Final Settlement

When looking through a set of estate or probate papers, don’t neglect to look for a “final settlement.” It may list a final list of heirs to the estate–some of whom may not have been listed at first because some of the original heirs may have died during the settlement of the estate. The temptation may be to look for just the will and the estate inventory, but the final report may hold some clues as well. Seeing how the money was split up may assist in determining what relationship the heirs had to the deceased as in some cases that may not be made crystal clear.