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I have been to visit my aunt this afternoon and have now only just got in after her showing me a letter that she has received from a company saying she is in line for some money she has asked my dad if he has received a letter which he says he has not.
This is to do with their blood fathers great grandparents but as i am researching the tree they are not the bloodline great grand parents these people are the stepfather's bloodline, but however they do have their information correct.
I have advised her to contact them to see what it may all be about but she has said she may leave it to me to deal with for her as i have all the information of the family tree.
How exciting could this be or just nothing atall

Sam

Hi Sara
They adopted so it could be hopeful, i have found the company inforamtion on the internet so shall give them a call tomorrow and find out what is going on

Sam

Sam


there is a thread, I think on General, about someone who was contacted by a company that hunts up heirs


Thta company requested about 33% of the inheritance amount as "payment". Thye would not even divulge the name of the ancestor and how they were related until the letters were signed agreeing to them receiving this comission.

In that case, I think 4 siblings were involved.




sylvia

Morning all

I have been on the phone to the company this morning and have spoken with them, they are now going to send some infomation out to me explaining who is involved and who the ancesters are which i already know from seeing the paperwork from my aunt last night and these people are on my family tree is there anyway of finding out any infomation just to know what is going on, any help or advise would be great

Sam

Have you google searched the company's name? I assume you want to know they are genuine.
You can have a look for yourself by going to this site:
www.bonavacantia.gov.uk
this lists unclaimed estates and there is a form you can fill in if you believe you are entitled. You can also contact them by phone or email, not sure but they might advise you. Maybe Citizen's advice could help too. (Saw them mentioned on BBC site re. Heir Hunters).
Jan

Morning Janet
I have already googled the company early hours this morning when i got in and have spoken with the company this morning and yes its all above board, i was jusy wondering if there was anyway of finding out more info on the Estate (ie wills and probates) and how i would go about it as the man did say if i tell you to much now you would end up doing your own research and they wouldnt get their cut of comission (well hey ofcourse im gonna look for myself if i can who wouldnt?)

Sam

In that case, try the bona vacantia site and see what turns up!
Jan

Oh right im with you now, sorry been a long night, trying to do this an organise a wedding must be mad lol

Well ive tried the site and put in the surname and viewed the full list aswell and nothing comes up under the names we have Hmmmmm now what?

Sam,

Are you sure that the deceased was resident in UK? I ask this question as an elderly friend of mine had money from an estate in USA.. It was from a relative who had emigrated in 19th century, so would not have shown up on the UK lists. (The heir hunting company had been appointed by a US solicitor to contact the heirs, of which there were many.)

Elisabeth

Hi Sam!
Do you know if the heir hunting firm are involved because they took the name of the Bonavacantia list or because they are acting for a solicitor who is searching for heirs either mentioned in a will or for someone who died intestate?
If it is a Bonavacantia case, there is nothing to stop you putting in your own claim, but only one heir needs to do this. As soon as the Bonavacantia department identify one heir, they cease to be involved and Letters of Administration are granted to someone to administer the case in the normal way. As I understand it, details of the estate are not released by the BV until a claim has been put in. I'm not sure if the full list is on the BV website. Do you know when the person died? Some times the cases are very old.

Marilyn

Hello
It turns out that it is to do with my blood grandfather's great grandparents one of who died in 1846 they both came over from Bombay India and as far as we are aware they stayed here, i have put the surname in on the stated site but nothing has come up.
Its only because i find all of this so interesting that i thought i might see if i could take it further on my own but truthfully im not to sure what im doing so hence why i need the advise lol

Sam

Hi Sam!
I don't think that this can be a normal intestacy case. Heir hunters don't go back beyond grandparents of the deceased, because the possible heirs can't go back beyond that generation and would have to be descended from the grandparents in some way. I think there is a chart on the bonavacantia website showing who can inherit.

If you don't know the actual name of the deceased, in some cases it can be impossible to recognise it on the bonavacantia list. This is often the case if half-blood relatives are involved.
Marilyn

Hi Sam,

There was another thread on here a couple of days ago when someone called the firm of probate researchers "leeches" because they were asking for quite a large percentage of the estate - 33% - to put in the claim for the family.

Although this seems a large proportion I said then and I'll say it again - as you have found out it is not as easy as people think to find all the information you need - especially if you don't know who the deceased is. The probate company will have spent a lot of time and effort to find your aunt and any other beneficiaries. They are not going to do this for nothing and your aunt probably wouldn't be any the wiser about her inheritance if it wasn't for them.

If it was me I would sign up and let them do the work and be very grateful for anything I received. If you know the name of the deceased then that is a different matter and it probably would be possible to do the claiming yourself.

Kath. x

I do remember a case on Heir Hunters where the deceased went back many generations.
2 men had given money for a school (in 1800S ?)with the proviso that if at any time it was not needed, then the land / rights should pass to the longest survivor of the men.
In modern times, the school was too small, so there had to be alot of delving to find out which man had died second, then trace his family.
Not every case is straightforward.

Gwyn

Hi everyone
Have been on the phone to the company again today and have now sort of got to the bottom of it,
my 2xgreat grandfather was George Chamley born 1835 Poona East Indies and had a younger brother Thomas Ryding Chamley born 1839 Kendal Cumbria, Thomas married Matilda Pointing.
Now the estate comes from a lady on this side who died in 2002 so looks like i have a bit of researching to do and any help would be most greatful

Sam x

Ponting family tree on Ancestry - lots of census information.

5883 people in tree!



(found under Thomas Ryding Chamley)

Name: Thomas Riding Chamley
Gender: Male
Birth Date: 24 Mar 1839
Christening Date: 19 Apr 1839
Christening Place: Kendal, Westmorland, England
Age at Christening: 0
Father's Name: John Chamley
Mother's Name: Elizabeth



1901

Name: Thomas R Chamley
Age: 62
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1839
Relation: Head
Spouse's Name: Matilda
Mother's Name: Elizth
Gender: Male
Where born: Kendal, Westmorland, England

Civil parish: Croydon
Ecclesiastical parish: St Saviour
Town: Croydon
County/Island: Surrey
Country: England

Street Address:

Occupation:>>>>>>>>Builder surveyor's manager

Condition as to marriage:

Education:

Employment status: View image

Registration district: Croydon
Sub-registration district: Croydon
ED, institution, or vessel: 60
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 111
Household Members: Name Age
Thomas R Chamley 62
Matilda Chamley 64 >>Woodhouse; Andover, Hampshire
Elizth Chamley 85 >>>>Mother born Bombay tanna
Edith Gardiner 58 >>>>Servant





Source Citation: Class: RG13; Piece: 644; Folio: 96; Page: 18.



Name: Thomas R Chamley
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1841
Year of Registration: 1912
Quarter of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar
Age at Death: 71
District: Wandsworth
County: Greater London, London, Surrey
Volume: 1d
Page: 696


Cassy

Thanks Somerset girl
This is a great start in the right direction, im just looking to see if i can work the line down but i can not even find any children for these two people as yet but many other Chamley's in the Cumbria area

Sam

Not what you asked for but will add for reference

THOMAS RIDING CHAMLEY
Birth: 24 MAR 1839

Christening: 19 APR 1839 Kendal, Westmorland, England

Father: JOHN CHAMLEY
Mother: ELIZABETH