Our History
In 1981, Terence D. Howes came to a realization. Thousands of people had invested in Canadian mining companies during the 1920’s and 1930’s. Their shares were virtually wiped out during the stock market crash. He discovered how decades after the markets recovered, a number of these companies had significantly increased in value. Mr. Howes uncovered the original shareholders addresses and successfully located their beneficiaries. In most cases, the original shareholder had died or forgotten they had ever owned these mining shares. Through Mr. Howes’s diligent investigation, several million dollars were subsequently distributed to long-forgotten shareholders or their rightful heirs. This was the inspiration for his company.
In 1983, T.D. Howes & Co. Ltd. followed on the heels of this ground-breaking investigative work. We first learned about missing heirs by discovering missing shareholders. In other words, we locate the closest blood relation to a decedent who has died without a Will and had no known heirs. Our company specializes in international probate genealogy. Executors, lawyers, and trust officers assist us in locating missing beneficiaries.
Case Histories
Never give up – In 1996, William C. died in Vancouver, B.C without a Will. He left behind approximately $1,000,000. For several years the administrator of his estate was unable to locate heirs. T.D. Howes & Co. Ltd. began researching this matter in 2002. We located eight maternal cousins who were eligible to claim the estate. It took us several years to convince the administrator that these individuals were the correct heirs. As well, we proved that the paternal heirs could not be determined. After six years, the administrator approved our documentation and the appropriate funds were distributed to the maternal heirs.
Doing the right thing – In 2001, Boris M. died in Calgary, Alberta, leaving behind an estate worth $500,000. His first cousin applied for letters of administration. He was therefore obligated to distribute the estate to Boris’s heirs-at-law. However, instead of searching for these legitimate heirs he named himself as the sole beneficiary. Our research, conducted in Ukraine by one of our associate companies, found three additional first cousins who were equally entitled to inherit. The administrator refused to recognize our client’s claim; legal action ensued and an out of court settlement was achieved. Although the administrator had already spent a portion of the money, we successfully obtained a substantial settlement for our clients in Ukraine.
Diligence pays off – In 2005, our associates in Baden-Baden, Germany contacted us regarding the descendants of a woman who had died in Germany in 1991. The only information about her was that her brother, Heinrich S. had emigrated to Canada in the 1920’s. Since he had an uncommon name, our researcher in Quebec was able to locate a record of his death in 1952. The death notice referred to his daughter, who was living in Halifax at the time. However, neither her first nor her last name was sited. We placed a notice in the Halifax Chronicle-Herald describing our search for this woman. After a while, Heinrich’s granddaughter read our advertisement. We promptly contacted her mother: the sole beneficiary.
Fortunes change – In 2009, a lawyer in Alberta asked us to locate the daughter of a former client. It had recently been determined that she would inherit a large sum money. Unfortunately, he did not even know her name. His client had died in 1991, leaving no information regarding his heirs. From our initial research we were able to determine the daughter’s full name. We then pursued leads for several months and eventually she was located living in a homeless shelter in British Columbia.
