How can I find out if a deceased relative left a will, and what happened to her property? (Pennsylvania, NY)?
608480
You'll probably need an attorney because they have more resources and will know more about what is realistic. Be prepared to pay for the investigation. They will also need to know dates, bank names, anything you can tell them.\n\nYou can start yourself if you want to try by checking the local probate courts that would have been used - that would be where she was when she died, most probably. The probate will be public record.
621399
go to your state website, click on treasures office or treasury, then look for unclaimed money.  You can look by name and county, then if you find something you will prob. need to enter your or a family members social security number.  If the person is deceased, you will have to provide a death certificate before you can claim that money.
676400
My guess would be the more recent document unless the will violates a court order. The best determination would be made by a lawyer.
608180
It is best to start with the Obituary of the town news paper where the family member resided.  Many towns has on-line newspapers.  If the town of the deceased does not have an on-line newspaper; you'll need to go to the libraby of the township to search archives. Or you could try locating the local church the family member attended.  You can also try speaking to neighbors of the deceased if it has been less than 7 years of interment.
587525
That information should be public record, check with the county recorders office or see if your area has a weekly publication like "legal news".  It would provide you with births, deaths, real estate sales, etc... Good luck!
21454
call the county coroners office.  if an autopsy was done, then you can get access to that info
1143181
ask the cemetary who performed the service where the body was sent for burial after it left their care. they should absolutely know where it went - in the US it's the law.\n   also, if you have trouble there, check the legal burial records with the county the service/burial was in as they will have records where the body was sent.
470716
You can only get things online when they have been put online by someone (I guess that is a "no duh" statement).  I seriously doubt someone's (a living person's) will would be online unless they purposely put it there.  Most people keep their wills in a safe deposit box.  It may possibly end up online after they have already passed away if it goes through probate.  Other documents may end up online (like wedding or death certificates) because they are public record at the county clerk's office.  They might be found online if your county images documents and has a website.
904023
If you're in it, you will be contacted.  Otherwise, after the will is probated, it will be a public document-- you can contact a local probate court to figure out how to see a copy.
250265
Possibly yes after a person dies the debt collectors go after the estate. So if her name was on the deeds the might be able to. It is something to talk to a lawyer about.
169939
Your best resourse would be to try the state's Treasury Dept. web site. They have information on all unclaimed properties. I recently had a similar situation in PA. Sometimes if the state takes control of the property, they sell it and keep the money in a non-interest account until the person on the deed or the rightful heirs claim the monies.Good Luck! Each state is different.
902037
First, the county assessor's office has records of who owned the place before, all the way back to the original title, hopefully.  (Sometimes old records have been lost, but if not, they keep them forever.)  Then go to the local newspaper and ask to see their archives.  There may well be a computerized index.  If so, search on the names of the people who lived there.  Even if someone died who did not live there, the owners of the property at the time would probably be mentioned in a newspaper article about the death.\n\nAnother method would be to check the county records office for death certificates, and note the address at which the death took place.  Again, this would be easy if these records have been computerized.  Otherwise, it may be quite a chore.  The clerks are usually willing to help when the research project is an interesting one, as this one would seem to be.\n\nIt may be a good bit of nuisance to do this research, but once you have done it, you can then offer your services to search for other people, as you will have established where the information is stored.  At the very least, you can then write an article for a local paper detailing the search.  \n\nIt will be easy if all the relevant records are properly indexed in computer data bases, but not all counties in the US are that up-to-date on their records.
703843
Most states have a program that requires financial institutions and other businesses to send them any unclaimed property.  This includes things like dormant bank accounts, unused gift certificates, unclaimed inheritance and things like that.  In order to find it, go to the website for the states you have lived in and you can find a link to their listing.  You look up your name and it tells you if they have anything in your name.
715695
I have no clue aside from finding where they kept their important files / papers / documents (car title, mortgage receipts, contracts, etc) and look  through them.\n\nUsually the closest relative has access to these papers.\nI would guess a slow painful manual search calling insurance companies giving them the name and address of the deceased may help, but would be as I said.., painfully slow.
14469
You can call your local county/city library and ask to speak with records (may be called something else, it varies from city to city. \n\nThere you can speak to customer service and ask them questions regarding deceased/still living. \n\nSomething similar happened to me. I didn't have the social security, all I had was a name. So long as you have a name and maybe where the person lives (lived), the county and so forth, they (the records person) should give you some assistance to at least say if she is still around.
918035
The easiest way would be to order a title search. The title report would disclose any liens against the property, who the current owner of record is, easements, mineral claims, etc.
340302
I'm sure you have gone thru her house and know which banks she banked with where she might have had a lock box?  Arkansas, where I live, allows you to pre-file some probate records before you die, check with your locality and see if anything is on record with the probate clerk.  Search everywhere in the house; my father stored stock certificates between the pages of his favorite magazines!  The attorney I work for also suggests to clients that if they don't have a safe or lock box, store valuable documents (sealed in plastic) in the freezer because if a fire occurs, the freezer usually withstands the fire.  Good luck.