Our Services
Probate Research | Probate Genealogy | Heir Tracing
When a person dies without leaving a Will (intestate), the beneficiaries of their estate will be their nearest living blood relatives (next of kin) in accordance with the laws governing the country or state in which they lived. Sometimes the nearest living relative may be distant cousin and it is not unusual that he or she may not even have known the deceased. In cases where a Will has been made, solicitors and lawyers may request our probate research services to find the legal beneficiaries who cannot be traced. In many of our cases, such contact comes as a complete surprise.
When conducting an investigation we access numerous open source databases and online and offline research sources that are available within the public domain including GEDmatch (DNA). We implement our effective research, interpretation and analysis skills to re-create a family tree of the deceased which will usually take us backward and then forward in time and often across the globe, until we have identified the correct kindred line which will lead us to the living beneficiary. Our clients can rely upon our research and genealogy expertise, our knowledge of all available resources, our proficiency with global logistics and our proven investigative and analytical skills. The success of our investigations depends upon our client confidentiality, integrity and clarity.
The Forensic Genealogists strive to reconstruct accurate familiy histories and to achieve genealogical goals that reflect historical reality. We use all known sources, citations and analyse and interpret evidence working with the five components of the Genealogical Proof Standard. Genealogical proofs, like accepted results and conclusions in any field of research, rarely are final. On occasions where previously unknown evidence arises after we have produced our report, we will reassess and reconstruct it which may change the outcome.