When Carol Chase died unexpectedly in 2016, she left behind an estate worth almost £420,000. A widow with no children, Finders delved into the case to search into both sides of the deceased’s family.

Carol M Chase

When Carol Chase died unexpectedly in 2016, she left behind an estate worth almost £420,000.
Carol had owned property and had been married, though she had moved back to her home town, Wallasey, from Plymouth after his death. She had no children.
Carol had been an only child. On the paternal side of her family, her father’s parents were called Frederick Hughes and Amy Pritchard. We checked the records to find out if they had any other children, apart from Carol’s father, and found birth records for a Frederick and an Amy. As they were born only three months apart, they couldn’t be siblings, so case manager Suzanne Rowley had to find out which one was the right family member – Frederick proved to be the relative in question.
Three other siblings were found – Stanley, Emily and Dorothy. The latter married a Mr Jones, always a challenge for a probate genealogist, as Jones is a common surname. Suzanne looked into Frederick and found 12 heirs, while another two heirs were found through Dorothy’s family. Dorothy’s granddaughter Deborah told us she’s never heard of Carol when we visited her.
All the beneficiaries retained our services.

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