backup/restore gunzip gz

[rpmckinley]

Is it possible to restore files archived in a .gz file ?
I have many files that I thought were backup files. They are all in .gz files.
Over the years I've been doing system and volume backups. All are in .gz archives.
Yes I can use the archive manager to extract the .gz archives but there is nothing in them except text files that explain what was installed on this computer.
There are NO actual files that I thought were backed up.
I don't have any Tar archives. The .gz files do not contain any of the actual image or volume data files.
I have tried gunzip, same thing.
How can I retrieve restore the actual files themselves?
LM 19.3, two HD's 1tb byte each. many backups from older drives.