0:00:02 > 0:00:04Today, the heir hunters discover a family mystery
0:00:04 > 0:00:07stretching back over a century...
0:00:07 > 0:00:09We're just trying to figure out who this person was.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12He was born in 1911.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14- Mr Thandi, nice to meet you.- Hello.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19..while another team investigate the case
0:00:19 > 0:00:24of an unusual village character who tragically died in a house fire.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26Now, I know at some point when he was younger,
0:00:26 > 0:00:29that he didn't live at home and that he lived some of the time
0:00:29 > 0:00:30in the woods.
0:00:30 > 0:00:34A visit from an heir hunter can change lives.
0:00:34 > 0:00:35Hello.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37I'm not expecting a million,
0:00:37 > 0:00:39it's just going to be exciting to receive it.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53The cases that land on the heir hunters' desks
0:00:53 > 0:00:55involve people from all walks of life.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00One unique case that recently came to the attention of researchers
0:01:00 > 0:01:02was that of Stephen Chenery.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06Stephen used to paint everything, whatever he saw,
0:01:06 > 0:01:11whatever was nature, children, he could paint it just off the cuff.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14I've got a drawing of what Steve done of me.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17He done that in 1958 and then when I went round there one day,
0:01:17 > 0:01:21he gave it to me, which I think is very special.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24That artwork is absolutely priceless.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28Stephen lived all his life in the village of Shipdham, Norfolk,
0:01:28 > 0:01:30and was known for being a colourful chap.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36Steve was a small man, wore an old suit jacket
0:01:36 > 0:01:38and his trousers were
0:01:38 > 0:01:39held up with string,
0:01:39 > 0:01:42wore boots, never saw him in shoes.
0:01:43 > 0:01:49Those who knew Steve well saw his eccentric financial management.
0:01:49 > 0:01:56I was sat with Steve and he got two biscuit tins out of a tea chest.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00I actually said to him, "What have you got in there, Steve, biscuits?"
0:02:00 > 0:02:02He said, "I sold some land."
0:02:02 > 0:02:06And he took the lid off these two biscuit tins
0:02:06 > 0:02:09and I've never seen so much money in my life.
0:02:10 > 0:02:15In his later life, Stephen Chenery lived alone, rarely venturing out.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18Some call him a hermit.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20He was restricted to one room,
0:02:20 > 0:02:23and the rest of the house, you never got to see it.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26And it was quite a shame, cos he was not that mobile.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30But on the evening of the 11th of January 2015,
0:02:30 > 0:02:34there was a dramatic turn of events and his house went up in flames.
0:02:36 > 0:02:37It was quite late at night
0:02:37 > 0:02:40and all of a sudden I thought I could smell smoke.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42It was chaos out here.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44I think there were three fire engines, two ambulances,
0:02:44 > 0:02:48a couple of police cars. It was absolutely mad.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52No-one knows what caused the fire, it's believed it was started
0:02:52 > 0:02:53on the ground floor.
0:02:53 > 0:02:58Mr Chenery sadly passed away, aged 87.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02Everybody was really, really devastated.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05You know, especially the people who had been going in
0:03:05 > 0:03:09and keeping an eye on him and doing his bits of shop
0:03:09 > 0:03:13and his pension, you know, cos people were kind to him.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17Without any known next of kin,
0:03:17 > 0:03:20the case reached London-based heir hunters Fraser & Fraser.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24It was kind of the end of the day, people were packing up
0:03:24 > 0:03:26and I kind of noticed something
0:03:26 > 0:03:28about a man who passed away at his house
0:03:28 > 0:03:31and then we found out that he actually owned the property.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33We had to start working immediately.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39So, what was the story behind Stephen?
0:03:39 > 0:03:42The search began for his next of kin.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45Birth records established his father was a carpenter,
0:03:45 > 0:03:49Frederick Chenery, born in Mitford in 1886.
0:03:49 > 0:03:54His mother, Rosa Agnes Baker, was born in 1890
0:03:54 > 0:03:56and worked as a dressmaker.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59I don't think they ever went out anywhere,
0:03:59 > 0:04:02but his father, he was...
0:04:02 > 0:04:06From what I gather, he was a clever carpenter.
0:04:06 > 0:04:11When war broke out, he would have been 28 years old.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14Records show that Stephen's father Frederick was called up
0:04:14 > 0:04:16and served for 300 days.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19Frederick Chenery joined
0:04:19 > 0:04:22the Norfolk Regiment in about April 1916,
0:04:22 > 0:04:26but he was immediately transferred to a labour company.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28With the introduction of conscription,
0:04:28 > 0:04:31soldiers who were regarded as medically unfit
0:04:31 > 0:04:34for front-line service were transferred to labour companies.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41In the war, Frederick's duties would have involved
0:04:41 > 0:04:44maintaining the roads that brought essential supplies
0:04:44 > 0:04:46and food to the front line.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48He would be under the control of a sergeant
0:04:48 > 0:04:52and his sole life would be to maintain that bit of road.
0:04:52 > 0:04:57But they'd probably be living in an old corrugated-iron dugout
0:04:57 > 0:05:00in the ground and they'd be under continual shell,
0:05:00 > 0:05:03and if he's further forward, machine-gun fire,
0:05:03 > 0:05:06because, of course, the German interest was to destroy these roads
0:05:06 > 0:05:09to stop the supplies getting to the front.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11For 30-year-old Frederick,
0:05:11 > 0:05:14his time on the front line must've been stressful and frightening.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19He will have seen numerous dead, rotting corpses,
0:05:19 > 0:05:23parts of bodies and things like that and, whatever they say,
0:05:23 > 0:05:27it must affect somebody's long-term mental ability.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29And some people could cope better than others,
0:05:29 > 0:05:32but most First World War veterans would suffer
0:05:32 > 0:05:35from post-traumatic stress syndrome.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43After the war, Frederick moved back to Shipdham
0:05:43 > 0:05:46and married Rosa in 1919.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48We did a birth search using the names of the parents,
0:05:48 > 0:05:52which were Chenery, and the mother's maiden name, which was Baker,
0:05:52 > 0:05:53through which we discovered
0:05:53 > 0:05:55that there were two sisters of the deceased,
0:05:55 > 0:05:59an Ivy Monica Chenery, born the 10th of November 1919,
0:05:59 > 0:06:04and a Nora Agnes Chenery, born the 21st November 1920.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06Once we looked into the background of the house,
0:06:06 > 0:06:08we find out immediately he lived there with his family.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10When we'd done our enquiries, obviously,
0:06:10 > 0:06:13everyone knew that he had two sisters,
0:06:13 > 0:06:15one of them actually died a spinster at the house
0:06:15 > 0:06:18and the other one did get married and actually came back to the house
0:06:18 > 0:06:20to live with her brother.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23The research shows that none of Stephen's sisters
0:06:23 > 0:06:25had any children either, so no close family
0:06:25 > 0:06:28were going to be beneficiaries.
0:06:30 > 0:06:36In 1939, when Stephen was 12, World War II broke out.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40Conscription came in and all men and boys over the age of 18
0:06:40 > 0:06:42were expected to register,
0:06:42 > 0:06:46but for many families this was a terrifying prospect.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50The social implications of not registering for conscription
0:06:50 > 0:06:52would have been quite extreme
0:06:52 > 0:06:56because you'd have been outlawed by your own community.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59Other people - your neighbours' children - are listed.
0:06:59 > 0:07:00"Why aren't you going?"
0:07:00 > 0:07:03And after the war, it would have got even worse
0:07:03 > 0:07:05because he didn't do his bit.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09So I would suggest that anybody who actively avoided conscription
0:07:09 > 0:07:13after the war was not popular.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16Despite the severe penalties, Frederick Chenery didn't want
0:07:16 > 0:07:21to risk his own son enduring similar frightening experiences to his own.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24So he made a remarkable decision.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28The theory is that something possibly could've happened
0:07:28 > 0:07:31to his father during the Great War.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36And it was so horrific that I don't think he wanted
0:07:36 > 0:07:37the same happening to Steve.
0:07:37 > 0:07:41And although Steve would've only been able to serve
0:07:41 > 0:07:46in the end of the Second World War, I think whatever old Mr Chenery saw,
0:07:46 > 0:07:51that it was enough to stop him letting Steve be called up.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54So he just sent him away from the house
0:07:54 > 0:07:56and he was told he had to live in the woods.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01No-one knows at what age Stephen lived in the woods from or until,
0:08:01 > 0:08:04but perhaps his father believed he was taking every precaution
0:08:04 > 0:08:08to try and save his life and his sanity.
0:08:09 > 0:08:14There was a big fear in the villages that you might get called up
0:08:14 > 0:08:19from the age of 16, and I think that old Mr Chenery's fear
0:08:19 > 0:08:23of having him sent off was enough to make them say no.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26"You don't exist. Go and live in the woods.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28"That way you can't be called up."
0:08:29 > 0:08:33Stephen's friends believed he lived in the woods for more than two years
0:08:33 > 0:08:35and wasn't seen at all during this time.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41I think you'll find that this is the area.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43This is where he said that he used to live.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46Probably it's all right on a summer's day,
0:08:46 > 0:08:50but on a winter's day or a cold day, I wouldn't want to live out here.
0:08:50 > 0:08:55For Stephen, as a young lad, it must've been very, very hard
0:08:55 > 0:08:58because he would've had to have probably shot what he ate.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02He wasn't supposed to be seen but I think it was more to keep
0:09:02 > 0:09:07the authorities from knowing he existed rather than from neighbours.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09Stephen eventually moved back home,
0:09:09 > 0:09:13but in some way, his father's eccentric plan worked.
0:09:13 > 0:09:18He never went to war. No-one did seem to be bothered about
0:09:18 > 0:09:19him not going to war.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23I never did hear any reason why he didn't, you know, from other people
0:09:23 > 0:09:24why he didn't go to war,
0:09:24 > 0:09:27and I never did hear of anybody talk about it much.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37Back in the offices of Fraser & Fraser and the team have
0:09:37 > 0:09:41been researching Stephen's mother - Rosa Baker's side of the family.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45Out of three siblings, only one had any children.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51Rosa's sister Ellen, she married a Stephen Bradshaw
0:09:51 > 0:09:53and went on to have three children.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56All of those three children had passed away before the deceased
0:09:56 > 0:09:59so we then had to look into their children.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02On that stem we actually found a total of five heirs,
0:10:02 > 0:10:05so it was relatively small, but we got in very quickly
0:10:05 > 0:10:08and I think we spoke to them before every other company.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10Next, the heir hunters had to try
0:10:10 > 0:10:12and track down Stephen's father's family line.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17In the end, the team tracked down 34 heirs on the father's side,
0:10:17 > 0:10:19making it 39 in total.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24One of them - a first cousin once removed - lives in
0:10:24 > 0:10:27Barton, in Cambridgeshire.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31The first approach, the gentleman walked up the path
0:10:31 > 0:10:34and he was very relaxed, very chatty and very friendly
0:10:34 > 0:10:36and came in and sat down.
0:10:36 > 0:10:41And it very quickly became apparent he knew an awful lot about
0:10:41 > 0:10:45the Chenery side of the family, and he knew more than I did.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49I think it was my mother's first cousin,
0:10:49 > 0:10:52but I didn't know Stephen existed.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56John was particularly intrigued to find a part of the family
0:10:56 > 0:10:58he wasn't aware of.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00It was incredibly interesting
0:11:00 > 0:11:03because I've done research on my own family.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06I've gone back four generations and written a book
0:11:06 > 0:11:09and had it published, mainly for my two children.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12Because if I hadn't had done it,
0:11:12 > 0:11:14all that history would have been gone when I died.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17So the Chenery line only came
0:11:17 > 0:11:20into my line when my father married a Chenery.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22The heir hunters don't know
0:11:22 > 0:11:27when John will receive his windfall or how much it will be.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29And John hasn't considered how he will spend this
0:11:29 > 0:11:31out-of-the-blue inheritance.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34I have no idea.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36It's like counting your chickens before they're hatched.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39No, I have no idea what I'm going to spend it on.
0:11:39 > 0:11:45At the same time, Stephen was an old boy who lived in Norfolk and we're
0:11:45 > 0:11:51not expecting any large amount of money from the inheritance.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53The Chenerys are scattered all over Norfolk.
0:11:53 > 0:11:57There must be at least 40 of us, but I'm not expecting a million.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00It's just going to be exciting to receive it.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07Today, Andrew Fraser is overseeing the sale of Stephen's
0:12:07 > 0:12:08burned-out house at auction.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13We've gone with a very low guide price in order to track
0:12:13 > 0:12:14the maximum amount of interest.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18Although there is no planning permission and there's no guarantee
0:12:18 > 0:12:19that you'll be able to build
0:12:19 > 0:12:21anything other than what's already there.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25The house is being sold at the Landmark Hotel in London.
0:12:25 > 0:12:26The burnt out property that
0:12:26 > 0:12:27we've got, which is lot number 83,
0:12:27 > 0:12:29is one of the most interesting lots
0:12:29 > 0:12:30in the whole catalogue.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34As with all auction lots, the more roughed up they are, the better.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36Buyers love to be able to add value.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39That particular property has had a ton of interest.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42I think we're guiding it around 50,000 and I thoroughly expect it
0:12:42 > 0:12:44to go for at least twice that.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46I'd like to save face and make sure
0:12:46 > 0:12:49it sells for over and above the 75,000.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52Anything over 100,000,
0:12:52 > 0:12:57someone's paying a true premium for this site.
0:12:57 > 0:13:0183. Lot 83 is Quarry View. I'm going to start the bidding at 75.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05You want to come in at 80? 90. I'm doing 95. You want to say 100?
0:13:05 > 0:13:09- It's gone up very quickly. - Now give me 126 if you will, sir.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12126 is bid. Give me 130 on the phone. 130.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14131, yeah? 134 now.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16Back to the telephone.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19- MAN:- 135.- 135, even better. That's more than I was asking for.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21For the first time, £135,000.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23Second time £135,000. This is it.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26It is going to go then for the third and final time for £135,000.
0:13:26 > 0:13:32- Well done. On the phone at 135. - It's been an excellent result.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35That's significantly above where we would consider any developer
0:13:35 > 0:13:39would want to be, given it has no planning permission and therefore
0:13:39 > 0:13:44there's an awful lot of hope value now assigned to that purchase price.
0:13:45 > 0:13:50The money from the sale will now be split between his 39 heirs.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53As Stephen Chenery's legacy moves on,
0:13:53 > 0:13:55his friends and neighbours
0:13:55 > 0:13:58will always cherish the memories they have of him.
0:13:58 > 0:14:04My happy days were gone with all the children down the watery lane
0:14:04 > 0:14:08watching him paint, watching him draw.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10He was a really clever artist.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13He was just a good friend of mine, really.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16I really was probably as good a friend with him as anybody,
0:14:16 > 0:14:17to be quite honest.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21He was just could company, really, and everything we did together
0:14:21 > 0:14:23and all the things he taught me.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26He did teach me a lot, really, cos he was a clever man.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29Steve was one of a kind.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33He was a man that possibly that years ago there were quite a few
0:14:33 > 0:14:36because there were village characters
0:14:36 > 0:14:39but Stephen was one of the last of the few, I'm sure.
0:14:50 > 0:14:55In Halifax, Christopher David Riggin sadly passed away, aged 70,
0:14:55 > 0:14:58on the 6th of August 2015.
0:14:58 > 0:15:04He was an educated lad, he finished up an accountant.
0:15:06 > 0:15:10Then, when his mother died, he were on his own, same as me.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14About three years ago, my wife invited him round for Christmas.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16A very intelligent man.
0:15:16 > 0:15:21Sat down with him, we spoke for ages about politics, all sorts.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24Brought a bottle of drink down with us
0:15:24 > 0:15:26and we had a real good time together.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30Christopher's friends, however, did not know any of his family,
0:15:30 > 0:15:34so his estate was passed to a firm of local solicitors.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36From what we've gathered,
0:15:36 > 0:15:38he lived with his mother
0:15:38 > 0:15:42until she passed away and also he was a recluse in his later years.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44His mother, no, she was very nice.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47She was always smartly dressed, immaculate.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50She used to have the house decorated every 12 months.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53She did everything for Christopher, she'd always have his meals ready.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56She just adored him. It was a good mum and son relationship.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00As no will was found, heir-hunting firm Finders
0:16:00 > 0:16:03were called in to search for Mr Riggin's next of kin.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08Fortunately, the solicitors passed on personal documents
0:16:08 > 0:16:09found at Christopher's home.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13The solicitors on this case have informed us
0:16:13 > 0:16:17that the estate value should be in the region of around £200,000,
0:16:17 > 0:16:20so, obviously, it's a high-priority case for us,
0:16:20 > 0:16:22we need to try and find some beneficiaries.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26We've been provided with the deceased's birth certificate
0:16:26 > 0:16:30and we can see that the mother of Christopher David Riggin
0:16:30 > 0:16:34was Maud Riggin, but she was actually formerly Shearn
0:16:34 > 0:16:35on the certificate.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37She hasn't actually mentioned a father.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39It's quite unusual to not have a father.
0:16:39 > 0:16:40Usually, when that were to happen,
0:16:40 > 0:16:42it would be due to an illegitimate birth
0:16:42 > 0:16:45whereby the mother was a spinster when the child was born
0:16:45 > 0:16:48and there's no way of really knowing who the father is.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51The certificate indicates that the mother was married previously,
0:16:51 > 0:16:54but, obviously, she'd separated from the father,
0:16:54 > 0:16:56whether they got divorced or not, we don't know,
0:16:56 > 0:17:00but she subsequently had a child with another gentleman.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03Already with mystery surrounding Christopher's parentage,
0:17:03 > 0:17:07the heir hunters will only be able to build half a family tree,
0:17:07 > 0:17:11and trace heirs on Christopher's mother's side.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14Ryan delves further, and unearths Maud's marriage certificate
0:17:14 > 0:17:18from 1937 to George Riggin, a civil servant.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22He was 41 when they married and she was 27,
0:17:22 > 0:17:25but she was a domestic servant.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28It's a profession where illegitimate births were more prevalent
0:17:28 > 0:17:30than some other professions.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33Among the papers Ryan has been given
0:17:33 > 0:17:36is a letter Christopher wrote to one of his mother's friends.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42He's used the electoral registers to find out more
0:17:42 > 0:17:45about his mother's life before he came along.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49It seems Christopher was also using records to get answers
0:17:49 > 0:17:52that he was never given by his family.
0:17:52 > 0:17:56He's established that his mum was living with her husband
0:17:56 > 0:17:58up until the Second World War.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14In one of the last paragraphs, he says,
0:18:14 > 0:18:17"Frankly, I consider it extremely unlikely that George Riggin
0:18:17 > 0:18:19"was my biological father.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22"It would take DNA evidence to convince me otherwise."
0:18:22 > 0:18:24I guess he never really got the answers
0:18:24 > 0:18:26as to who his father really was.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34Ryan is keen to see if his mother Maud had any other children,
0:18:34 > 0:18:37as they would be the first in line to inherit from his estate.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44Ryan discovers that Maud did have a second son, Michael Riggin,
0:18:44 > 0:18:48but, again, no father is listed on the birth certificate.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50He sadly only lived for four days.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57With no living brothers or sisters,
0:18:57 > 0:18:59the search for Christopher's heirs
0:18:59 > 0:19:02has now moved to his aunts and uncles.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04Well, this is the bit where it gets interesting, really,
0:19:04 > 0:19:07because we can delve a bit further back into the history of the family.
0:19:07 > 0:19:12We can go across along the maternal side of the family
0:19:12 > 0:19:14and try and hopefully find some beneficiaries.
0:19:14 > 0:19:18I've just found the deceased's mother on the 1911 census
0:19:18 > 0:19:20with her parents.
0:19:20 > 0:19:24The copy of her marriage certificate says her father was William Shearn.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27William Shearn, a coal miner, marries Beatrice.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30They've been married about seven years, they've had three children.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33Obviously, one of those is the deceased's mother.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36There's another child mentioned on the census as well,
0:19:36 > 0:19:38her name is Annie Shearn,
0:19:38 > 0:19:41so she would have been a sister of the deceased's mother.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46Ryan and the team now need to check the 1911 census
0:19:46 > 0:19:49and see if any more children were born after it was compiled.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53We can do a birth search from 1911 onwards
0:19:53 > 0:19:58until roughly when the deceased's maternal grandmother, in this case,
0:19:58 > 0:20:00was about aged 45.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04It looks as though there's probably five more siblings
0:20:04 > 0:20:06of the deceased's mother.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09So, we're looking at maybe, so far,
0:20:09 > 0:20:13seven aunts and uncles on the maternal side.
0:20:13 > 0:20:14Ryan now needs more manpower,
0:20:14 > 0:20:18and for his team to focus on the aunts and uncles one by one.
0:20:20 > 0:20:21The census is there.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23Can I just give you a line of this?
0:20:23 > 0:20:26And there's a complication surrounding one of the aunts
0:20:26 > 0:20:28listed on the census.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31Mysteriously, her birth certificate is missing from the records.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35It's good news. We've managed to find a couple of beneficiaries,
0:20:35 > 0:20:36I think.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39These heirs appear to be aunts of the deceased.
0:20:39 > 0:20:44We're looking at the sisters of the deceased's mother.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46Ryan is calling one of the heirs.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48Christopher's aunt, 85-year-old June.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52Hello, is June Brown there, please?
0:20:52 > 0:20:54Would you want me to call you back or is it OK to hang on?
0:20:57 > 0:20:59- HE WHISPERS:- She's gone to put her lunch in the oven.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09The beneficiary I just spoke to was really helpful, really friendly.
0:21:09 > 0:21:10I had a really nice chat with her.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13She was able to give me some more details on the family.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15We're kind of struggling to get any quick leads
0:21:15 > 0:21:18on one of the maternal aunts
0:21:18 > 0:21:23and she said that this maternal aunt called Aida M Shearn,
0:21:23 > 0:21:26known as Margaret, may have been adopted out of the family.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30That means one less stem to research,
0:21:30 > 0:21:33but the mysterious aunt Elizabeth could still be a beneficiary,
0:21:33 > 0:21:36and June had news on her, too.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40One of those she was able to clarify who the mystery person was
0:21:40 > 0:21:43who was missing from the 1911 census.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46The lady I spoke to did say that that person was called Elizabeth.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50The team need to dig from before 1911
0:21:50 > 0:21:54and look at Christopher's grandparents William and Beatrice's life at this time
0:21:54 > 0:21:55for more clues.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01METALLIC CLINKING
0:22:01 > 0:22:05Back in 1905, records show that Christopher's grandfather William
0:22:05 > 0:22:07was already a miner in Wakefield.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11He and Beatrice had married two years earlier
0:22:11 > 0:22:13and had a child, Annie,
0:22:13 > 0:22:16but life was tough, and William, then 26,
0:22:16 > 0:22:19was determined to do well for his family.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24Around this time, Pennsylvania, in the USA,
0:22:24 > 0:22:28was advertising for experienced miners to work in its new mines.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34William Shearn would have been looking for new opportunities
0:22:34 > 0:22:36to increase his wage packet and his quality of life.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39And Pennsylvania and the anthracite coalfields there
0:22:39 > 0:22:41could well have been one of them.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43They would have been building new housing,
0:22:43 > 0:22:45so living standards should have been, hopefully,
0:22:45 > 0:22:46a lot better at the time.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49It looks like William upped sticks
0:22:49 > 0:22:52and headed to Pennsylvania for a new job.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54His young family followed shortly afterwards.
0:22:54 > 0:22:59This is the shipping records which show the maternal grandmother,
0:22:59 > 0:23:03Beatrice Shearn, going over with her baby daughter Annie.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05That was in 1905,
0:23:05 > 0:23:09so not long after William settled over in America.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13But life in the New World was not all the family had hoped for,
0:23:13 > 0:23:17and three years later, records finally shed light on
0:23:17 > 0:23:19Christopher's missing aunt.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22Now we've got another record of an incoming passenger list this time.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26This is in 1908, so a few years later.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30And this is the most interesting one for us.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33It was actually Beatrice, William,
0:23:33 > 0:23:36along with the baby Annie that they had,
0:23:36 > 0:23:38and now this Elizabeth Shearn,
0:23:38 > 0:23:40daughter that had been born in the States.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43The life that they'd hoped for in Pennsylvania didn't quite
0:23:43 > 0:23:44work out the way they'd hoped,
0:23:44 > 0:23:49and they missed the old life so coming back to West Yorkshire,
0:23:49 > 0:23:53getting back in with wider family and also with colleagues
0:23:53 > 0:23:56and other friends as well was probably something of a comfort.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00I don't think that emigrating is the right thing for everybody.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04Having now found birth records for Christopher's aunt Elizabeth in the
0:24:04 > 0:24:09USA, if she was alive, she would be an heir to Christopher's estate.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12We had no reason to suspect that the person missing
0:24:12 > 0:24:16from the 1911 census was in fact born in the United States.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19Birth records show William and Beatrice
0:24:19 > 0:24:22went on to have six more children in the UK
0:24:22 > 0:24:24and William carried on as a miner.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29With the Shearn family tree now complete,
0:24:29 > 0:24:32the team have found eight heirs to Christopher's estate.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40The next day, Parmjit is sent to Yorkshire to meet some of the heirs
0:24:40 > 0:24:41and explain the case to them.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48June Brown is Christopher's youngest aunt,
0:24:48 > 0:24:51born in 1930 and living in Leeds.
0:24:51 > 0:24:52KNOCKING ON DOOR
0:24:55 > 0:24:58- Hello, June. I'm Mr Thandi. Can I come in?- Yes, dear.- Thank you.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02I want to explain to you why we're here.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05- Yeah, it's about my nephew Christopher.- Yes.
0:25:05 > 0:25:10- Christopher David Riggin, who passed away on the 6th August.- This year?
0:25:10 > 0:25:12- This year.- This year?- This year.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14Oh, has he been ill for a long time?
0:25:14 > 0:25:19I honestly don't know what he died of, but the office will do.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22We can always ring the office later and they'll tell you
0:25:22 > 0:25:23what he passed away.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26I can just remember a little bit when he was small,
0:25:26 > 0:25:27but for the past few years,
0:25:27 > 0:25:30we haven't seen much of him, really, at all.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34When he was young, he wasn't interested in lots of storybooks.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36He preferred to look through an encyclopaedia.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39He was intelligent.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46Parmjit is now on his way to see June's older sister.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49Eileen Lawrence, Christopher's cousin,
0:25:49 > 0:25:53and the daughter of the American aunt Elizabeth, and her husband,
0:25:53 > 0:25:56have both travelled from Nottingham to be here for Parmjit's visit.
0:25:58 > 0:26:03- Christopher was quite shy.- Yes, he was a very private person, actually.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07- So he never really... - Didn't have many friends.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09- He didn't have much to do. - No, never married, of course.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15And lived all his life in that little house in Halifax.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18He's died alone, hasn't he? It's...
0:26:19 > 0:26:24I mean, I've had a lot in my lifetime, deaths, anyway.
0:26:25 > 0:26:3049 years next week since my husband died. Well, what do I want?
0:26:31 > 0:26:35I mean, I'm 88. I mean...88 and a half.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39So, I didn't know what to think. I don't know what to think.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46But Parmjit's work still isn't done. Now he has to head to York.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49The time now, it's just gone 7.10.
0:26:49 > 0:26:54We have to see the last two beneficiaries on our list for today.
0:26:54 > 0:26:58They are maternal cousins of the deceased, brother and sister.
0:27:01 > 0:27:02Hello, Mark.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04It's Mr Thandi. Nice to meet you.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09I couldn't believe it when they rang up and said that they got in touch
0:27:09 > 0:27:12with us about some inheritance, they wanted to get in touch
0:27:12 > 0:27:14about the family tree.
0:27:14 > 0:27:19So just one of them things. I never expected it coming to us.
0:27:20 > 0:27:21If we do inherit a bit of money,
0:27:21 > 0:27:25I'm sure my partner and kids will be wanting a holiday.
0:27:25 > 0:27:26Mortgage is due to be paid off,
0:27:26 > 0:27:28so hopefully get a bit of that paid off.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31I have two horses and I need a new horsebox
0:27:31 > 0:27:34so some of it will probably go towards that.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37And then... I don't know, really, just other little things.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40Might be worth going through the family tree
0:27:40 > 0:27:42to see what else we can find out.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46Overall, the team are happy they've been able to find
0:27:46 > 0:27:49eight beneficiaries for Christopher Riggin's estate,
0:27:49 > 0:27:53which is estimated to be worth £200,000.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55I just think it's sad when you...
0:27:55 > 0:27:59Another member of your family has gone.
0:27:59 > 0:28:00It's...
0:28:02 > 0:28:04Puts everything in perspective.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07Yeah, he's going to be missed. He will be missed.