Reopening my mother’s estate was one thing that was never on my radar. But the past year has brought many unexpected experiences, conversations and worries, hasn’t it?
Because sleep and I are not always on speaking terms, one night I searched the Maryland Unclaimed Property a few months back. (It was that, or lie in bed counting the ways COVID was changing my life.)
I typed in my father’s name and then my mother’s name. Nothing for my father.
But when I entered my mother’s name, there in teensy little print was my mother’s name and a former address I recognized. (I also found unclaimed property in my aunt’s name as well.)
Virginia and Mildred
I thought maybe my mom had left a box of memorabilia in the basement of her prior apartment in Baltimore, before moving to Annapolis and into the Chase–Lloyd House. Alas, the Unclaimed Property Division of the Comptroller’s Office would not say more than it’s a policy worth more than$100.00.
Learning any more information meant reopening my mother’s estate.
My mother has been gone for a quarter of a century, and the papers I had for her estate are . . . somewhere.
I needed a Letter of Administration, an EIN number, and her death certificate — something I never read carefully in the months after her death when I was settling her affairs.
It stung.
It was odd to see that my father’s name was not on the death certificate; he died almost 20 years previously — nor my brother’s. However, her parents’ names and my name were on it.
What would a biographer make of that?
Such sparse details do not tell my mother’s story.
This experience, whatever comes of it, has sure opened up memories and questions.
I almost wish I could ask Dr. Henry Louis Gates to do a little digging. Not too much though. I know enough to know I know enough about the fam.
Nothing more interesting than people, especially ones I never knew
Remember as far as anyone knows, we’re a nice normal family. —Homer Simpson
By the way, I’ve sent the documentation off; I have no idea what to expect – I hope it’s enough to cover the costs of proving I was my mother’s . . . legal representative, too!
There is SO much nobody discussed, and when I finally figured out the questions I wanted to ask — the people with answers had left the building.
I too check unclaimed property every so often, for myself, my husband, my offspring, his offspring. Last year I even put in my local besties name, and boom, she had a hit. I mentioned it, she had no memory of why she’d be owed money by the company mentioned. She was a bit worried it was a scam, I assured her it was not. She did look into it and got something like 89 dollars back. She took me out for a nice cuppa java, a piece of Irish soda bread, and a lovely outing with a friend by way of thanks! I hear ya about the death certificates and how strange thing seem in time. As one who does a lot of genealogy, it wouldn’t seem strange to me not to see the info you mentioned, one wouldn’t assume much by it. What is surprising to me, if you look at many of the old old ones, say, pre-1940, so often the person providing the info (usually next of kin.) doesn’t know the name (or can’t remember it in a pinch) of their parents. Or the maiden name of their mom, or where they were born. So many things we don’t think to ask or discuss. If memory serves I think Jewish gravestones have more genealogical info on the back of them, like son of, son of son of, kind if thing. I approve!