Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-05-03
Still Falling
Old fortunes

to be of royal descent has been searching Oxfoshre
graveyards and Libraries for clues which will prove her
claim estates that include four villages She is Mrs
Lillian Shepherd, Of London.
Her family has fighting the fortune which
it believes is entitled for 100 years Her greatuncle
ruined himself by attempts to establish his claims Mrs
Shepherd who operates radio shop spends most of her
spare time in motoring to Oxfordshire with her
I'VE have often gone without dinner pay
petrol" she said. Last year made than 100
visits Oxford We scraped every gravestone
every churchyard in Oxford and within radius of
miles Reading old documents in the Bodeian library has
occupied many hours
"A lawyer told the quickest way to bring the mat
ter to legal test would be damage the property
hired two men to knock down wall and left the
pant Of the property my name and address But
summoned for the damage.
Il to continue my struggle to regain the family
fortune till die and then my ghost will haunt place
for which fought. Lawyers tell my ancestors
had shown half the grit that have shown they could have
the case"
In American family of every three, perhaps
there is legend, If not firm belief that somewhere
usually in Great Britain. France. Germany Holland
lie vast ancestral domains. to which they are heirs.
There file in the Department of State Wash
ngton thousands of letters people all
States who want to know the proper method
action to possession of estates in the Old World
cases the deusion arises from a household
tradition that such and such connections Europe
should die without children their particular
family would inherit In the of time the "if has
been dropped leaving the firmly implanted idea of
and rghtfu title but in instances the idea has
fosered by swindlers who have the country
letters advertisements requesting people of certain
names-often very common ones-to come forward and
claim their own
1t is uncommon advertisement requesting
1.-The heirs Of John Smith who emgrated TO America
time between 1870 and 1900" TO communicate with
claim agency" in New York London. When a victim
he requested to furnish proof And the
small amount Of proof" desired well the extreme
vagueness of the date of his ancestors migration APP
pareny do not strike the fortunehunerhe is informed
undoubtedly the heir Of Sir Jacob Smith Bart
but that legal formalties must be gone through with
viii he kindly remit S45 25 or six pounds six shngs and
aOhf aNUay odd nd def ito
preliminary court and notaral fees?
These swnders often give a remarkable air of proba-
bty to their communications not hesitang to forge
seal the correspondent proves more than usually eau
tous When the eager claimant gets nothing and resorts
to genuine legal aid in almost instance the birds
have flown
If an American of the present generation should be the
rghf heir estate in Great Britain by inheritance
from ancestor he would by have lost all
legal title through the operation of the British of
limitations This statute provides that the title of
property which has not reverted to the shall
in the person who has remained in undistrbed pos
for period Of II whether such the
actual not The only exception is where the true
owner has suffering legal ncapacity
period of years after the disappearance of the
disability is allowed him in which to make his claim up to
total lapse 80 years when he is absolutely barred So
matter how valid the claim might be- after the lapse
of 80 years action for recovery by possible
be successful
One of the most expensive of the many attempts to
estate undertaken by Americans in
connection with the so-caled Jennens Estate William
Jennens bachelor London died in 1898 leaving
tune of about million pounds. He had made will,
unsigned and his landed property passed to his
her-aaw George A. W. Curzon, and is owned by the
head Of the Howe family. .J
good many years later number of supposed Ameri-
10 Jennens fortune formed association to
ser alleged rights How much each member of the
organization contributed be known but the
gregate have been large. Their efforts covered
period years more and absolutely frlitless
Other estates which have been the cause of high
hopes considerable expenditures the part Of Amer
the Hedges Bradford Townley Hyde and Thorne
estates all Of which myths