mah79
04-27-2010, 07:59 PM
Hi Everyone,
I recently had the chance to watch the Dorothea Allen case again. Does anyone know if any of her heirs were located? I remember RS saying that if no heirs were located by the year 2002, then Dorothea's estate would revert back to the British government. 2002 was eight years ago, so I don't know what has come of it.
Dorothea's case intrigued me. Generally, the Lost Heirs cases are my favorite, because they make me wonder about "skeletons in the closet," or the deep mysteries of their pasts that they have guarded so closely. Also, I don't know if this sounds totally crazy, but Dorothea Allen is one Lost Heirs case that I didn't feel a lot of sympathy for. Normally, my heart goes out to other Lost heirs cases, like Kathryn Bennett, who grieved in seclusion for 10 years after her husband died, or Walter Rice, whose body was not found for more than a year after he died, or Howard Drummond. But Dorothea plainly did not want to be found. She took deliberate steps to conceal her identity, such as destroying her passport, refusing to make a will, and destroying old photographs too. I get the feeling that, if she could have built a separate coffin and taken her money with her to her grave, she sure would have! Dorothea reminds me so much of one of my great aunts that it is eerie. Like Dorothea, my aunt built a small fortune, but hers was in local NYC hotels, and she always believed that everyone was after her money. She was quite a ruthless businesswoman too...rumor had it that she even had her father (my great granddad) working as a janitor for her, and would yell at him if he did not clean the rooms right! My aunt died a dozen years ago, miserable and alone.
YOu know, as I reflect on my aunt, I wonder if the reason that no heirs were found for Dorothea is b/c she totally alienated herself from her family. Perhaps she has nieces, nephews, cousins, siblings, etc, who wanted nothing to do with her because of the kind of person she was. If she was ruthless in the workplace (counting the exact stitches, DEMANDING people walk out of her office backward) I could only imagine what she might have been like around family. This is exactly what happened to my aunt.
Anyhow, that's just a theory. I don't know how plausible it is, but it has often crossed my mind. I welcome any insight you might have!
I recently had the chance to watch the Dorothea Allen case again. Does anyone know if any of her heirs were located? I remember RS saying that if no heirs were located by the year 2002, then Dorothea's estate would revert back to the British government. 2002 was eight years ago, so I don't know what has come of it.
Dorothea's case intrigued me. Generally, the Lost Heirs cases are my favorite, because they make me wonder about "skeletons in the closet," or the deep mysteries of their pasts that they have guarded so closely. Also, I don't know if this sounds totally crazy, but Dorothea Allen is one Lost Heirs case that I didn't feel a lot of sympathy for. Normally, my heart goes out to other Lost heirs cases, like Kathryn Bennett, who grieved in seclusion for 10 years after her husband died, or Walter Rice, whose body was not found for more than a year after he died, or Howard Drummond. But Dorothea plainly did not want to be found. She took deliberate steps to conceal her identity, such as destroying her passport, refusing to make a will, and destroying old photographs too. I get the feeling that, if she could have built a separate coffin and taken her money with her to her grave, she sure would have! Dorothea reminds me so much of one of my great aunts that it is eerie. Like Dorothea, my aunt built a small fortune, but hers was in local NYC hotels, and she always believed that everyone was after her money. She was quite a ruthless businesswoman too...rumor had it that she even had her father (my great granddad) working as a janitor for her, and would yell at him if he did not clean the rooms right! My aunt died a dozen years ago, miserable and alone.
YOu know, as I reflect on my aunt, I wonder if the reason that no heirs were found for Dorothea is b/c she totally alienated herself from her family. Perhaps she has nieces, nephews, cousins, siblings, etc, who wanted nothing to do with her because of the kind of person she was. If she was ruthless in the workplace (counting the exact stitches, DEMANDING people walk out of her office backward) I could only imagine what she might have been like around family. This is exactly what happened to my aunt.
Anyhow, that's just a theory. I don't know how plausible it is, but it has often crossed my mind. I welcome any insight you might have!