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15 March 2011

Consider Something You Don't Need

Sometimes it might be worth it to order a record you "don't" need. My grandmother's brother died in the 1930s with little estate to settle up (except for a car and a small amount of cash). On a whim, I ordered a copy of his estate record. There was a paper in the file signed by all his siblings and his mother, waiving their inheritance. It didn't provide me any "new" information, but it was neat to have the signature of my grandmother, her five siblings, and her mother all on one document.

And if I had not already known he was divorced, the fact that he had "no surviving spouse" would have been a big clue too!