For Private Client practitioners, there is a real danger in relying on family testimony when it comes to establishing a family tree.
Quite simply, sometimes that testimony is incorrect.
This is ironic really, as family members can of course be an absolute treasure trove of information. But they may not know all the ins and outs of the entire family history… Situations crop up over time, such as:
- Adoptions
- Emigration
- Illegitimate births
- A divorce that wasn’t finalised
- A ‘relative’ who actually wasn’t a relative
These types of scenarios crop up regularly in the probate genealogy world.
Of course, the family’s version of events may well be what they truly believe; in fact, it most likely is. Usually, there is no intent to deliberately misguide. It could be a genuine misunderstanding or mistake, or even a complete secret that never saw the light of day.
Conversely, there can be times when there is perhaps a desire to mislead, shall we say… we had a case recently when someone couldn’t remember if they were divorced or not?? (we managed to prove to them that they were in fact divorced).
Whatever the reasons, a probate genealogist will simply follow the paper trail and find hard evidence to confirm matters once and for all; for better, or for worse. Our research takes the guesswork out of it, removing the myths and family fables.
What’s left is clarity, in black and white, for all to see.
Clearly, this service is most sought after for intestacy (or partial intestacy) matters but it’s also critical for Statutory Will applications in Court of Protection cases, so we’re able to assist deputies too.
Instructing an accredited and experienced firm to undertake a full family tree verification service really is vital if there is any doubt whatsoever about the family tree.
We’re always happy to check over a family tree on a complementary basis – sometimes it can be more confirmation than verification. Just get in touch.
This article was submitted to be published by Anglia Research as part of their advertising agreement with Today’s Wills and Probate. The views expressed in this article are those of the submitter and not those of Today’s Wills and Probate.
