BBC Heir Hunters – The Inside Story
There are many sets of different circumstances which can happen to people and families over the course of the years. Changes to circumstances can lead to the kind of work we at Finders become involved in – where we are called to trace missing next of kin, locate unknown beneficiaries or find missing wills and it is this work that is highlighted in the current series of BBC Heir Hunters.
Aired through the week Monday to Friday at 9.15am on BBC 1, the programme documents the work of professional heir hunters (or probate genealogists – that is the professional term for the job that we do). It is a privilege to be involved in such a programme and this week saw a couple of cases we particularly enjoyed working on.
In the first case, Finders probate genealogists investigated the case of a 77-year-old former journalist called Raymond Wild who had died without leaving a will (a surprisingly common occurrence). Our case manager Amy Moyes worked to discover who the rightful beneficiaries of Mr Wild’s estate were and she uncovered a family which had been torn apart by both world wars – again, a surprisingly common occurrence as wars disrupt families and when people go missing at such times they are often presumed dead, or they lose touch with their own families.
Thankfully, Amy’s professional work resulted in a reunion of the family and the rightful heirs received their inheritance. It was a real privilege to be involved.
Our other case this week related to the case of Michael Naish, a one-time pub landlord. Our team ended up tracing his family back to the first world war and exploring the world of domestic service, a job which was very common in the early 19th century, but is more or less a forgotten occupation these days. Again, a successful resolution was achieved.
If you are a regular watcher of Heir Hunters, you will be familiar with these stories and the often heart-warming results. But what if you think you are in line for an inheritance yourself, know of another person who you think might be, or if you would like to engage the services of a professional probate genealogy firm such as Finders?
You can contact us through our website, or you can also try out the Heir Hunters app available through the App Store or Google Play. The app offers our clients an easy-to-use alternative for viewing and submitting forms related to our services. Through the app, you can access forms, fill them in and submit them directly to us on the go or from the comfort of your own home. You can also peruse our services to see how we can help you.
We are always keen to stress how important it is that you use an experienced and established business, which will use professional tracing agents to find missing kin, locate missing persons or sort out estate distribution. We work to a professional code of conduct so that we can assure people that they are dealing with a professional organisation, which will handle any case with tact, discretion and thoroughness.
In addition, we have an international reach, so no matter how far your family may have scattered, we will be able to seek out and find missing beneficiaries, and we work across the UK through our resources at Finders England, Finders Ireland, Finders Scotland and Finders Wales.
In the first instance, we suggest you find out a little more about our services. You can read all about the kind of work we get involved in and what we can help you with here, and then if you want to work with us, why not contact us on our freephone (UK only) number 0800 085 8796?
