The County Treasurer Gets Valentine's Inheritance

Hancock County, Illinois, Probate Journal L, p. 560.

There are quite a few reasons why it is suggested that genealogists look at everything in an estate settlement, particularly those items recorded over a decade after the estate is opened.

This item shows an example of one of those reasons.

The estate of Michael Trautvetter was opened in 1869, shortly after his death. This probate journal entry from 1881 was the last mention of the estate. In the entry it is indicated that Valentine Hess, an heir-at-law of Michael Trautvetter, could not be found and was last heard from in Cincinnati, Ohio. This journal reference is the only reference to Cincinnati being Valentine's residence, if only for a time.

Valentine's share in the Trautvetter estate was $29.16 2/3. Since he could not be found it was deposited with the County Treasurer.

How long it remained there is another matter.

Citation reminder: We are a strong believe in citing genealogical source material in the spirit of Evidence Explained. However, we choose not to include properly formatted citations in these blog posts. There's always enough information in the post to create a citation and full citations are included in my how-to newsletter Casefile Clues.