Advertisement
Published: September 25th 2014
Edit Blog Post
Does this still exist?
Old pictures we had.
The only clues for what we had to look for. As a child did you ever watch a film in which someone has a long lost relative that leaves their entire estate to that person in their will?
Well in a roundabout way that sort of happened to me.
I remember watching films like that and afterwards imagining what it might feel like to have that happen to me. Not because of the monetary value of the inheritance, not entirely anyway, but because of the excitement of learning about that person’s life.
Wondering what they may have thought/felt about me, what connection I had to their life, where they had lived, what they worked as, what they looked like, finding out about members of my family I never knew existed. Finding out personal aspects about this ‘stranger’ who somehow knew me.
It had been around 15 years since I last saw my dad and that was only by accident at a family funeral when I was aged 16. Prior to that I hadn’t seen him since I was 9. I briefly saw him for a few hours a week, from the ages of 7-9, until an incident meant we were unable
The house
Old pictures we had.
The only clues for what we had to look for. to have contact any longer.
I don’t really remember much about my dad.
When I was a kid I remember him being a big, strong, outspoken man whom you would listen to without questioning anything he said.
When I saw him when I was 16 I didn’t even recognise him at the funeral until he shook my hand and said “Hello son”. He was now shorter than me and the big, strong man I remembered was a small, skinny old man.
Due to family politics and the young age in which I lost contact with my dad I never really knew any of my dad’s side of the family. A few cousins I would say hello to if I saw them but there would sometimes be years between random meetings in the street.
A cousin I had never met got in contact with me to tell me about my father’s death.
Cause of death, cirrhosis of the liver, he was an alcoholic.
I didn’t know how to feel when I found out.
I never knew him, I can’t remember him, he has never been part of
Back garden?
Old pictures we had.
The only clues for what we had to look for. my life, but he was my father, without him I wouldn’t be alive. Should I feel sad, compassionate, angry, worried. If truth be told I felt nothing. How can you for someone you don’t know?
This “long lost relative I never knew” that “left his entire estate to me” sort of didn’t have a choice.
He didn’t have a will so by law his children inherit his estate, that’s me, my brother and the half-sister I had only met once before. To throw yet more family politics into this story, my brother and I haven’t spoken in 7 years. As far as dysfunctional families go we are making the Simpsons look normal lol.
The cousin I never knew existed contacted me and told me everything she knew about my father, his upbringing, my family and everything she knew about his belongings.
I somehow had become the executer to his estate.
That key word, estate, makes it sound like a lot doesn’t it.
When my cousin told me about what she thought he might have I knew I had a lot of work on hands.
Again, more key words “THOUGHT he MIGHT have”
I don't know who the person is
Old pictures we had.
The only clues for what we had to look for. A little tip for if you ever inherit something without a will:
There is no compiled list of the belongings of the deceased. Therefore you need to research and find all those belongings yourself.
Something else my cousin told me…
“He used to live in France, he MIGHT have his place out there still, we don’t know for sure”
So…
I may have inherited a place in France. IF I have, I have to get in contact with the sister I have only met once before and the brother I haven’t spoken to in 7 years to discuss what to do with our new home in France.
Life certainly isn’t easy!
I got a mountain of paper work from his old home, Nikki and I went through everything, in an attempt to find out more about him.
He was a smoker. His paper work smelt like it had been in a fire.
Luckily for me Nikki speaks French so was able to translate the letters we had in French.
We found, what appeared to be, deeds to a house, a letter from
Old pictures we had.
The only clues for what we had to look for.a French bank, a letter from a neighbour in France, some pictures of a house and inside a small wallet with Euros were some keys.
Could they be the keys to the house in France?
Was the French bank account still in existence?
Were the deeds real?
If the house is still his, how long has it been there with no one inside?
With such little concrete evidence and everyone we seemed to contact not answering our questions without a lengthy legal process, we didn’t have much choice but to go to France in search of the house that might not exist.
I found a rough location on Google Earth, booked the Eurotunnel fast train and a hotel nearby to where the house might be.
Next step, drive from Central London to Champcey, Normandy, France.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.131s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 14; qc: 32; dbt: 0.0997s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
taracloud
Tara Cloud
A treasure hunt--fantastic!
This sounds so exciting--I'm dying to know what you find! He certainly did leave a lot of photos, so hopefully you can find his "estate," of course, unless all the houses in the town look like this. Even if the house has been abandoned and needs to be torn down, how fab to have a little plot of land in Normandy--land of cheese, cider, and crepes! Looking forward to the next installment!