Probate documents can get repetitive. If an estate takes some time to settle, there may be several lists of heirs included–depending upon the time period and the location. That was the case with the an estate in Adams County, Illinois, in the early 20th century. At first it was tempting to scan the lists of heirs quickly without really paying attention to the addresses.
That was a mistake.
While the individuals listed as heirs did not change (which it shouldn’t unless a new one was discovered or one died during the probate process), the addresses for some of them did change as the settlement of the estate moved on. Those changes in addresses were clues.
Legal documents can contain repetitive text, especially if a case drags on for some time. Reading through that repetitive text, particularly if something changed in the interim, may be worth your while.
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