What is a Probate Genealogist?
The Probate Genealogist deals mainly with estates in which the next of kin is not known or cannot be located. Generally, the Probate Genealogist is mandated to undertake the research by the estate’s executor, in some countries referred to as a ‘Notaire’. These types of estates are often the result of someone passing away without a will, someone with no immediate next of kin or when the known heirs cannot be located.The Probate Genealogist’s goal is to determine and establish who is the next of kin eligible to inherit an estate. This is determined according to the laws in place dictating how many degrees of separation and generations are eligible. Once they have created a family tree and next of kin is identified, the Probate Genealogist contacts them and informs them they have been identified as an heir, entitled to inherit an estate. Without the Probate Genealogist’s intervention, you may have never been discovered and the estate would remain unsettled, eventually reverting to Governm
