World Wide Hunt for Missing Heirs Of Kathleen Hilda Ryan, Claimants to Her $750,000 Fortune. Heir Hunters International’s Genealogical Research Focuses on Her Irish Born Paternal Aunt, Eliza “Lizzie” Ryan, and Her American Connections.

An article from today’s Irish Independent newspaper details the global efforts underway to locate the missing heirs of Kathleen Hilda Ryan.  The Independent’s staff writer Gabrielle Monaghan sets forth the essential facts.  To wit., Ms. Ryan died in Greenwich, England, in October of 2013 at the age of 83, without a surviving husband and without having any children during her lifetime.

Kathleen Hilda Ryan left an unclaimed estate of $750,000.00 U.S.!

Significantly, Ms. Ryan died “intestate,” or, in other words, she died without a Last Will and Testament, which would have set forth instructions on how to distribute her property upon her death.  Without a Will, her estate falls under the laws of “intestate succession,” which are an attempt to codify in law what, more likely than not, Ms. Ryan would have done with her estate had she left a Will, that being,  the wish that her patrimony be distributed to the closest living blood relatives.

Significantly, in two years since her death, no paternal blood relatives have been found!

Kathleen Hilda Ryan had two siblings, both of whom predeceased her without having had children.  In fact, Ms. Ryan inherited part of her fortune from her sister, Joan.

Therefore, genealogical research focuses on “relatives in the first degree,” that is, her uncles and aunts and, if deceased, their children.

Ms. Ryan’s mother hailed from London’s east end, and, presumably, the maternal heirs, if any, have been located.

Ms. Ryan’s father, John Ryan, was born in Mullingar, Ireland, in 1887.

Evidently, John Ryan had three siblings: (1) Mary Ryan, who died the year of her birth; (2) William Ryan, who died a bachelor in 1950; and, (3), Eliza “Lizzie” Ryan.

Eliza “Lizzie” Ryan, Kathleen’s paternal aunt, is a blank slate, and, consequently, the focus of the genealogical research.  Other than proof of her birth, no marriage record or death record has been found.  The supposition then becomes:  like so many Irish before her, Eliza “Lizzie” Ryan fled the county of her birth and immigrated somewhere.

Although Heir Hunters International does not know, yet, where Eliza Lizzie Ryan went, its staff now devotes their considerable attention to determining if she traveled to America, and, if so, whether she married and had American born issue.

Perhaps, after reading this blog post and the article from the Independent, you might engage in search efforts, too.  To aid you, below is Kathleen Hilda Ryan’s paternal family tree.

Heir Hunters International is searching for Eliza Lizzie Ryan’s American connections to her niece Kathleen Hilda Ryan, who stand to inherit her unclaimed $750K fortune!

If you do indeed decide to join, as always, Heir Hunters International wishes you good hunting!