0:00:02 > 0:00:03Today...
0:00:03 > 0:00:04I'll take this one.
0:00:04 > 0:00:08Heir hunters race each other to find heirs to a small fortune.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10You know we're neck and neck with the other firm now.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13While in Kent, a family divided...
0:00:13 > 0:00:18It was some sort of argument and we never spoke to any of them again.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20..is reconnected after 60 years.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22- Hello!- Hello!
0:00:22 > 0:00:26I'm excited, I'm nervous, I don't really know how I feel.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29Across the country, the hunt is on.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32With millions of pounds waiting to be claimed,
0:00:32 > 0:00:35could the heir hunters be knocking at your door?
0:00:43 > 0:00:46It's 9am and in London, heir hunting firm
0:00:46 > 0:00:49Finders International are working on new cases from the Government's
0:00:49 > 0:00:52Bona Vacantia list of unclaimed estates.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56We've come in this morning and there's 20 ads come out from
0:00:56 > 0:00:58the government, so we're just checking them through now to see
0:00:58 > 0:01:01how much they're worth, and then we can start looking into them.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05With so many cases,
0:01:05 > 0:01:08today will be exceptionally busy for the heir hunters,
0:01:08 > 0:01:12and competition between the firms will be intense.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15It's the classic buses arriving at the same time scenario.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18So we will have a situation where we have to work simultaneously
0:01:18 > 0:01:21on several cases, and some of them could be equally urgent.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26But case manager Ryan Gregory has identified one case
0:01:26 > 0:01:28he thinks will be worth working.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30I'm looking at the case of Frances Elizabeth Fehr.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33We've just found out she was a spinster when she passed away.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36Well, it looks like from the records she never married.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38She was born in 1921.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41Crucially, it seems Frances owned a property in London
0:01:41 > 0:01:44that could make her estate very valuable.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48It's always a bit of a panic to begin with, wondering if you're behind the competition.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51Every minute does count. It's a bit of a cliche, but it does.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58Frances Fehr moved to her flat in Battersea, South London,
0:01:58 > 0:02:01when she retired in the 1980s.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05Her neighbour, Robin Woodley, remembers her fondly.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07I knew Frances for 30 years.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10She was quite an individual.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13There's Frances.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15She was into the arts.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19She never missed going to the Royal Academy every year.
0:02:19 > 0:02:21I went with her on two occasions.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24This was on Christmas Day.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28And of course, her friends, Ro and Jim.
0:02:28 > 0:02:34We'd always have a Boxing Day afternoon with about six of us,
0:02:34 > 0:02:36and she would do the catering.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38It was always quite a fun day.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41She tried her best to please everyone.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44She knew exactly what people liked.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46She had a very good heart.
0:02:47 > 0:02:52Frances Fehr passed away in June 2016 at the age of 95,
0:02:52 > 0:02:56without appearing to leave a will or any children to inherit her estate.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59So the search for heirs is on.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06First, the team must investigate Frances's parents
0:03:06 > 0:03:09in order to see if she has any other surviving siblings.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13I've pinpointed the parents on the 1939 register,
0:03:13 > 0:03:16which is really good.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19It's quite similar to the old census records, but it's more recent.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21So I've got both parents on there.
0:03:21 > 0:03:26The 1939 register was taken at the outbreak of World War II
0:03:26 > 0:03:28by the British Government.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32And today, it gives Ryan valuable clues to find Frances's family.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38Frances's parents were living in Westminster in 1939.
0:03:38 > 0:03:43So, yeah, now I just need to go back. So the mum's maiden name was Underwood,
0:03:43 > 0:03:46that's more of a common surname than the paternal side,
0:03:46 > 0:03:48which is Fehr, spelt F-E-H-R.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51I had a quick look for Underwoods,
0:03:51 > 0:03:54but now I'm going to move over to Fehr.
0:03:54 > 0:03:59Frances's parents, Joseph Fehr and Florence Underwood, married in 1920.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02But when Ryan looks for them on the 1911 census,
0:04:02 > 0:04:05he makes a significant discovery about Joseph
0:04:05 > 0:04:07that will radically change the hunt for heirs.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11The dad, he was living in Brixton.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15But it does say that he was born in Switzerland.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19With competition on this case likely to be high,
0:04:19 > 0:04:22this is a major setback for the team.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24It's going to pose a bit of a problem in terms of
0:04:24 > 0:04:26we can't necessarily do the research here straightaway,
0:04:26 > 0:04:28unless they have family members here.
0:04:28 > 0:04:29Could you e-mail this over to Yann?
0:04:29 > 0:04:30He was born in Switzerland,
0:04:30 > 0:04:34- so I think we might as well get someone looking into it.- Yeah.
0:04:34 > 0:04:39The investigation into Joseph's family must be sent to European researchers.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41So while they wait for more Swiss leads,
0:04:41 > 0:04:45Ryan has other information on Frances's father, Joseph,
0:04:45 > 0:04:46that could help them.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50The dad, in 1911...
0:04:51 > 0:04:54..was 33.
0:04:54 > 0:04:55He was a hotel valet.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01Joseph must have moved to the UK before 1911
0:05:01 > 0:05:04to work in the booming hospitality industry.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06A very large percentage of waiters
0:05:06 > 0:05:08before the First World War were European.
0:05:08 > 0:05:13Joseph must have been linked to a Swiss waiters' migrant network,
0:05:13 > 0:05:17and that's the only way I think he would've ended up in Great Britain.
0:05:18 > 0:05:23But Joseph Fehr arrived in the UK at a bad time.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27With the outbreak of World War I in August 1914,
0:05:27 > 0:05:30Britain was pitted against the German Empire.
0:05:30 > 0:05:35Public opinion felt it was legitimate to be hostile to Germans.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38And, obviously, he has a Swiss German accent,
0:05:38 > 0:05:41which is not that different from a German accent.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44People who don't know him would automatically assume
0:05:44 > 0:05:46it's a German name.
0:05:48 > 0:05:49As the war became more savage,
0:05:49 > 0:05:54British public opinion would swing even harder against anyone German.
0:05:57 > 0:05:58In May 1915,
0:05:58 > 0:06:01the British cruise liner the Lusitania was sunk
0:06:01 > 0:06:04by a German submarine off the coast of Ireland,
0:06:04 > 0:06:09leading to the deaths of almost 1,200 civilians.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12And that was followed by mass anti-German riots.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15The first riots occur in Liverpool,
0:06:15 > 0:06:17and then it spreads to the whole of the country.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21I have no hesitation in saying that every German shop in Britain
0:06:21 > 0:06:23was destroyed in that week.
0:06:23 > 0:06:29They are the worst riots in 20th-century Britain, essentially.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33Now, anyone with a Germanic connection in Britain
0:06:33 > 0:06:35was under threat.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40People were obviously terrified.
0:06:40 > 0:06:46You know, you could be attacked on the street or in your home.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53Back in the office, the team are still racing to find heirs.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56The key question is if Joseph was from Switzerland,
0:06:56 > 0:06:59might there be European heirs to find us well?
0:06:59 > 0:07:03While Ryan waits for more leads from the researchers abroad,
0:07:03 > 0:07:06he starts to pursue Frances's mother's family,
0:07:06 > 0:07:07hoping it will be more straightforward.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13- I've moved on to the maternal side, thinking it would be easier.- Yeah.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15It isn't, massively.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17Why have I put 1911?
0:07:17 > 0:07:21I haven't found her for sure on any census, or any definitive birth.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23The mum is the problem for me, really,
0:07:23 > 0:07:27because I've got her date of birth here in the 1939 register,
0:07:27 > 0:07:31but I'm struggling to then take it back to finding her birth
0:07:31 > 0:07:33and/or her on the census.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37I mean, Underwood, it's not a really common surname,
0:07:37 > 0:07:39but I don't really have anything to go on.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41I don't know where she's from.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45It's vital that the team find a birth record for Frances's mother, Florence.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47If the date of birth's wrong, there's loads of...
0:07:47 > 0:07:50Exactly, if it's wrong, but there's nothing that makes it look right.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53- No.- Which is frustrating.- It's printed clearly, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55I think there's a Florence M in Pancras.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57I mean, the thing is, we don't know if she was registered late.
0:07:57 > 0:08:02- It could be June quarter, September quarter...- Yeah.- December quarter.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05So, the very nature of these urgent cases that we work with quite often,
0:08:05 > 0:08:10working without the documentation we need to be 100% certain it's correct.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14So we need to check whether there was a plain Florence Underwood born near Wood Green.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16So, therefore, we need to go with hunches.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19I mean, this is when it helps, working in a team.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22- But there is one in Edmonton. - There's that one in Edmonton, yeah.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25- Is that plain?- Yeah.- Yeah.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28The team can't find Florence's birth record,
0:08:28 > 0:08:30so they only have one hope left.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33We really need the deceased's parents' marriage.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35It will give us... Just verification, really.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38Names of the both the parents, ages of both the parents.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40Father's name of each,
0:08:40 > 0:08:42which is going to be really useful not only from the research in
0:08:42 > 0:08:44Switzerland, but also trying to figure out who
0:08:44 > 0:08:45Florence Underwood is.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48I'll see if I can find anybody else. If I can't, I'll get back to you.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50The team need to get hold of the marriage certificate
0:08:50 > 0:08:54as soon as possible to have any hope of beating the competition.
0:08:54 > 0:08:59OK, also, I spoke to registrars, they've said that we can't...
0:08:59 > 0:09:01- They do a 24-hour service.- Mm-hm.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03But we will have to collect it tomorrow,
0:09:03 > 0:09:05otherwise we can order it priority.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08- 24-hour.- Yeah. - So, what time is it now?
0:09:10 > 0:09:11BOTH: Ten.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13I mean, maybe that might be a good option?
0:09:13 > 0:09:16I think, just because this is high-value, let's do both.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18- OK.- Let's order it for the GRA,
0:09:18 > 0:09:20and order it for 24 hours and get someone there when they open.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23- All right. I'll do that, then. - Yeah, OK. Thanks, cheers.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26So they don't do same-day service. They've said 24 hours.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29Any bit of time we can make up or get ahead of the competition is great.
0:09:29 > 0:09:34So tomorrow morning is at least something to look forward to,
0:09:34 > 0:09:35if we don't get anywhere by then.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38It goes to show, you can kind of move quite quickly with a case
0:09:38 > 0:09:41and then once you get stuck, you can get really stuck.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47Sensing the competition will also be looking at Frances's estate,
0:09:47 > 0:09:51Ryan and Camilla are exploring every option to try and stay ahead.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54And with her father, Joseph, being Swiss,
0:09:54 > 0:09:56they're looking further afield.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59So maybe she was born in Italy.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01Then she wouldn't have been an Underwood when she died.
0:10:01 > 0:10:05We're just not getting anywhere at the moment,
0:10:05 > 0:10:08so I think we'll just keep going with it for a couple of hours.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12But at the close of the day, the team aren't any further on
0:10:12 > 0:10:16and there is no news from Europe about her Swiss family.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19They need Frances's mother and father's marriage certificate
0:10:19 > 0:10:22from the local register office as soon as possible.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24Camilla's going to be at the registry office when they open.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27There may be a person, a researcher from another firm there
0:10:27 > 0:10:28at the same time.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30It could be a race to get the certificate and get back
0:10:30 > 0:10:33to the office, or ring in the information and try and find out
0:10:33 > 0:10:36exactly who Florence Underwood is.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39Will they be able to stay ahead of rival firms?
0:10:40 > 0:10:43Oh, OK. And did they contact you all yesterday?
0:10:45 > 0:10:46OK.
0:10:46 > 0:10:47HE SIGHS
0:10:54 > 0:10:55That's the one.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58Every case the heir hunters see on the Government's Bona Vacantia list
0:10:58 > 0:10:59is a gamble.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03It's a constant balance - is it worth it, isn't it worth it?
0:11:03 > 0:11:05Shall we work it, shan't we work it?
0:11:05 > 0:11:08And that was certainly the case when the heir hunters took on the estate
0:11:08 > 0:11:09of John Wilson.
0:11:09 > 0:11:14His friend, Martin Beal, thought John was the last of his line.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16As far as I'm aware, John didn't have any relatives,
0:11:16 > 0:11:18because that's what he'd said.
0:11:18 > 0:11:24When John passed away suddenly in March 2016 at age 73,
0:11:24 > 0:11:27Martin had to put John's affairs in order.
0:11:27 > 0:11:32It was really left to me to organise a funeral for him
0:11:32 > 0:11:38and to get most of the estate details sorted out.
0:11:38 > 0:11:43It was a well attended funeral for a very popular man.
0:11:43 > 0:11:48It's a pity, however, that we had no relatives there.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50But he had a good army of friends.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54But John never wrote a will,
0:11:54 > 0:11:57so his estate passed to the Government legal department.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01Mike Powell, case manager at Fraser and Fraser, picked up the hunt.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03So because this is on the BV list,
0:12:03 > 0:12:05we know we have to look at it relatively quickly,
0:12:05 > 0:12:08cos there's going to be other people looking at it at the same time.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11We try to work out whether or not it's worth working.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15Cases can be worth as little as £500,
0:12:15 > 0:12:18so the only way to be certain that a case is valuable
0:12:18 > 0:12:21is to find out if someone owned their own property,
0:12:21 > 0:12:23and early signs were good.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25Bye.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28We know from the electoral register that he'd been in the property
0:12:28 > 0:12:31for at least 34 years.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33When someone's been living in a property for such a long time,
0:12:33 > 0:12:36usually it's an indication that the property's theirs,
0:12:36 > 0:12:37or it's a family home or something like that.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44With house prices averaging over £300,000 in John's home village of
0:12:44 > 0:12:50Upstreet in Kent, his estate looked like a case well worth working,
0:12:50 > 0:12:53and that meant they'd be facing stiff competition.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55There's going to be more than one company looking at it,
0:12:55 > 0:12:58so it's imperative that we do all the research
0:12:58 > 0:13:00before the other company do it first.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03So it's just that birth, then, that we need in?
0:13:03 > 0:13:05The race was on,
0:13:05 > 0:13:09so researcher Josh helped Mike to start to establish some basic facts.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12First off, we have to find out whether or not John was married.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16That's because his wife would stand to entitle the estate.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19But, obviously, if they were divorced or she was deceased,
0:13:19 > 0:13:22and if they had kids, they would stand to inherit the estate.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28The team quickly discovered John had never married or had children.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30They needed to find out more about John's parents,
0:13:30 > 0:13:35Frank and Kate Wilson, who died in the 1990s.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38Mike has a box of John's treasured items from his home
0:13:38 > 0:13:40full of clues about their lives.
0:13:42 > 0:13:48I found a bag with a box with "FWG Wilson" on it,
0:13:48 > 0:13:51which is obviously John's dad.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54It's got quite a lot of medals and a couple of ribbons,
0:13:54 > 0:13:58so it looks like he probably served in World War I and World War II.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02In fact, John's father Frank played a vital role protecting Britain's
0:14:02 > 0:14:06shores when he served with the Royal Observer Corps during World War II.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10So here I am at Dover Castle.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12I'm on the roof of the fire command post,
0:14:12 > 0:14:17which was used in the Second World War as one of the observation areas.
0:14:17 > 0:14:22Frank and his team would be using areas a little bit like this,
0:14:22 > 0:14:24of course, during the war.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28This part of Dover was all known, of course, as Hellfire Corner.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31Many, many shells fell on the old town of Dover.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34The town had the highest civilian casualties in Kent.
0:14:34 > 0:14:38The Observer Corps had been in existence since 1925
0:14:38 > 0:14:42and its role was to spot any incoming attacks from air or sea.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46And for men like Frank, it was dangerous work.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48They had hats, helmets.
0:14:48 > 0:14:53They were just monitoring, they had no form of defence themselves.
0:14:53 > 0:14:57Frank would've been stationed somewhere on the Kent coast -
0:14:57 > 0:15:00a hotspot for the Nazi planes.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02In 1940, with the Battle of Britain,
0:15:02 > 0:15:08he'd be watching wave after wave of German planes coming over
0:15:08 > 0:15:12from the horizon across to England.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16And his work, his activity, was absolutely essential to be able to
0:15:16 > 0:15:21scramble our own fighters to be able to take offensive action against
0:15:21 > 0:15:24those German planes coming right across the Channel there.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32Frank himself, his role was absolutely vital.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34All the work that the Royal Observer Corps did during
0:15:34 > 0:15:38the Battle of Britain was well, well respected.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41So much so that, in fact, it was actually in 1941,
0:15:41 > 0:15:43after the Battle of Britain,
0:15:43 > 0:15:46that George VI awarded them their royal status.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49They became the Royal Observer Corps because of their activity
0:15:49 > 0:15:50during the Battle of Britain.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59The heir hunters knew Frank had been serving in the Royal Observer Corps
0:15:59 > 0:16:03when son John was born in 1942.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05But for Mike, something wasn't adding up.
0:16:08 > 0:16:13That's quite a big gap between when his parents married in 1928 and his birth,
0:16:13 > 0:16:17which would indicate to me that there's possibly more children.
0:16:17 > 0:16:18You can never be too careful.
0:16:18 > 0:16:22If John had siblings, they would inherit the whole estate.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24So the team had to find out - and fast.
0:16:26 > 0:16:27We spoke to a couple of neighbours
0:16:27 > 0:16:30who referred us on to a friend of his who knew John
0:16:30 > 0:16:31for most of his life.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36The friend in question was Martin,
0:16:36 > 0:16:39who was able to give the team precious information.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43Frank and Kate had John quite late in life.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47Frank died and then a few years later Kate died.
0:16:47 > 0:16:501995 or 6, something like that.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53Then, of course, John was left on his own.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56That was his home, he'd never been anywhere else.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58The team were confident John was an only child
0:16:58 > 0:17:01and he had inherited the house from his parents.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04But Martin was about to drop a bombshell
0:17:04 > 0:17:07that would seriously impact the value of the estate.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10He told us that the property they resided in was a rented property,
0:17:10 > 0:17:15which they started renting, I think, back in the early '30s,
0:17:15 > 0:17:18which is obviously a very, very long-term rent.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22John didn't own the property, and neither had his parents.
0:17:22 > 0:17:24It was a disaster for the team.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27Having thought the estate could be worth hundreds of thousands,
0:17:27 > 0:17:32they now had no idea if there was any value in it at all.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35And the big question was, should they carry on?
0:17:35 > 0:17:38It's 50-50 when you're in that situation.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44Every year in Britain,
0:17:44 > 0:17:47thousands of people get a surprise knock on the door
0:17:47 > 0:17:48from the heir hunters.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50It was a complete surprise to me.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52I had no idea that we had a branch
0:17:52 > 0:17:54of the family that we knew nothing about.
0:17:54 > 0:17:59A visit from the heir hunters can bring life-changing news.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01And I was quite shocked because I didn't realise that there was
0:18:01 > 0:18:05anybody in the family that we could inherit from any more.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09But there are still thousands of unsolved cases where heirs need to be found.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13Today we've got details of two estates on the Government legal
0:18:13 > 0:18:16department's Bona Vacantia list that are yet to be cracked.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19Could you be the heirs they are looking for?
0:18:21 > 0:18:25The first case on the list is Nathan Isaacs, who died in Leeds,
0:18:25 > 0:18:30West Yorkshire, on the 1st of November 1999, aged 92.
0:18:30 > 0:18:35Nathan was born in Sunderland on the 31st of August 1907.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37Are you related to an Isaacs
0:18:37 > 0:18:39and have connections with the north of England?
0:18:39 > 0:18:42Could you be the person the heir hunters are looking for?
0:18:42 > 0:18:45The next case is Charlotte Raven,
0:18:45 > 0:18:49who was born on the 1st of March 1900 in Nottingham,
0:18:49 > 0:18:52and died aged 88 also in Nottingham.
0:18:52 > 0:18:56Charlotte also sometimes used the middle names Elizabeth and Lock.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59Do you recognise the unusual name of Lock?
0:18:59 > 0:19:02Could you be a relative of Charlotte's?
0:19:02 > 0:19:06Do you know anything that could help solve the cases of Nathan Isaacs
0:19:06 > 0:19:08and Charlotte Raven?
0:19:08 > 0:19:12If so, you could have thousands of pounds coming your way.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20In London, heir hunting firm Finders International
0:19:20 > 0:19:23are trying to beat rival companies to find the relatives
0:19:23 > 0:19:25of Frances Fehr.
0:19:25 > 0:19:26Which doesn't make sense.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28We still need to figure out how they're related.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32The team believe Frances owned her valuable London property,
0:19:32 > 0:19:36and neighbour Robin Woodley thinks she may have left a sizeable inheritance.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40She used to be in the accounts department in Allied Dunbar.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42She worked there all her life,
0:19:42 > 0:19:48and they paid her very well when she left, and also a very good pension.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53It's vital information for the team.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56I think we need to order her birth and her marriage.
0:19:56 > 0:20:01And they estimate the case is worth around £400,000.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04There's going to be loads. There's going to be loads.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07They've discovered her father, Joseph, was Swiss,
0:20:07 > 0:20:09and her mother, Florence, was English.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13Research into her father's family has to be done by European agents,
0:20:13 > 0:20:18so the London team can only hunt for heirs on Frances's mother's side.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20Competition between the firms is fierce,
0:20:20 > 0:20:23and case manager Ryan is struggling.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26It's like two steps forward and two steps back.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29They haven't been able to find any trace of Francis's mother, Florence,
0:20:29 > 0:20:30before 1920.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34So in terms of competition on the Fehr case,
0:20:34 > 0:20:37I'm assuming that everybody kind of had the same problem
0:20:37 > 0:20:40with finding the deceased mother's birth.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42Order any other possibilities as well.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46The team needs the marriage certificate of Frances's mother, Florence,
0:20:46 > 0:20:48to find out what her father was called
0:20:48 > 0:20:50and unlock the rest of the case.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53I feel like I'm close, but not close enough.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56Suddenly there's a breakthrough.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59- She's got two parents.- We were literally...- What's her parents?
0:20:59 > 0:21:01Henry and Agnes.
0:21:01 > 0:21:05- So Agnes Smith and Henry Underwood. - Henry?- Ah! That's good news.
0:21:05 > 0:21:06Thank you.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09The team can swing into action looking for Frances'
0:21:09 > 0:21:12aunts and uncles, and get ahead of the competition.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14You know, we're neck and neck with the other firm now.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17They'll just now know that her dad is Henry.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19So if we may still be a step ahead...
0:21:20 > 0:21:24The marriage certificate gives the team Florence's father's name -
0:21:24 > 0:21:28Henry Underwood - who was Frances' maternal grandfather.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31Henry married Agnes Smith in 1881.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33I think I've found her.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35With this vital information,
0:21:35 > 0:21:38Camilla quickly finds Frances's aunt and uncle.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41Elizabeth Underwood and Walter Underwood.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43Yes. It's quite a nice feeling.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47It doesn't necessarily mean you're ahead of the competition, per se.
0:21:47 > 0:21:48Let's go with this for now.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50But it's nice if it turns out to be correct.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53No-one would've found this as well.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56They've discovered Frances had an aunt, Elizabeth Underwood,
0:21:56 > 0:21:59and an uncle, Walter Underwood.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02We just need to order anything, cos I know there's going to be a lot.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04Yeah. So need to do it now.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06The team need to see if Walter or Elizabeth got married
0:22:06 > 0:22:11and had children, and Ryan quickly finds some positive results.
0:22:11 > 0:22:16I found out Elizabeth Underwood married George Brown in 1905.
0:22:16 > 0:22:21They had children by 1911, so we could have cousins.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24What I'm going to do is split up some of the research with some other
0:22:24 > 0:22:27members of the team, just to get some more hands on deck.
0:22:27 > 0:22:31Elizabeth Underwood married George Brown.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33This is the 1911 census.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35So we obviously want to descend these lines.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38The team are hoping Elizabeth's family will be small
0:22:38 > 0:22:43and easy to research, leading them to heirs before the competition.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46I think Elizabeth might have had...
0:22:46 > 0:22:49- About ten kids.- Jeez!
0:22:49 > 0:22:52- We could do with it. - Everybody's on the case.
0:22:52 > 0:22:53I think we're going to be all right.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56- Yeah.- I'm going to need a hand. It's going to be a nightmare.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00Florence's sister Elizabeth has married a Mr Brown,
0:23:00 > 0:23:02which is quite a common surname.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05In addition, we think she may have had up to ten children,
0:23:05 > 0:23:10so this would be ten cousins of the deceased, if they were still alive.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13If all of them have passed away, we will be dropping down another generation,
0:23:13 > 0:23:15but we could have quite a few heirs,
0:23:15 > 0:23:18particularly just on this one stem of the family.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21This is the sign of some good workings out, and rubbings out, and re-doings.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24Yeah, cos my page looks very dirty.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27The team are quickly able to trace descendants,
0:23:27 > 0:23:31and Camilla thinks she may have found her first potential heir.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35Time to make the crucial call to see if she's right.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39So I've got here that your mother would be Elsie Mary McCarthy,
0:23:39 > 0:23:40formerly Brown.
0:23:40 > 0:23:41Is that correct?
0:23:44 > 0:23:46She wasn't Elsie? OK.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49And was your father William McCarthy?
0:23:49 > 0:23:51He wasn't William McCarthy?
0:23:51 > 0:23:55So, unfortunately, the woman I just spoke to was the incorrect person.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57OK, thanks. Bye.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59I think we're probably going to come across that a lot
0:23:59 > 0:24:02with the Brown family tree.
0:24:02 > 0:24:07The one main thing that can hamper a search is a very common surname.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09Yes, the Brown name is...
0:24:10 > 0:24:12..interesting.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14It could mean that we'll end up looking for a few days
0:24:14 > 0:24:17as opposed to a few hours in terms of just trying to find
0:24:17 > 0:24:18the entitled heirs.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21It's turning into a long day for Ryan and the team.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26Common surnames, and we haven't had lunch.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30It's kind of testing us. I know it's testing me.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32You need to just focus. That's what I mean.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35I'm going to carry on until we get a break, basically.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39A break as in a break into the research. Erm...
0:24:39 > 0:24:41But, yeah, it's hard.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47The team are clinging onto the hope they're still ahead of the rivals.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49So anybody we can speak to is good.
0:24:49 > 0:24:54And researcher Holly soon has a number for another heir.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56We're looking into the estate of a lady named Frances,
0:24:56 > 0:24:59and her surname was Fehr.
0:24:59 > 0:25:00But there is worrying news.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05Oh, OK. And did they contact you all yesterday?
0:25:09 > 0:25:11Oh, OK.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13Yeah.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15Yeah, no, of course.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17Of course, that's fine. Erm...
0:25:20 > 0:25:23Yeah, no. These things usually are very competitive,
0:25:23 > 0:25:26which is why you would've been contacted by other companies.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29It's a hammer blow for the team.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33They're all very wary of answering questions over the phone.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36- Because they didn't want... - Yeah, that's the thing.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39So whoever it was yesterday will probably have all that information by now.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42Yeah, it just means they would've been more likely to give information
0:25:42 > 0:25:47to the other firm and what we need is that information.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50I mean, obviously, we still need to get some signatures
0:25:50 > 0:25:52because we've worked so hard on it.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55I'm going to have some lunch.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59Disappointing news on the Fehr case.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01I think we're a day behind the other firms.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03It's not the end of the world.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07Ryan knows if they can find more heirs and visit them in person
0:26:07 > 0:26:08before the competition,
0:26:08 > 0:26:12he will stand a chance of salvaging something from the case.
0:26:16 > 0:26:21The following day the team pick themselves up and continue the hunt.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23My brain is frazzled.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26With no new leads from their European agents about the father's
0:26:26 > 0:26:29Swiss family, they keep looking into her mother's relatives.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31In that situation all you can do is either carry on or give up.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34Crucially, the team have managed to speak to more descendants
0:26:34 > 0:26:38of Elizabeth Underwood and George Brown, who had not been contacted
0:26:38 > 0:26:40by the competition.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42We've made some good communication with the family.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45It's looking like it's heading definitely in the right direction.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48With the stakes higher than ever, the team need to get travelling
0:26:48 > 0:26:51researchers out on the road to meet heirs face-to-face.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53Hiya, it's Camilla calling from Finders.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55I've got a visit, an urgent visit in Surrey,
0:26:55 > 0:26:58in Woking, if you would be available to go?
0:26:58 > 0:27:00So they've dispatched representative Peter George
0:27:00 > 0:27:04to locate one of Frances's heirs.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07Yeah, so I got a call from the office this morning
0:27:07 > 0:27:10to see whether I could go to a job in Surrey,
0:27:10 > 0:27:12where they've identified a potential beneficiary
0:27:12 > 0:27:14to an estate.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17They believe the job is competitive,
0:27:17 > 0:27:20so speed is of the utmost importance.
0:27:21 > 0:27:26So I've left as soon as I could, and I'm on my way there now.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29But it is a cold call. She has no idea we're coming.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31It's just up here on the left-hand side.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39So it's just a play it by ear.
0:27:39 > 0:27:43We'll see what reception we get when I knock on the door.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49The office team have made even more progress.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53We're really now speaking to the beneficiaries,
0:27:53 > 0:27:55which is the key thing for us.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57We've refined all of the research down
0:27:57 > 0:28:01and it seems as though there may just be seven heirs.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04You know, the best case scenario would be all the beneficiaries
0:28:04 > 0:28:07sign with, us and it's looking like it's a possibility at least.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09But back in Surrey, Peter is struggling.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12It's a new block of flats with a very high security
0:28:12 > 0:28:15and there was no reply, unfortunately.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17So I've reported it back to the office already
0:28:17 > 0:28:20and I'll just make my way home.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23It may be a disappointing outcome for Peter,
0:28:23 > 0:28:26but back in London the team have been more successful
0:28:26 > 0:28:29and have managed to visit and sign up the first heir - Barbara.
0:28:31 > 0:28:36She's the daughter of Nellie Jepps, one of Frances's maternal cousins.
0:28:38 > 0:28:40The news has come as a shock.
0:28:41 > 0:28:44I always thought this will never happen to me,
0:28:44 > 0:28:47simply because I thought I knew all my family
0:28:47 > 0:28:52because I've been investigating my genealogy for a very long time
0:28:52 > 0:28:54and this person has never come up.
0:28:54 > 0:28:58I was amazed that we had a family member,
0:28:58 > 0:29:03especially since she lived not too far from here.
0:29:03 > 0:29:08I was a bit upset that I never got to meet her.
0:29:08 > 0:29:11But it's also had an unexpected benefit for Barbara.
0:29:11 > 0:29:15I've spoken to other cousins, who I haven't spoken to for a long time.
0:29:15 > 0:29:21So in a way it's been good, because it's brought us all together again.
0:29:23 > 0:29:27I'm going to print of the original record, actually, just to check the transcription.
0:29:27 > 0:29:31A few weeks later, and finally there's news from the European researchers.
0:29:31 > 0:29:33I've got his date of birth.
0:29:35 > 0:29:38Managing director Daniel Curran is able to visit Barbara
0:29:38 > 0:29:40with the final family tree.
0:29:42 > 0:29:44OK, take a seat, Danny.
0:29:44 > 0:29:45Thanks very much.
0:29:45 > 0:29:48- As you know, we've been doing some research in Switzerland.- Yes.
0:29:48 > 0:29:53And quite a few more documents, which you might find of interest.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57We have the Underwood family, so...
0:29:57 > 0:29:59Wow! That looks huge.
0:29:59 > 0:30:03It looks... Probably looks more impressive when it's drawn out.
0:30:03 > 0:30:06But, as I say, it's not a final version yet,
0:30:06 > 0:30:10so we'll get you a copy when we do the final version.
0:30:10 > 0:30:14Danny explains that researchers in Switzerland have found there is no
0:30:14 > 0:30:17living family on Frances's father's side.
0:30:17 > 0:30:18Oh. OK.
0:30:18 > 0:30:22So Barbara's side of the family will be the only source of heirs.
0:30:22 > 0:30:25Well, it's kind of good news for you, because the whole estate
0:30:25 > 0:30:27will now be divided amongst the surviving heirs
0:30:27 > 0:30:29- on the Underwood side.- OK.
0:30:29 > 0:30:30So that's good news for you.
0:30:30 > 0:30:32You can order the Ferrari.
0:30:32 > 0:30:34Well, hang on a minute, we haven't found the will yet!
0:30:34 > 0:30:36THEY LAUGH
0:30:40 > 0:30:44But a few days later, Barbara's joke is no laughing matter.
0:30:44 > 0:30:47- Whoever says yes can order the set.- Yeah.
0:30:47 > 0:30:51There's been a dramatic twist in the fortunes of the case.
0:30:51 > 0:30:53We received a bit of a surprise.
0:30:54 > 0:30:57The solicitor who the family had appointed
0:30:57 > 0:31:00to conduct the administration of the estate,
0:31:00 > 0:31:03they found a will at the property.
0:31:03 > 0:31:04It will affect everyone,
0:31:04 > 0:31:08and undermine all the heir hunters' struggles over the last month.
0:31:08 > 0:31:12So, I mean, it's never a good conclusion to a case
0:31:12 > 0:31:14that we've put a lot of hard work into.
0:31:14 > 0:31:17It also ultimately means that the family members we've located
0:31:17 > 0:31:20previously are no longer entitled to inherit from this estate.
0:31:22 > 0:31:24But there is still a bright side.
0:31:26 > 0:31:29Turns out that the sole beneficiary in fact of the will is a charity
0:31:29 > 0:31:31called Cats Protection.
0:31:32 > 0:31:34Well, personally, I love cats.
0:31:34 > 0:31:37I'm happy that the money is going to cats in the end,
0:31:37 > 0:31:40but I know there's some dog people in the team as well!
0:31:44 > 0:31:47Frances's friend Robin isn't surprised.
0:31:47 > 0:31:52Yeah, she was absolutely fond of the cat.
0:31:52 > 0:31:55In fact, she used to spend more money on the cat than herself.
0:31:56 > 0:31:58Frances will not be forgotten.
0:31:58 > 0:32:01I miss her intellect.
0:32:01 > 0:32:03It was always a pleasure talking to her,
0:32:03 > 0:32:05because she was so worldly wise.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08You could have chats for hours on end.
0:32:08 > 0:32:09HE CHUCKLES
0:32:18 > 0:32:22In Kent, John Wilson had passed away without a will
0:32:22 > 0:32:25or close living family in March 2016.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28But after discovering he hadn't owned his property,
0:32:28 > 0:32:32Fraser and Fraser case manager Mike Powell was struggling
0:32:32 > 0:32:36to find any money in John's estate to pass on to heirs.
0:32:36 > 0:32:37When there isn't a property involved,
0:32:37 > 0:32:41you're obviously more anxious to find out what it is, because,
0:32:41 > 0:32:43obviously, it will decide whether or not you carry on,
0:32:43 > 0:32:46or you stop any work into the estate, because it's not worth continuing.
0:32:46 > 0:32:49Mike needed to quickly decide whether to continue
0:32:49 > 0:32:51with John's case.
0:32:51 > 0:32:54He still may have had some money saved up.
0:32:54 > 0:32:55We have no way of finding that out.
0:32:55 > 0:32:58He could have had something, he could have had nothing.
0:32:58 > 0:33:01We just don't know, so... It's 50-50 when you're in that situation.
0:33:01 > 0:33:03Desperate to find out more,
0:33:03 > 0:33:06the team got in touch with John's dearest friend, Martin,
0:33:06 > 0:33:07to find out if his parents,
0:33:07 > 0:33:12Frank and Kate had any money that could have passed down to John.
0:33:18 > 0:33:24Frank was a chauffeur for this lady who happened to live at Upstreet,
0:33:24 > 0:33:27but owned a hotel in Margate.
0:33:27 > 0:33:32Kate was, I think, a domestic or a cook in the same establishment
0:33:32 > 0:33:34and that's where the two of them met.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37Although John's parents wouldn't have earnt much,
0:33:37 > 0:33:40Martin had a vital clue from their past that changed everything.
0:33:42 > 0:33:48And as a wedding present, the Lady of the house said,
0:33:48 > 0:33:50"I will give you this bungalow."
0:33:52 > 0:33:55And when the Lady died, in her will,
0:33:55 > 0:33:59she'd made a provision that Frank and Katie could live there
0:33:59 > 0:34:02for the entire duration of their life
0:34:02 > 0:34:05for a rent not exceeding ten shillings a week.
0:34:05 > 0:34:09John inherited this right, and so in today's money
0:34:09 > 0:34:12that meant John was only paying around £20 a week.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17But there were even more hints that John had money to spare.
0:34:17 > 0:34:20He'd had a long and successful career.
0:34:20 > 0:34:23John started at East Kent Bus Company
0:34:23 > 0:34:24at virtually his 16th birthday.
0:34:24 > 0:34:28Just as a junior clerk to assist in the bus routes.
0:34:28 > 0:34:32He worked there then till the time he was eventually retired,
0:34:32 > 0:34:37which was after 50 years and one day of service, I think it was.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40Martin and John's other friends, Richard and David,
0:34:40 > 0:34:44from East Kent Buses, remember his love for the job.
0:34:44 > 0:34:48If we're talking about him, we ought to really get the old lady out.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51Look at that! Number eight.
0:34:51 > 0:34:53Yeah.
0:34:53 > 0:34:57And 100 years of East Kent and 50 years of John working for them.
0:34:57 > 0:34:59- Yeah.- A great guy.
0:35:01 > 0:35:05John travelled on buses like this for most of his working life.
0:35:05 > 0:35:07There she goes!
0:35:07 > 0:35:11This would have taken him to work and back home every day.
0:35:11 > 0:35:13Yeah, she's still as good as new.
0:35:13 > 0:35:17John was a bus scheduler in head office his entire life.
0:35:17 > 0:35:21And had a passion for travelling on the buses he timetabled.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24- He'd sit down here... - John always used to sit downstairs.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27At the front, because he could never make it upstairs at the end.
0:35:27 > 0:35:29In his older days.
0:35:29 > 0:35:32But in his younger days, he went up to have a cigarette anyway.
0:35:32 > 0:35:34That's right!
0:35:34 > 0:35:37After retirement, John and his friends had many happy hours
0:35:37 > 0:35:38travelling on vintage buses -
0:35:38 > 0:35:41something they still do in his honour.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44It's a celebration of John's life
0:35:44 > 0:35:46and the friendship that we all had together.
0:35:46 > 0:35:50Especially when I take the bus out and if I go past Upstreet,
0:35:50 > 0:35:54I look at Fred's house and I say, "We're thinking of you, mate."
0:35:54 > 0:35:56"Thinking of you."
0:36:02 > 0:36:04I just want to check with you two things...
0:36:04 > 0:36:09Not only had John spent 50 years at the East Kent Bus Company,
0:36:09 > 0:36:11it seemed he liked to save his cash.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14Well, the information we got from his friends,
0:36:14 > 0:36:16suggested he was very frugal.
0:36:16 > 0:36:18He kept himself to himself,
0:36:18 > 0:36:20he worked for a bus company all his life, so probably had free travel.
0:36:20 > 0:36:24If he wasn't someone to go out and spend big every weekend
0:36:24 > 0:36:25or something like that,
0:36:25 > 0:36:27it's just going to keep building up and building up.
0:36:27 > 0:36:32It was enough to convince the heir hunters they should take the gamble,
0:36:32 > 0:36:36and go full throttle looking for John's heirs.
0:36:36 > 0:36:38We know there'll be some value there,
0:36:38 > 0:36:41we just don't know exactly how much it will be.
0:36:41 > 0:36:44But they still needed to beat the competition to John's family.
0:36:46 > 0:36:48Mike needed help.
0:36:48 > 0:36:50So quickly recruited colleague Roger
0:36:50 > 0:36:54to dig further back into John's family tree.
0:36:54 > 0:36:57Roger started with John's mother's side of the family.
0:36:57 > 0:36:59Mum is Kathleen Maud Ownsworth,
0:36:59 > 0:37:02so we had to look the Ownsworth family to see how many
0:37:02 > 0:37:03brothers and sisters she has got.
0:37:03 > 0:37:06And Ownsworth itself is a really good name to research,
0:37:06 > 0:37:08because all the years I've been doing it,
0:37:08 > 0:37:10I've never come across one before.
0:37:11 > 0:37:14The team were pleased with the family name, and hoped for a quick
0:37:14 > 0:37:17breakthrough finding John's aunts and uncles.
0:37:21 > 0:37:25Bit by bit, they pieced together the Ownsworth family tree
0:37:25 > 0:37:27and found Kathleen's siblings.
0:37:27 > 0:37:30She has five brothers and sisters.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33But because they had nice initials and nice middle names,
0:37:33 > 0:37:36it made it easier. It's a godsend.
0:37:36 > 0:37:39The team were hoping they'd now quickly find descendants.
0:37:41 > 0:37:44But they hit upon a major stumbling block...
0:37:46 > 0:37:49..when looking for one of John's uncles.
0:37:49 > 0:37:52The only fly in the ointment is John Norman.
0:37:52 > 0:37:55We have got a record of him leaving to go to Adelaide.
0:37:55 > 0:37:56And it also mentions later on,
0:37:56 > 0:38:00that he was, in 1934 he was living in Adelaide still.
0:38:00 > 0:38:04So if someone moves from the UK to another country,
0:38:04 > 0:38:07it makes life slightly difficult for us.
0:38:07 > 0:38:11With research on that stem having to go to the other side of the world,
0:38:11 > 0:38:14closer to home, Roger had established what happened
0:38:14 > 0:38:17to the other aunts and uncles.
0:38:17 > 0:38:19Three more of John's maternal aunts and uncles all died
0:38:19 > 0:38:22without having children.
0:38:22 > 0:38:24It looked like there might be no heirs.
0:38:24 > 0:38:26But his youngest uncle, Robert,
0:38:26 > 0:38:30appeared to get married very close to John's birthplace.
0:38:31 > 0:38:34Each stem seems to have self-contained in one area,
0:38:34 > 0:38:35which makes life easier.
0:38:35 > 0:38:38Which leaves us with Robert Stanley Ownsworth,
0:38:38 > 0:38:41who married Nellie Edith Kathleen Ball.
0:38:41 > 0:38:44Robert and Nellie had one daughter.
0:38:44 > 0:38:47So, on this side, there's only the one heir, which is Susan.
0:38:47 > 0:38:50This was a major breakthrough.
0:38:50 > 0:38:52The team were confident there was value in the case,
0:38:52 > 0:38:54so they wanted to get to her first.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57The team immediately dispatched a travelling researcher
0:38:57 > 0:39:00to Susan's home, but she wasn't expecting a visit.
0:39:02 > 0:39:06He had come to find Mrs Wallington, Susan Ownsworth,
0:39:06 > 0:39:08so I said, yes, that was me.
0:39:08 > 0:39:11He said he had information about John Gordon Wilson.
0:39:11 > 0:39:15I didn't realise who he was talking about at the time.
0:39:15 > 0:39:18But then I suddenly realised that he meant my cousin John.
0:39:20 > 0:39:21I'd forgotten about him.
0:39:21 > 0:39:25I knew about him, but I didn't know what it was all about, you know?
0:39:25 > 0:39:28I was surprised. Very surprised!
0:39:30 > 0:39:32This is my father, that's Auntie Kate's brother.
0:39:32 > 0:39:36Susan had never met John and, with a sad irony,
0:39:36 > 0:39:40it was all due to a family dispute over inheritance.
0:39:40 > 0:39:43It was some sort of argument over who got what
0:39:43 > 0:39:45when my grandmother died.
0:39:48 > 0:39:52So I just know there was a fallout with the family
0:39:52 > 0:39:56and we never spoke to any of them ever again.
0:39:56 > 0:39:58I didn't see Auntie Kate,
0:39:58 > 0:40:01or Uncle Frank, or John, or anybody.
0:40:01 > 0:40:04Back in the office, the team had discovered that as well as Susan,
0:40:04 > 0:40:06there were four more heirs.
0:40:06 > 0:40:09All right, thank you very much for your time. Take care, bye-bye.
0:40:09 > 0:40:12On John's estate, there's a very small amount of beneficiaries.
0:40:12 > 0:40:14There's only five who would be entitled to a share.
0:40:14 > 0:40:19And Mike's confidence that there was value in John's estate has paid off.
0:40:19 > 0:40:22There was at least £100,000 in bank accounts,
0:40:22 > 0:40:25shares and things like that.
0:40:25 > 0:40:28For Susan, having been separated from John's family
0:40:28 > 0:40:30due to a dispute over inheritance,
0:40:30 > 0:40:33it will be bittersweet to receive money from John.
0:40:33 > 0:40:36Inheriting it, well, it's surreal.
0:40:36 > 0:40:39I don't expect anybody to sort of leave me anything.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42I mean, we could donate something in John's name, couldn't we?
0:40:42 > 0:40:43- Yeah.- You know?
0:40:43 > 0:40:47Never knowing John has left a gap in Susan's family history.
0:40:47 > 0:40:50We just sort of slipped past one another.
0:40:50 > 0:40:54It would be interesting to speak to somebody that actually knew him.
0:40:58 > 0:41:02And today, Susan has a precious chance to make up for lost time.
0:41:02 > 0:41:05She and her husband are on their way to meet John's friends
0:41:05 > 0:41:06at his local pub.
0:41:06 > 0:41:08Yeah, so that was taken in '79.
0:41:08 > 0:41:12And find out more about the cousin she never met.
0:41:12 > 0:41:15I'm excited, I'm nervous, I...
0:41:15 > 0:41:16Don't really know how I feel!
0:41:17 > 0:41:19John would have loved that.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23- Oh, hello!- Hello! Hello.
0:41:23 > 0:41:24I'm Sue.
0:41:26 > 0:41:29- David.- Nice to meet you.
0:41:29 > 0:41:33This is him as a toddler, outside of the bungalow in Upstreet.
0:41:33 > 0:41:35It was actually sitting on his sideboard
0:41:35 > 0:41:37right up until the day he died.
0:41:37 > 0:41:41For Susan, memories of the family she lost come flooding back.
0:41:41 > 0:41:43I vaguely remember seeing...
0:41:43 > 0:41:46Not seeing a person, but maybe a photo of Auntie Kate,
0:41:46 > 0:41:48because I could remember the hat.
0:41:48 > 0:41:50- That's Kate, yes. - THEY LAUGH
0:41:50 > 0:41:52It's sort of a lady with a hat.
0:41:52 > 0:41:54She always wore hats, yes.
0:41:54 > 0:41:55That's amazing, isn't it?
0:41:55 > 0:41:59Susan can see how John lived life to the full.
0:41:59 > 0:42:03Here we go, and this is John being presented with a big can of beer.
0:42:03 > 0:42:05Now, John loved beer.
0:42:05 > 0:42:07He looks like a really happy person, doesn't he?
0:42:07 > 0:42:08John was a happy person.
0:42:08 > 0:42:10He was a fantastic friend.
0:42:10 > 0:42:12He was my best man at my wedding.
0:42:12 > 0:42:14- A fantastic guy.- Yeah.
0:42:14 > 0:42:17- And I think it was an honour and a pleasure to know him, really.- Yes.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20- And to work with him. - I wish I had known him.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23Hearing about her long-lost cousin has gone a long way to healing
0:42:23 > 0:42:26the divide in her family's past.
0:42:26 > 0:42:27Overwhelmed, really.
0:42:27 > 0:42:32It's been an experience, because I never, as I say,
0:42:32 > 0:42:34I never knew John before,
0:42:34 > 0:42:37and his friends have really sort of brought him to life for me.
0:42:37 > 0:42:41This is the invitation to his 65th surprise party.
0:42:41 > 0:42:44I thought the poor bloke was going to have a heart attack!
0:42:44 > 0:42:48It's great to connect with a missing part of John's life.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51It is very much... The family resemblance is there.
0:42:51 > 0:42:53And it's nice to see, very nice to see.
0:42:55 > 0:42:58Coming out today and being in the pub with some beer
0:42:58 > 0:43:01and some fine people, it's been great fun.