International Genealogical Search

Defeating the Sands of Time

Objective: Locate prospective heirs in a case dating back 50-years

Year: 2004

Overview: A bank asked us to trace living relatives of a woman called Marion. The bank was the financial guardian of Marion after she had been declared mentally incompetent in 1931 and placed in a mental hospital.

Challenges: The case was so old! Finding Marion’s living heirs was a daunting task because:

• The usual resources we investigate were in this case unusable
• Searches of old birth, death and census records turned up nothing
• No records of any relatives visiting Marion in hospital
  It seemed that the sands of time might well have buried all traces of Marion’s rightful heirs. Undeterred however, our research continued and we managed to unearth some well hidden key information about Marion’s family.
  
  Results: After several months we finally find Marion’s living heirs. The bank is amazed because it had been working on the case for more than ten years with no success whatsoever! The financial institution is pleased that distribution to the heirs is possible and that the case is finally closed.