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My mother and my grandfather were not in communication in the years close to his passing. My step grandma and my mom didn't get along at all. I never saw the will, but my grandfather used to tell me all the time that he was going to make sure us boys (my brother and I) were going to live like kings when we had our own families. I wasn't in the loop, so to speak, when he passed away and didn't find out of his death untill well after, more than a year had gone by. I don't know any of the details of his death and my mom will not speak of him or his estate. She inherited the house grandpa had bought for us in 1994 when my parents split on account of abuse issues. We grew up in the house. God bless you grandpa. I haven't been able to reach out to see if my step-grandmother is alive or not. I don't know of how to search for her what happened to them or the estate. How can I begin to uncover the past with no money for private investigators or attorney fees? I don't want the memories to go untold. I want our families to be on the same page and for us to know what happened. If you have any advice I would like to hear it. Thanks for listening.

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Probate is done at the County seat level. You need to contact the Probate office in the County ur grandfather resided. If a Will was probated it will be on file. You can ask for a copy but there maybe a fee. You maybe able to obtain it on-line. You can then read it and see if there were any beneficiaries. Usually in a marriage, Wills between couples are whats yours is mine. Like said, your Grandfather may have had it set up that Mom got the house upon his death. If so, this would not go thru probate.

People talk but do not follow thru. Grandpa may not have made a Will or changed it. He may have had an illness that used up what money he had. If no Will the State determines who inherits. Wife and children are first. Grandkids only come into the picture when the wife and children are deceased.

Look up your Grandfather's obituary on-line. His name, town and state. It may mention what his passed of. If not, see what charities are being mentioned that donations can be sent to in his memory. If its Heart Assoc or Cancer then you pretty much know what he died of.

His wife, do the same thing, put her name in search with town and State and see what comes up. Some info will tell you the address where they live and phone#.

You do not need investigators or lawyers with the internet. Its been ten years and there may not be any info out there.
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Contact the courts in your grandpa's city. Probate is public record.

If you can not find anything it is possible that he had a trust, that doesn't get probated. Anything with a named beneficiary doesn't get probated.

Did your mom get the house upon his passing? She would have been privy to the will or trust as a beneficiary. Unless this was a transfer on death.

It is very common for the wife to get everything. You and your brother may not have been named in his will or trust, so prepare yourself for that outcome.

Were you a minor when grandpa died?
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If you were mentioned to receive anything in the will, the probate court would have located you and taken care of getting you your inheritance. There could very well have been no inheritance left or your grandfather may have changed his mind about leaving you anything.
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Isthisrealyreal Dec 2022
Bridget, wouldn't the courts deal with the parent(s) if the heirs were minors?

Would a minor need to sign anything or ???
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It’s possible that there was no will and/or no probate. In some circumstances, the surviving spouse (or other house occupant) just keeps on living in the house and paying the outgoings even if they are in the wrong name. If nothing changes, nothing forces any legalities to be done. I had a query once from someone in these circumstances, where the farm was still in the name of an ancestor who had been dead for 50 years.

Do you know anyone local who could call at the address and see if step-GM is living there? Or perhaps the police? It’s an obvious first step!
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MargaretMcKen Dec 2022
If GP left the house to you and your brother, it would be a good reason for StepGM to keep the death quiet, and not rock the boat with the title. It really is a good idea to check. Particularly if StepGM was a fair bit younger than GP, she could still be there, or she could have rented it out.
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If there was a will it would have to be filed for probate and you should check the public records in the city and state where grandfather died. There may have been a trust. If that is the case there would be no filing. If you feel that you were left money you should contact family who inherited upon the death of your grandfather and ask. If you receive no answer and think that there are things being hidden from you you should see a trust and estate attorney to see the options for moving forward. 10 years is a very long time. This Trust/estate is likely long settled. Whomever was trustee or executor would have been under a fiduciary duty to settle the estate, and it is very unlikely that they violated that duty. I myself would simply move on with my own life.
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