The man with two names

Sometimes it takes years of experience, the right tools and some old-fashioned legwork to track down missing members of fractured families.

Paul Harris died aged 55 in Aldershot, Hampshire, without either a will or any known relatives and his solicitor contacted Fraser and Fraser in the hope of tracing next-of-kin.

It was clear from the start that this case would not be straightforward. Mr Harris’ death certificate was unusual in that it lacked information about a place or date of birth. Furthermore, even once we had tracked down the actual date, we could find no corresponding entry in the birth indexes.

Something was wrong, but what exactly?

We carried our numerous interviews, speaking to neighbours and friends, hoping to gain some insights into where the truth lay.

Eventually a former girlfriend of Mr Harris told us that he was illegitimate and that his first name was in fact Peter and not Paul. We also found out that his mother was called Jayne and Harris was the surname of her second husband.

This piece of missing information was just what we needed to find the marriage records for Paul’s mother. He had indeed been born illegitimately, but had initially taken his father’s surname (Gibson). His mother then married his father, divorced him and subsequently remarried. This led to Paul then taking his step-father’s surname, Harris.

This is where the research took an unusual turn. Generally, we would have started compiling an extended family tree, but it became apparent almost immediately that although Paul’s natural father had passed away, his mother was still alive. 

As tactfully as possible, we contacted her and one of our senior researchers went to visit. Unfortunately, Mrs Harris was in failing health, coping with long-standing heart issues, while also caring for her second husband.

Firstly, her identity as Paul’s mother was thoroughly checked; she was able to provide more than enough information to remove any doubt. For years her son had drifted in and out of contact and she was not wildly surprised that 18 months had passed since she had last spoken to him.

She took the news of her son’s better than could have been and expected and was relieved that someone had taken the time to find her. Despite being the only heir, she was not capable of acting as administrator – and duly granted one of our partners a limited power of attorney.

This case highlights the importance of having the right experience and tools to track down members of fractured families. At Fraser and Fraser we can assist you in locating next-of-kin and ensuring estates are distributed to the correct people.

Names and places have been changed to preserve client confidentiality.