Research Tools and Keeping Up with Genealogy Training

As well as administering estates, the Cases Managers at Treethorpe also undertake forensic genealogical research and are highly trained probate researchers.

Our clients have their own dedicated Cases Manager throughout the whole process, and we carry out our own research before conducting the legal administration of the estate on behalf of the family. This requires our Cases Managers to keep their training up to date and expand their knowledge by using external resources.

A recent case took one of our Cases Managers, Charlotte, to the National Archives where she conducted some in depth research for a historic case. This involved extensive research before attending and required the pre-ordering of exact catalogues that might hold some clues to help locate a missing beneficiary. The National Archives holds a vast collection of over 11 million records dating back over the past 1,000 years. This means that navigating the records in detail can be very time consuming.

In this case, the beneficiary who we were trying to locate was known to be a nurse in the 1950s, possibly in London. Since the research was based on a very common name, the task at hand was difficult. Regardless, a day in the distinguished National Archives reading rooms provided some helpful leads that will hopefully assist us in our research. Whilst a large number of nursing records are available on the popular Find My Past and Ancestry websites, it was extremely interesting to manage these (often delicate) records in person.

Our Cases Managers are either registered members of the PPR (Professional Paralegal Register) or are working towards this. As part of the membership criteria, it is required that we conduct a minimum number of training hours per year, with our staff often exceeding the hours required. This can include a number of providers, including the Society of Genealogists (SOG). Our cases managers regularly attend SOG courses/webinars, and Charlotte recently attended a SOG walk which started just outside the historic Tower of London. From here, the speaker led the group through the City of London, and they learnt about the Priories, Friaries, Nunneries and Hospitals in the area. When conducting research in a specific place, especially London, it is important to know the historical setting of the times so that every finding is appreciated in its rightful context.

As a company, we pride ourselves on going the extra mile when it comes to exhausting all avenues of research when searching for beneficiaries. We also enjoy expanding and updating our knowledge when it comes to both the legal aspects of estate administration and the genealogical research.

Comments are closed.