You may be wondering “Why would I want to trace my ancestors?”. Well there are a multitude of reasons. This is besides the obvious; curiosity. Firstly, there is the possibility of famous relatives. Secondly, learning about your family’s ethnic history. Not to mention locating long lost relatives. Although these are the most common instances, there are many more reasons why people would want to trace their ancestors.
Health
It isn’t uncommon for diseases and medical anomalies to be inherited from your ancestors. Many people may want to find out how their relatives passed away. If there’s a medical pattern in the family it could be an indication that things need to be changed or addressed regarding your own health and wellbeing. Some people inherit DNA mutations from their parents that can increase the risk of developing different cancers. For instance, if prostate cancer is in your family it would be wise to book regular check-ups with your Doctor.
Legal Purposes
People won’t always trace ancestors and family for personal reasons. When someone writes a will, they need a solicitor to be an executor on said will. However, solicitors can also get referred cases of intestacy where there is no will (even after a will search) and relatives of the intestate will need to be traced and contacted. It is at this point where the genealogy and locating of ancestors and family will need to be undertaken so the contents of the estate can be received by the entitled party. They may do this themselves or hire experts in Probate Research like ourselves.
Confirm Family Rumours
As with most Families, there could be long standing rumours and gossip. Doing your own genealogy and looking into your ancestors may be the only way of confirming or refuting these rumours. For example, there may be rumours or evidence to suggest that your Grandfather may not be your biological Grandfather. A way to prove this would be to order your Mother’s (or Fathers depending what side of the family you are researching) birth certificate to see if his name is on the certificate and not another mans. Though this is not solid proof (as he could have come into the picture before the birth of your Mother and after the pregnancy began), the name on the birth certificate is more often that not a good indication of the real Father.
There are a litany of reasons why someone would want to trace their ancestors and it can be both straight forward and occasionally very challenging. If you need expert assistance with your genealogy needs or require aid from professional heir hunters, don’t hesitate to contact Blanchards Inheritance.
To read more of our blogs please click here. Please follow us on LinkedIn for more news and blogs about how we help the legal and public sector.
