that while I created two new accounts, the original "account" that the computer defaulted to before I started using my login screen to share the computer has these files, but I cannot get back to it anymore?

I also noticed I have many files in my trash with titles such as .var/tmp/txxxxxxxxxxxx , within folders entitled "Recovered Files #1 and 2".xxx

The files themselves are very small however, and I have no idea what they mean, where they came from, or what to do with them.

I'm almost positive I did not manually throw away my folders, and the loss of them coincides with my creation of the user accounts. However, because I retained my iPhoto and iTunes folders, as well as my bookmarks, it would seem as if my account IS the original user account. Is it possible that in creating these, I somehow destroyed my custom user folders, and if so, could I get them back? Is this (obviously it seems so) related to the strange files in my trash(which I saved to my desktop)?

Thanks in advance!