How did you get into probate genealogy?

My father was a keen genealogist back before computers or the internet were invented, he was a pencil and paper in repositories person – I got a love for genealogy from Dad, RIP.

What does a normal day look like for you?

Answering emails, following-up on queries with solicitors, preparing slides to give a talk at solicitor CPD event, reviewing cases that are being reported, answering queries from team members re unusual scenarios on cases.

What is your most memorable case to date?

My favourite case is one that started with a phone call from an Irish hospital on a Thursday afternoon. They had a patient who had passed away with not next-of-kin on his file, his GP had no record of nok and nobody had visited him while he was in hospital. On Friday we located his birth record and determined his mother’s name and his grandparent’s names, he had lived with them all his life. By Monday morning we had an appointment in the National Archives to view his mother’s will. We contacted the solicitor who distributed his mother’s Estate and luckily the Deceased was his client and he held his will. We met the solicitor on the Tuesday morning who needed assistance in locating some of the beneficiaries named in the will. We located the grave where the Deceased’s mother and grandparents were buried and his funeral went ahead the following Tuesday where the deceased was buried with his family.

What do you love most about working at Finders?

I love our Team, I love the challenge of finding people, leaving no stone unturned and thinking outside the box.

Away from genealogy, if you could do any other job in the world, what would you do and why?

Giving tours for school children and adults in nature, talking about trees, birds, flora and fauna. Favourite app at the moment is Merlin from Cornell Uni – identifies a bird by the bird’s chirping and it’s free!