0:00:02 > 0:00:06Every year in the UK, thousands of people die with no will,
0:00:06 > 0:00:08and no obvious relatives.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10Tracking down their long-lost families
0:00:10 > 0:00:12is a job for the heir hunters.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15Could they be knocking at your door?
0:00:31 > 0:00:38On today's programme, will Fraser & Fraser's travelling heir hunters be able to cope with the pressure?
0:00:38 > 0:00:41It's got somewhat bigger to say the least.
0:00:41 > 0:00:45Hey, Dave, hang on a minute, I'm flogging myself to death here!
0:00:45 > 0:00:48And in tracing the heirs to a 500,000 fortune,
0:00:48 > 0:00:52the probate researchers uncover a family looking for answers.
0:00:52 > 0:00:54"What did he do?"
0:00:54 > 0:00:56That's what went through my head.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58"Where did this money come from?"
0:00:58 > 0:01:03And we'll have details of some of the hundreds of estates still waiting to be claimed.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06Could you be in line for a windfall?
0:01:13 > 0:01:17One in three people in the United Kingdom do not have a will.
0:01:17 > 0:01:23If no next of kin are found when they die, their money ends up going to the Government.
0:01:23 > 0:01:29Last year alone, the Treasury made a whopping £18 million from unclaimed estates.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31That's where the Heir Hunters step in.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33Pleased to meet you.
0:01:33 > 0:01:38More than 30 companies make it their business to track down long-lost relatives.
0:01:38 > 0:01:43As they charge a commission, it's a rewarding business
0:01:43 > 0:01:48and between them, they've returned £6.5 million to the rightful heirs.
0:01:52 > 0:01:57It's 7am on Thursday, and one of London's oldest heir hunting companies, Fraser & Fraser,
0:01:57 > 0:02:04is combing through the Treasury's list of people who've died without leaving a will.
0:02:04 > 0:02:11One name has already caught the eye of senior case manager, David Pacifico.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14This is a case called Hodgson, Dorothy Iris Turner Hodgson.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17It looks like a valuable case.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20She was born and she died in Newcastle upon Tyne.
0:02:20 > 0:02:27Dorothy Iris Turner Hodgson died on 26th October 2008.
0:02:27 > 0:02:33She left behind a bungalow in Newcastle, which is estimated to be worth around £170,000,
0:02:33 > 0:02:39making this a potentially lucrative case for the heir hunters to pursue.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45Initial investigations show that Dorothy
0:02:45 > 0:02:50married Lawrence Hodgson in 1944 and they didn't have any children.
0:02:50 > 0:02:56Brenda George helped Dorothy care for her husband after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
0:02:56 > 0:03:01I met Dorothy about 15 years ago when I first started on the home care
0:03:01 > 0:03:05and I was her husband's care worker, Larry Hodgson.
0:03:05 > 0:03:11He had Alzheimer's and I used to go in five or seven days a week, just to let Dorothy get out.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15After Lawrence passed away, Dorothy didn't seem to have any friends
0:03:15 > 0:03:18because she'd spent as much time indoors with Larry.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23I went every week, just to have a chat and a cup of tea with her
0:03:23 > 0:03:27and then it got where I noticed things weren't getting done.
0:03:27 > 0:03:33Red letters were coming in, so I used to call in every other day, take her shopping,
0:03:33 > 0:03:37do a bit of housework for her and just help her any way I could.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42Before Lawrence's illness, Dorothy had worked in the centre of town.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46Dorothy managed a shop in Newcastle, a big pram shop,
0:03:46 > 0:03:49and I think being in charge of a big pram shop,
0:03:49 > 0:03:53you'd have to be a strong, confident person.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56I believe that was what Dorothy was like before Larry's illness.
0:03:56 > 0:04:03But stuck indoors looking after Lawrence, Dorothy became withdrawn and isolated.
0:04:03 > 0:04:08Sadly, after her husband died, she went downhill herself.
0:04:08 > 0:04:13Caring for Larry with his Alzheimer's for years and years and doing it so brilliantly,
0:04:13 > 0:04:18she got Alzheimer's herself and there was no-one there for her, nobody at all.
0:04:18 > 0:04:23In the office, David knows that with a valuable bungalow
0:04:23 > 0:04:28as part of the estate, this case is going to attract a lot of competition.
0:04:28 > 0:04:32He starts getting his team in place and already has a couple of leads.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35Hello? 'There is a brother of the deceased.'
0:04:35 > 0:04:40I'm sure he's probably died out, we've got to check this out.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43Let's go and see what I can do with the troops downstairs.
0:04:49 > 0:04:54As David rallies the troops on the inside, there's an army of travellers working on the outside,
0:04:54 > 0:04:58waiting to be deployed wherever the office sends them.
0:04:58 > 0:05:03They pick up records, gather intelligence from neighbours and most importantly, sign up the heirs.
0:05:03 > 0:05:09Today's destination is Newcastle, and it's ex-policeman Dave Mansell who gets the call.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12It's a three-hour drive from his Bolton home,
0:05:12 > 0:05:18so while he heads up there, back in the office, David Pacifico starts tracking down Dorothy's neighbours
0:05:18 > 0:05:22as one well-placed call can save them hours of research.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25- PHONE RINGS - 'Hello?'
0:05:25 > 0:05:29I'm sorry to trouble you so early in the morning, I'm speaking from London.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33It's concerning a neighbour of yours that passed away, Mrs Dorothy Hodgson.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36It turns out Dorothy's neighbour knew her well
0:05:36 > 0:05:40and is able to confirm that she had no children or close relatives.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43I think it's all going to go down on the research.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46No close family, the brother died in the war.
0:05:46 > 0:05:51David's enquiries show that Dorothy's only brother, James Moat,
0:05:51 > 0:05:55died in Italy while fighting in the Second World War, in 1944.
0:05:58 > 0:06:03When I first met Dorothy, she talked a lot about her brother, Jimmy, who she loved.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07I remember her telling us they were waiting to get a telegraph
0:06:07 > 0:06:11to say he was coming home from the war and how excited they all were, waiting to see him.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14Then they got another telegraph to say he'd been killed.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18He was on his way home, coming through Italy and he was bombed and killed,
0:06:18 > 0:06:21and how was devastating for the whole family. She was just
0:06:21 > 0:06:26a little girl and she had to run down the street and get friends because her mam was hysterical.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29She didn't know what was going on. And her mam and dad,
0:06:29 > 0:06:33especially her mam, was never the same once he'd been killed.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36It just devastated the whole family.
0:06:36 > 0:06:42The loss of her only brother had a lasting effect on Dorothy.
0:06:42 > 0:06:47Dorothy used to often talk about Jimmy. If he'd still been alive, how she'd have had a sister-in-law
0:06:47 > 0:06:50and maybe nieces and nephews around her,
0:06:50 > 0:06:54and I think she'd really missed him and started to think what she's missed
0:06:54 > 0:06:56because she had no children of her own.
0:06:56 > 0:07:01She'd have had nieces and nephews of her brother's, there for her to love and care for.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07Dorothy had no close family, so it's down to the office
0:07:07 > 0:07:11to discover who now has a rightful claim to her estate.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14They'll need to look up through the generations
0:07:14 > 0:07:17to find out if she had any aunts or uncles.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19Assuming they have all probably died out,
0:07:19 > 0:07:21they would then need to turn their attention
0:07:21 > 0:07:25to their descendants, Dorothy's potential cousins,
0:07:25 > 0:07:28as they would be her closest blood relatives.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34It's a valuable property and I know we're going to get competition on this case,
0:07:34 > 0:07:37so it's getting it sorted as soon as possible.
0:07:37 > 0:07:43With speed of the essence, the office starts trawling through birth, death and marriage records
0:07:43 > 0:07:46to build and verify Dorothy's family tree.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49I've got two people looking for the deaths of the parents,
0:07:49 > 0:07:52I've got two people looking for the census on the father and the mother.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56Researcher Amy is cross-checking the marriages.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00Looking from the marriage of the parents of the deceased,
0:08:00 > 0:08:02I'm looking for the mother's name.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05The finding of a UK census provides them with a lead.
0:08:05 > 0:08:10Produced every 10 years, it lists all the members of each household
0:08:10 > 0:08:14and can give key information to the search.
0:08:14 > 0:08:20This is a possible 1911 census on the Turner side, the mother's side.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23If this is correct, the mother has got a, or had, a brother.
0:08:24 > 0:08:29They've discovered that Dorothy was the daughter of Sarah Turner and Frederick Moat.
0:08:29 > 0:08:35The census shows her mother Sarah's parents had three children - Sarah, Ellen and William.
0:08:35 > 0:08:39Sadly, Ellen died aged 14, so it's William,
0:08:39 > 0:08:42Dorothy's uncle and his descendants,
0:08:42 > 0:08:44who could have a claim to her estate.
0:08:47 > 0:08:52I don't think, and hope, it's going to be too large a family.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56One side might only be one uncle which is good news,
0:08:56 > 0:08:59and the other side may only be about four or five aunts and uncles
0:08:59 > 0:09:02so it doesn't look like we may...
0:09:02 > 0:09:05I say "hope" because I could be proved wrong.
0:09:09 > 0:09:14With a a tree starting to form in the office, travelling heir hunter Dave Mansell
0:09:14 > 0:09:17needs to be in place to sign up any heirs they find.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21He's been driving for nearly two hours and is making good progress
0:09:21 > 0:09:27which is just as well, because Dorothy's family tree is starting to balloon.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33What I was saying about not being a large family, is proving otherwise now.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36On Dorothy's father's side of the family,
0:09:36 > 0:09:40the team has discovered a number of aunts, uncles and cousins.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42Dorothy's father, Frederick Moat,
0:09:42 > 0:09:46was the son of Frederick Alexander Moat and Eleanor Hadley.
0:09:46 > 0:09:50As well as Frederick, they had four other children -
0:09:50 > 0:09:53Florence, Grace, Elizabeth and George.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57One of Dorothy's aunts, Florence, went on to have six children.
0:09:57 > 0:10:03David is currently focusing his attention on this stem of the family tree.
0:10:03 > 0:10:08The cousin whose death we're trying to obtain is somebody called Austin Robert Carlisle.
0:10:08 > 0:10:15Now, he would be the son, we believe, of Florence May Carlisle, formerly Moat,
0:10:15 > 0:10:19because earlier on we found a 1911 census.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21- I've got a phone number.- For who?
0:10:21 > 0:10:23Austin's daughter.
0:10:23 > 0:10:28Right. This person would be a cousin once removed, and because the father is dead,
0:10:28 > 0:10:35we believe she'd be an heir along with possibly many others, but I'm hoping to speak to her now.
0:10:35 > 0:10:42As the family tree keeps on growing, could Dorothy's estate be more valuable than they first thought?
0:10:42 > 0:10:47Her estate was around £614, which was quite a lot of money in 1925.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50So it could be worth a fortune now.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00Although heir hunters aim to find relatives as quickly as possible,
0:11:00 > 0:11:04the more complex cases can leave them foxed for weeks, months or even years.
0:11:04 > 0:11:10Celtic Research was handed the case of Michael McHugh in 2001.
0:11:10 > 0:11:16The case was handled by Peter Birchwood and wife, Maria, from their office in Wales.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22They have extensive experience of tracking down next of kin in Ireland,
0:11:22 > 0:11:26but nothing could have prepared them for this estate.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30A little bit of a confusing case from the start.
0:11:33 > 0:11:38Irishman Michael McHugh died in America without leaving a will.
0:11:38 > 0:11:44His assets included 70,000 in the US and a farmhouse in Ireland.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47But this wasn't simply a case of him dying intestate.
0:11:47 > 0:11:52Peter found out that he also left a whopping 500,000 trust fund in the
0:11:52 > 0:11:57name of his niece and goddaughter, Rosemary McHugh.
0:11:57 > 0:12:03It started off with one account and then it mushroomed,
0:12:03 > 0:12:07so I'd say that's not just unusual, that's unique
0:12:07 > 0:12:11in all of the cases that I've worked on over the past 40 odd years.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14The US company dealing with the trust fund believed that
0:12:14 > 0:12:21Michael's niece had died, so it was left to Peter to trace the rightful beneficiaries.
0:12:21 > 0:12:28Initial investigations showed that although he died aged 78 in a nursing home in Chicago,
0:12:28 > 0:12:33Michael had been born into a very poor farming family in County Cavan, Ireland.
0:12:35 > 0:12:41Mary Daly from University College Dublin is an expert in Irish history.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45Farming life in County Cavan in the '20s and '30s would have been tough.
0:12:45 > 0:12:50It would have required constant hard work.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54It would be classified as one of the less developed parts of Ireland.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57It's Drumlin soil, there's a lot of lakes,
0:12:57 > 0:13:00it's badly drained, it's very hilly.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04It's northerly so it's colder, it gets more frost.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07So the combination of small farms,
0:13:07 > 0:13:11shorter growing seasons and not very good land means that this
0:13:11 > 0:13:16would be one of the toughest parts of Ireland to farm in.
0:13:16 > 0:13:22Michael's family lived with these hardships, and when he was just eight years old, tragedy struck.
0:13:22 > 0:13:27His mother died of tuberculosis and the family was ripped apart.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30His elder brother, Frank, was sent to live in a home
0:13:30 > 0:13:32while Michael and his younger siblings
0:13:32 > 0:13:35were farmed out to various neighbours' houses.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38Life was tough and tragedy struck again
0:13:38 > 0:13:41when Michael's father died of a heart attack
0:13:41 > 0:13:43while working in the fields.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46His brother, Frank, took over running the farm
0:13:46 > 0:13:50but unable to make a decent living, he left Ireland in the 1940s
0:13:50 > 0:13:52in search of a better life in England.
0:13:52 > 0:13:59Michael bought the farm from Frank, but by 1951, he too had become disillusioned
0:13:59 > 0:14:02and booked a ticket on a boat bound for America.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05Irish emigration to America goes back for well over 200 years.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09It seemed the land of opportunity, and it was for many of them.
0:14:09 > 0:14:14He'd have been moving from a house which was fairly spartan, no running water and no electricity
0:14:14 > 0:14:20and he's moving from a rural community where he knew everybody,
0:14:20 > 0:14:26going into this big city with all these modern conveniences, technology.
0:14:26 > 0:14:32Huge numbers of anonymous people round him, so the whole scale of things - the anonymity,
0:14:32 > 0:14:36the type of job, the place he lived in - would have been very, very different.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41Michael left Ireland with just £5 in his pocket,
0:14:41 > 0:14:46but when he died 50 years later, he'd amassed a 500,000 fortune.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50He left it in trust to his niece and goddaughter, Rosemary,
0:14:50 > 0:14:54but the US company looking after his estate hadn't been able to unearth her.
0:14:54 > 0:14:59Assuming she'd died, Peter took on the case to find her rightful heirs.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04Firstly, it was a negative search.
0:15:04 > 0:15:11We looked through the death records to see if there was a death for a Rosemary,
0:15:11 > 0:15:13and there wasn't.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17With no death certificate, Peter started to consider the possibility
0:15:17 > 0:15:23that perhaps Rosemary was still alive and unaware of the amazing 500,000 windfall
0:15:23 > 0:15:27that was awaiting her, so he started to dig deeper.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31We had to do a lot of research to find Rosemary.
0:15:31 > 0:15:36The electoral registers then were not organised as they're now,
0:15:36 > 0:15:41so it was a question of going through all the records for a particular area.
0:15:42 > 0:15:47It was a painstaking task, but Peter's patience was rewarded.
0:15:47 > 0:15:52He found out that Rosemary was in fact alive and living in Leeds.
0:15:52 > 0:15:57All that was left for Peter to do was to make the kind of call that we all dream of receiving.
0:15:57 > 0:16:01I was totally shocked.
0:16:01 > 0:16:07There was no... I couldn't even... tell you how or what I was going to do with it.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10Or what went through my head, because I went totally blank.
0:16:10 > 0:16:14Which I did, and I did for days.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17The news came totally out of the blue.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21Rosemary hadn't seen her uncle for over 25 years.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23It's hard to believe that,
0:16:23 > 0:16:27first of all, there was this money that was around.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31Secondly, how did he make it?
0:16:31 > 0:16:34And thirdly, why me?
0:16:37 > 0:16:42The half-a-million dollar trust fund couldn't have arrived at a better time for Rosemary.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46Several months earlier, she had been diagnosed with cancer.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49I was taken into hospital and, of course, they did everything and
0:16:49 > 0:16:53they found cancer in the stomach and I was admitted straight away.
0:16:54 > 0:16:59The money made life easier for Rosemary as she battled the disease.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04I could get my own home, pay for it outright.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07My children could have a better life.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11We moved down to Leeds.
0:17:11 > 0:17:18The reason why was because the work situation was much better for the girls as well.
0:17:18 > 0:17:25And there was further good news for the family when Rosemary was given the all-clear from her cancer.
0:17:25 > 0:17:32Uncle Michael's trust fund had helped Rosemary in ways he could never have imagined.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34But what about his remaining assets,
0:17:34 > 0:17:36which were still being held by the US government?
0:17:36 > 0:17:39Who was going to benefit from these?
0:17:39 > 0:17:43Peter now focused his investigations on finding the rightful heirs.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45Thankfully, it was a simple tree.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47As well as Michael,
0:17:47 > 0:17:51Martin and Mary McHugh had three other children -
0:17:51 > 0:17:53Frank, Rosemary and Patrick.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56Patrick died of an appendicitis aged 13,
0:17:56 > 0:17:59so it was just Frank and Rosemary and their descendants
0:17:59 > 0:18:02who were heirs to Michael's remaining assets.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07Peter found out that Frank died in 2003,
0:18:07 > 0:18:10and left his entire estate to his daughter.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12But what about Rosemary Senior?
0:18:12 > 0:18:16She was an heir too. Her niece, who had been named after her,
0:18:16 > 0:18:20wasn't able to shed any light on her whereabouts.
0:18:20 > 0:18:28She came to my mam and dad's wedding which was in the Holy Rosary, in Leeds.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31That was the last time they ever seen her.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40With little to go on, Peter started delving into Rosemary's past.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42There are different stories.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46Some say that she married a man and is living in Wales,
0:18:46 > 0:18:50some say she married another man and is living in Birmingham.
0:18:50 > 0:18:54As far as I could make out on my investigation,
0:18:54 > 0:19:00she might be living in County Wicklow or County Wexford in Ireland.
0:19:00 > 0:19:08Until Peter is able to find Rosemary Senior, Michael's remaining assets won't be released to the family.
0:19:08 > 0:19:13The missing piece, we've got a jigsaw and the missing piece doesn't fit.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17It doesn't fit in. Yes, I'd love to know where Rose McHugh went.
0:19:17 > 0:19:22I'd love to know what she did for a living,
0:19:22 > 0:19:30because I believe she got married, and I would definitely love to know what happened to her.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32Especially with being named after her.
0:19:37 > 0:19:43Despite being left 500,000, Rosemary Junior still knew very little about her uncle, Michael.
0:19:45 > 0:19:51In actual fact, I'd like to see things of his memorabilia.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54Pictures.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58What he worked as, what he did in general,
0:19:58 > 0:20:01and what sort of person he was.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07With so many questions still unanswered, will Rosemary
0:20:07 > 0:20:11manage to find any answers when she takes an emotional trip to Ireland?
0:20:14 > 0:20:16Look at this.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20Well, would you believe that?!
0:20:30 > 0:20:33For every case that's cracked, there are still
0:20:33 > 0:20:36thousands on the Treasury's list that remain a mystery.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39The deceased's assets are kept for up to 30 years,
0:20:39 > 0:20:44in the hope that eventually someone will remember and come forward to claim their inheritance.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53And with estates valued at anything from £5,000 to millions of pounds,
0:20:53 > 0:20:56the rightful heirs are out there somewhere.
0:20:58 > 0:21:03Today we've got two cases heir hunters have been unable to solve so far.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05Could you know the answer?
0:21:05 > 0:21:07Maybe you're in line for a payout.
0:21:09 > 0:21:17Keith Reynolds Miller passed away on 15th March 2005 in Haringey, north London.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20Do you know him? Was he a neighbour of yours?
0:21:20 > 0:21:25Maybe you're even related to him and entitled to his legacy.
0:21:25 > 0:21:31Leslie John Mylam died in Burghfield Common, Berkshire, on the 1st February, 2006.
0:21:31 > 0:21:36So far, every attempt to find his rightful heir has failed.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38Could you be a beneficiary?
0:21:38 > 0:21:44If no relatives of found for Keith Miller or Leslie Mylam, their money will go to the Government.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46But could it be meant for you?
0:21:54 > 0:21:59Fraser & Fraser are investigating the case of Dorothy Iris Turner Hodgson.
0:21:59 > 0:22:04The widow died without leaving a will so her estate, including her bungalow,
0:22:04 > 0:22:07which is estimated to be worth £170,000,
0:22:07 > 0:22:10will go into the Government's coffers,
0:22:10 > 0:22:13unless her rightful heirs are found.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18Dorothy never left a will and I think once Larry died,
0:22:18 > 0:22:21that's when Dorothy started to go downhill
0:22:21 > 0:22:25and I don't think she'd have been capable of doing one herself.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28Dorothy died ten years after her beloved husband, Larry,
0:22:28 > 0:22:32and didn't appear to have any obvious relatives.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36But the team's research has already unearthed a number of her cousins.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39And the family tree just keeps on growing.
0:22:39 > 0:22:45What I was saying about not being a particularly large family, it looks like I might be wrong on that.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47Senior case manager David Pacifico
0:22:47 > 0:22:50has been investigating Dorothy's father,
0:22:50 > 0:22:53Frederick Moat's side of the family.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55He's discovered Frederick had four siblings
0:22:55 > 0:22:57and that his youngest sister, Florence,
0:22:57 > 0:23:00went on to have six children herself.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04It's been a tricky task but David has found an heir,
0:23:04 > 0:23:07the daughter of Florence's son, Austin.
0:23:07 > 0:23:08Great. Great.
0:23:08 > 0:23:15I've now spoken to a cousin once removed and have arranged for Dave Mansell to call and see her.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19Things are progressing fast.
0:23:19 > 0:23:23It's only 9:30am but they have already found their first heir.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27It's now down to travelling heir hunter Dave Mansell to sign her up.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30Whilst I've been en route these past few hours,
0:23:30 > 0:23:33we've now traced an heir.
0:23:33 > 0:23:38Evidently, she works in a cafe in Hebburn, in Newcastle,
0:23:38 > 0:23:43but David from the office has spoken to her this morning
0:23:43 > 0:23:46and she's expecting us as soon as we can arrive.
0:23:46 > 0:23:50Meanwhile, back in the office, there's been an exciting development,
0:23:50 > 0:23:56prompting company partner Charles Fraser to get involved in the case.
0:23:56 > 0:24:02We've established that the grandmother of the deceased left a will when she died in 1925.
0:24:02 > 0:24:08One of the executors is her son-in-law, Frederick Moat,
0:24:08 > 0:24:14and her estate was about £614, which was quite a lot of money in 1925.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17So you could have two or three houses for that amount.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19So it could be worth a fortune now.
0:24:19 > 0:24:24The office has found Dorothy's grandmother left a large sum of money.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26Could any of it have been passed down to Dorothy?
0:24:26 > 0:24:30At the moment, the office don't know the exact value of the estate,
0:24:30 > 0:24:35but finding out that it could be even more valuable than they first thought
0:24:35 > 0:24:38puts more pressure on them to track down the heirs first.
0:24:38 > 0:24:44Luckily, Dave Mansell is already close to signing up the first one.
0:24:44 > 0:24:50Carol, Dorothy's cousin once removed, is working in a cafe in Newcastle,
0:24:50 > 0:24:53so Dave has arranged to meet her and her husband, Michael, there.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57- Florence May Moat married Robert Carlisle.- That's right.
0:24:57 > 0:25:04- Had Edward, Austin, Margaret, Florence and Thomas as children, and you're from Austin?- Yes.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06- Are you an only child?- Yes.
0:25:06 > 0:25:12Until today's phone call, Carol had no idea that her father had a cousin called Dorothy.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15I think it's marvellous. It's wonderful to find out you have
0:25:15 > 0:25:18got relatives, because to be honest I thought most of our family had died.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21There's quite a lot.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25I may go to try to trace them myself and find out from the family tree who's who and what's what.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28It's been a great day for Carol.
0:25:28 > 0:25:33Not only has she found a new side to her family, she's discovered she's in line for a windfall.
0:25:33 > 0:25:39She signs with Dave, ensuring that the company will get their commission from assisting her claim.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43But this is just the beginning for Dave.
0:25:43 > 0:25:50- While he's been talking to Carol, the family tree has continued to grow.- Have you got Sellotape here?
0:25:50 > 0:25:54We're now off to see somebody on another stem, another branch of the family.
0:25:54 > 0:26:00It's turning out to be quite... quite a large family at the minute.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02It looks like there's a lot of work ahead.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09What seemed to be a simple family tree has snowballed.
0:26:09 > 0:26:15One of Dorothy's cousins, Edward, had eight children, and they are all heirs to the estate.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19It's a marathon task, but with the competition hot on their heels,
0:26:19 > 0:26:22Dave Mansell needs to try and sign them all up before the end of the day.
0:26:22 > 0:26:27I've got more information on his tree, which I'm just getting, and I can brief you more on that.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33It's got somewhat bigger, to say the least.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37I'm going to try some of these addresses, otherwise we'll be here this time next week, at this rate.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40Thanks, Dave. Bye.
0:26:40 > 0:26:47With the family tree sprouting more branches all the time, it's relentless out on the road.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51Dave Mansell has been driving all over Newcastle in the search for heirs.
0:26:51 > 0:26:57- But just as he signs up one, the office find him someone new to visit.- 'Hello, Dave.'
0:26:57 > 0:26:59Hiya. I've signed Christopher,
0:26:59 > 0:27:04Thomas, Sheila, and Joyce.
0:27:04 > 0:27:09'I still can't get through to another person that I'm hoping you might be able to do later.'
0:27:09 > 0:27:10DAVE LAUGHS
0:27:10 > 0:27:12Flogging myself to death, here!
0:27:14 > 0:27:15Dave Mansell.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17Newcastle.
0:27:17 > 0:27:21Heired up to the eyeballs.
0:27:21 > 0:27:27But he's going to be "heired up" for a while, as there's still a whopping 21 heirs to go.
0:27:27 > 0:27:32The way it's gone today, up to now, where we've sorted about eight heirs out...
0:27:32 > 0:27:36Eight, nine heirs out...
0:27:36 > 0:27:39I feel that we've broken the back of this side of the family.
0:27:39 > 0:27:45There are some other stems with descendants on it.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48The bulk of the work now, hopefully, has been done.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52And I can't say that I'm...
0:27:52 > 0:27:55not ready for a break, because it's been a long day.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59The chase has taken them all across Newcastle but it's been worth it.
0:27:59 > 0:28:03Nine heirs have signed up already and there are more to come.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07The next day, David reflects on a successful case.
0:28:07 > 0:28:11We have broken the back of it, so we've now got the...
0:28:11 > 0:28:13basic make-up of the family now.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17Obviously, I'm grateful for the team down here that's
0:28:17 > 0:28:20been working this, as well as Dave Mansell on the roads,
0:28:20 > 0:28:23who's been seeing various members of the family,
0:28:23 > 0:28:26together with our guy in the register office up in Newcastle.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29They've done a good job, the team.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32It's been a positive outcome for the beneficiaries as well.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35The amount of the estate is yet to be confirmed
0:28:35 > 0:28:40but it's estimated at £170,000 and could even rise further.
0:28:40 > 0:28:43If it's a nice amount, I'll look after my son
0:28:43 > 0:28:45and my daughter and their family, because that'll be nice.
0:28:45 > 0:28:49Then we'll have maybe a nice cruise if there's enough left!
0:28:51 > 0:28:55Dorothy had an abundance of relatives that never knew she existed.
0:28:55 > 0:28:59Thanks to the heir hunters, they will now have something to remember her by.
0:28:59 > 0:29:03And her friend Brenda will never forget her, either.
0:29:03 > 0:29:05I feel in the end we became more like a family,
0:29:05 > 0:29:08rather than friends, because we seen each other every day.
0:29:08 > 0:29:14I miss that little smile on her face when I used to knock on the door and she'd get the door.
0:29:14 > 0:29:15I miss her.
0:29:20 > 0:29:26Back on the McHugh case in Leeds, niece Rosemary had been left a staggering half a million dollars
0:29:26 > 0:29:31in a trust fund by her uncle Michael McHugh who she scarcely knew.
0:29:31 > 0:29:33"What did he do?"
0:29:33 > 0:29:36That's what went through my head.
0:29:36 > 0:29:38"Where did this money come from?"
0:29:38 > 0:29:46In 1951, Rosemary's uncle Michael had taken a boat from Ireland to America with just £5 to his name.
0:29:46 > 0:29:51But when he died 50 years later, he left behind a fortune.
0:29:51 > 0:29:55But what did he do out there and how did he make his money?
0:29:55 > 0:30:01His niece and goddaughter Rosemary only remembers meeting him once, when she was 21 years old.
0:30:01 > 0:30:05It was my mother that said to me, "Do you know who this is?"
0:30:05 > 0:30:10I says, "I'm not quite sure. He looks like Columbo."
0:30:10 > 0:30:15My mother said, "No, it's your Uncle Michael, your father's brother."
0:30:15 > 0:30:19Michael left a real impression on Rosemary.
0:30:19 > 0:30:24My Uncle Michael would have been about my height, 5ft 5", 5ft 6".
0:30:24 > 0:30:28He wasn't very tall. And he looked very small compared to my father.
0:30:30 > 0:30:35With a rain mac on and things like that. And his trilby.
0:30:35 > 0:30:39And it looked rather strange.
0:30:39 > 0:30:41It was all before his time.
0:30:41 > 0:30:43That was what I found, you know.
0:30:44 > 0:30:49And once he returned to the States, Rosemary made sure they kept in touch.
0:30:49 > 0:30:53I always wrote to my Uncle Michael at Christmas.
0:30:53 > 0:30:57Of course, I got married and I sent him photographs.
0:30:57 > 0:31:00I sent him the children.
0:31:00 > 0:31:04I sent him photographs of my dad.
0:31:04 > 0:31:09But despite writing to him every year, Michael sadly never visited the family again.
0:31:09 > 0:31:15No one realised that that would be the last time that I would see my Uncle Michael alive.
0:31:17 > 0:31:23When Rosemary found out that she had been left such a large sum of money, she was bowled over.
0:31:23 > 0:31:27She wanted to find out more about her generous Uncle Michael,
0:31:27 > 0:31:31so she rang the American lawyer who was looking after his affairs.
0:31:32 > 0:31:38I believe you know some information about my uncle, Michael McHugh?
0:31:38 > 0:31:42'Yes, a little bit.
0:31:42 > 0:31:46'He lived in the same apartment for decades with his wife, Anne.'
0:31:46 > 0:31:49Oh, Anne, oh, yes, lovely.
0:31:49 > 0:31:54'When he retired, the building that he lived in hired him as their super.'
0:31:54 > 0:31:57Could you tell me how my Uncle Michael made his money?
0:31:57 > 0:32:03- Would you know that? - 'Yeah, just working for Peoples Gas all these years.
0:32:03 > 0:32:08'Him and Anne never had any children and they lived frugally
0:32:08 > 0:32:11'and he saved his... He was a saver.'
0:32:11 > 0:32:13A constant saver.
0:32:13 > 0:32:15That's what he was, aye.
0:32:15 > 0:32:20Finally, Rosemary knew the truth about how Michael made his fortune.
0:32:20 > 0:32:24He'd worked as an engineer and saved hard all his life.
0:32:24 > 0:32:27I feel great after that.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30He's not a gangster after all, is he?
0:32:30 > 0:32:33SHE LAUGHS God love him!
0:32:35 > 0:32:41Rosemary also had another number she wanted to call, Michael's neighbour in Chicago.
0:32:41 > 0:32:44'He was a very, very giving kind of a guy.
0:32:44 > 0:32:47'He'd come over and he'd walk by.
0:32:47 > 0:32:49' "Is there anything to do?"
0:32:49 > 0:32:53'He'd help my wife if she was carrying packages, if he saw her.
0:32:53 > 0:32:59'And I just remember him so fondly and he was just such a part of the neighbourhood. Everybody knew Mike.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02- 'Everybody loved Mike.' - Isn't that lovely?
0:33:02 > 0:33:04I'm pleased to hear that.
0:33:04 > 0:33:10I think it's rather nice, I do. What respect they had for him, in America.
0:33:10 > 0:33:11It's building up such a nice picture.
0:33:13 > 0:33:16I really do wish I did know him more.
0:33:18 > 0:33:23Although Michael left a trust fund to his niece Rosemary, he didn't leave a will.
0:33:23 > 0:33:30So nine years after his death, most of his remaining assets are still left unclaimed.
0:33:30 > 0:33:32Celtic Researcher's Peter Birchwood
0:33:32 > 0:33:35has been investigating this case.
0:33:35 > 0:33:41He's discovered that there are two rightful heirs to the estate - Michael's niece, and his sister.
0:33:41 > 0:33:46But no one has heard from Rosemary Senior since the 1950s.
0:33:49 > 0:33:55If she has died, then providing she leaves children,
0:33:55 > 0:33:58they'd inherit her share.
0:33:58 > 0:34:02If she doesn't, then there's a strong possibility
0:34:02 > 0:34:06that it would all pass back to Rosemary, her niece.
0:34:06 > 0:34:10However, the American government will not release Michael's assets
0:34:10 > 0:34:17to his family until Peter can prove once and for all what happened to Michael's sister, Rosemary.
0:34:19 > 0:34:25As she had strong links to Ireland, he decides to take a trip over to the register office in Dublin
0:34:25 > 0:34:29with his wife, Maria, who is also helping him on the case.
0:34:31 > 0:34:37Well, I'm going to start searching for marriages and deaths of Rosemary McHugh the elder.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40If I can find anything, that will be great.
0:34:41 > 0:34:46Michael's niece Rosemary is also looking for answers about her aunt,
0:34:46 > 0:34:50so has decided to join Peter and his wife on their trip.
0:34:50 > 0:34:56She seemed to disappear from Dowra sometime in the early 1950s,
0:34:56 > 0:35:00around about the time that your father came over.
0:35:00 > 0:35:03That was right, because the last time that there was...
0:35:03 > 0:35:09My Aunt Rose was spotted there was at my mother's wedding, when my mother and father got married.
0:35:09 > 0:35:11And that was...?
0:35:11 > 0:35:16That would be about 56, 57 years ago.
0:35:16 > 0:35:24Based that people knew your father, that they knew your Uncle Mike, why didn't they know your Aunt Rosemary?
0:35:24 > 0:35:26Why didn't they keep in touch?
0:35:26 > 0:35:29This is what we can't understand. We don't know where she went.
0:35:31 > 0:35:38Once they arrive in Dublin, Peter goes straight to the register office and starts his investigations.
0:35:38 > 0:35:42We're starting off by doing a marriage search for Rosemary McHugh.
0:35:42 > 0:35:46We're going to make notes of any that we find
0:35:46 > 0:35:51and order up the certificates to see if we can find that elusive marriage.
0:35:56 > 0:36:01Meanwhile, hoping that Michael's old farmhouse holds some clues to her family history,
0:36:01 > 0:36:03Rosemary heads up to County Cavan.
0:36:03 > 0:36:06It is absolutely beautiful.
0:36:09 > 0:36:11Feeling nervous.
0:36:11 > 0:36:13Very nervous now.
0:36:13 > 0:36:15Oh, I'm getting butterflies.
0:36:22 > 0:36:24Although Rosemary has the keys to the farmhouse,
0:36:24 > 0:36:29her aunt would also be entitled to a share of the property.
0:36:29 > 0:36:34But only if she, or any of her relatives, can be found.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37This is amazing, isn't it?
0:36:37 > 0:36:40I know we're somewhere here.
0:36:40 > 0:36:42And that's it there, I think.
0:36:45 > 0:36:46Look at it!
0:36:51 > 0:36:55I've got butterflies in my stomach and everything!
0:36:57 > 0:37:01This is part of...my... our family history.
0:37:02 > 0:37:06It feels so nice. There we go.
0:37:06 > 0:37:08Look at this.
0:37:08 > 0:37:11Come and have a look at this.
0:37:11 > 0:37:13Look at the dresser.
0:37:13 > 0:37:17The house is just as Michael last left it.
0:37:20 > 0:37:23I'm totally amazed...
0:37:23 > 0:37:26that the house is still standing the way it is.
0:37:28 > 0:37:31Now, this is where my Uncle Patrick died.
0:37:31 > 0:37:34This was the room that he died in.
0:37:34 > 0:37:36This is...
0:37:36 > 0:37:38Died of appendicitis.
0:37:38 > 0:37:40He would have been 13.
0:37:42 > 0:37:43Yeah, 13.
0:37:43 > 0:37:46No age.
0:37:52 > 0:37:53Hot water bottle.
0:37:56 > 0:37:57And a towel.
0:38:02 > 0:38:04What dates are these, now?
0:38:04 > 0:38:06'61, there.
0:38:12 > 0:38:14October '61 there.
0:38:16 > 0:38:19Although Michael emigrated to America in 1951,
0:38:19 > 0:38:24it's believed he made regular trips back to County Cavan.
0:38:24 > 0:38:28Right, this is... We're going into my grandparents' bedroom here, now.
0:38:28 > 0:38:32This was where my granddad and my grandmother lived.
0:38:32 > 0:38:34Well, slept, sorry. Slept.
0:38:38 > 0:38:39There's your mattress.
0:38:43 > 0:38:49There would be an awful lot of laughter and happy memories in here.
0:38:49 > 0:38:52But there would also have been some very sad memories, as well.
0:38:54 > 0:38:59Now, this is the fire, that they would have made all their meals on and everything.
0:38:59 > 0:39:04And this is where you would put your pieces that hang onto the fire,
0:39:04 > 0:39:06and your pots and pans.
0:39:06 > 0:39:10Maybe down on here they would have the turf here.
0:39:10 > 0:39:14I think my Uncle Michael would have used this house when he came over,
0:39:14 > 0:39:18for the couple of weeks or whatever he was here for.
0:39:18 > 0:39:21Definitely he would have been here.
0:39:21 > 0:39:24But that's amazing, that bit.
0:39:26 > 0:39:28Rosemary heads up to the attic.
0:39:30 > 0:39:32Oh, just look at it!
0:39:32 > 0:39:36I'm frightened in case I pick up a mouse or something.
0:39:36 > 0:39:39You will hear some screams then.
0:39:41 > 0:39:46This is your... They used to use these years ago.
0:39:50 > 0:39:51It's fantastic.
0:39:51 > 0:39:54It is absolutely amazing.
0:40:01 > 0:40:04Found a picture.
0:40:04 > 0:40:06That's my Uncle Michael!
0:40:06 > 0:40:07My Uncle Michael!
0:40:13 > 0:40:15Oh, my God!
0:40:17 > 0:40:20Oh, my God! I've got some pictures.
0:40:23 > 0:40:26Oh, I don't believe none of this now.
0:40:30 > 0:40:32There he is.
0:40:35 > 0:40:39That's me and Michael, when we were babies!
0:40:41 > 0:40:44That is totally amazing.
0:40:45 > 0:40:48God love him. He must have brought these over.
0:40:50 > 0:40:52That's my Uncle Michael dancing.
0:40:55 > 0:40:58He'd probably be doing The Siege of Venice there.
0:40:58 > 0:41:00Looks like The Siege of Venice.
0:41:02 > 0:41:05There's my Uncle Michael having a cigarette.
0:41:07 > 0:41:10A crowd around him.
0:41:14 > 0:41:19The family photos are the link to the past that Rosemary has been looking for,
0:41:19 > 0:41:21and she needs time to reflect.
0:41:23 > 0:41:26There's a passport here, from the United States of America,
0:41:26 > 0:41:29with my Uncle Michael in it.
0:41:30 > 0:41:33Michael John McHugh.
0:41:33 > 0:41:35He was only 5ft 6".
0:41:36 > 0:41:41There's pictures of the car he would have hired.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48It's just been a blessing, coming back to this house
0:41:48 > 0:41:52to find out what I have found out.
0:41:54 > 0:41:59Going back to Michael's house is the end of a long and emotional journey for Rosemary.
0:42:00 > 0:42:04Her life was changed forever when she was left a staggering half a million dollars
0:42:04 > 0:42:07by an uncle she barely knew.
0:42:07 > 0:42:10But she is now much closer to knowing the truth about him.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13But what about her aunt?
0:42:13 > 0:42:18Back in Dublin, Peter's searches have drawn a blank.
0:42:18 > 0:42:20Maybe something happened to her.
0:42:20 > 0:42:25Maybe she just had to get out of Ireland and go somewhere.
0:42:25 > 0:42:27Where she went we don't know.
0:42:27 > 0:42:33We're still trying but we've come to the point where there are just not too many other things to try.
0:42:33 > 0:42:37So the case of Michael McHugh remains unsolved.
0:42:37 > 0:42:40Could you provide the missing piece of the puzzle?
0:42:40 > 0:42:45Are you Rosemary McHugh or do you know what happened to her?
0:42:45 > 0:42:50Could you be entitled to a share of the assets that Michael left behind?
0:43:20 > 0:43:23Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:43:23 > 0:43:26Email: subtitling@bbc.co.uk