WILLIAM B. TAYLOR
BLOODLINES: COVE POINT MANOR
The following two excerpts are from Bloodlines: Cove Point Manor
Family secrets can be buried, but they never die!
It had been almost 4 months since Alex had received an email from a law office in New York City. Alex had almost ignored the email at first, thinking it was the usual spam that filled his in-box, but the subject line “DNA Test Result Match” had caught his attention.
“Dear Mr. Tinsdill;
We were pleased to discover that your Y Chromosome DNA test, the results of which were posted online, matches without question, the DNA of one of our clients who has tasked us with finding their family members.
We wish to speak with you at your earliest convenience to discuss this matter, in confidence, and confirm your DNA test results are a match to our client’s.
Warmest regards,
Julia Wentworth, Senior Partner
Dunham, Taylor & Wentworth LLC”
Alex had almost dismissed the email, but the subject line intrigued him, so he decided to verify the sender and law firm to see if it was legitimate. He quickly Googled the law firm referenced in the email and found that it was a real company in New York City, and that there was, indeed, a Julia Wentworth listed as a partner. Alex was intrigued so he responded to the email with acknowledging receipt and that he would be willing to discuss the matter further. He included his cell phone number and hit ‘send’. Alex’s phone range within 5 minutes.
“Hello?” Alex said after seeing the caller ID on his phone was the New York law firm.
“Hello.” A female voice came back, “Am I speaking to Mr. Alexander Tinsdill?”
“Yes,” Alex answered, “this is Alex Tinsdill.”
There was a brief pause on the other end before the lady continued.
“Mr. Tinsdill, my name is Julia Wentworth, and my firm represents the estate of a client who has been looking for living family members.” The lady on the other end of the phone said. “Is this a convenient time for us to speak?”
“Yes,” Alex answered.
“Mr. Tinsdill, you recently took a Y DNA test, and posted those results online…am I correct?” Ms. Wentworth asked, her voice very formal.
“Yes.”
“Are you aware that the Y chromosome is unique to males, and that the Y chromosome is passed only from father to son in an unbroken line as long a male child is born?” Ms. Wentworth asked, sounding almost like she was cross examining Alex as a witness.
Alex was aware of how the Y-DNA test worked, and since he had been seeking information about his paternal lineage, it was the reason he had originally taken the test.
“Yes, I am aware of that” Alex replied, “but I am still not sure how this involves me. I have traced all my family back at several generations on both my mother’s and father’s sides of the family.”
There was another pause in the conversation before Ms. Wentworth spoke again.
“Mr. Tinsdill,” Julia said, her voice sounding very lawyer-like, “Do you happen to know the names of your paternal great-great grandparents?”
Alex didn’t know. He had been able to track back his lineage at least 6 generations on his maternal side, but on his paternal side, he had only been able to go back as far as his great-grandparents. Beyond his paternal great-grandparents, Alex had hit a dead end.
Alex knew that his great-grandparents had met while his great-grandfather was serving in France during World War I. His great-grandmother was French, and she had been working as a nurse. The two met when his great-grandfather had been wounded and they had fallen in love and married at the end of the war. After World War I, his great-grandfather had brought his new wife back to Canada and they had lived in a small town in eastern Ontario for the rest of their lives. Alex had assumed that his great-grandmother’s family records had been destroyed during WWI or WWII, although he never understood why there was no record of his great-grandfather’s existence in Canada prior to 1919. It was a mystery that had driven him to DNA testing.
“Y DNA testing is VERY accurate, Mr. Tinsdill, and your test results show a perfect match to that of our client. According to our experts, your paternal great-great grandfather was a man by the name of William Farnsworth.” Julia said.
When Alex did not respond, Julia continued speaking.
“We are confident that your great-grandfather was William Farnsworth’s son, Robert.”
“My paternal great grandfathers name was Richard Tinsdill.” Alex said, his voice sounding weak.
There was another pause on the line before Julia Wentworth spoke.
“DNA doesn’t lie, Mr. Tinsdill.” Julia answered, “The results are conclusive – you are a descendant of William Farnsworth.”
Alex didn’t respond, his mind reeling from the conversation he was having with the lawyer from New York. Alex’s great-grandfather was, at least to Alex’s knowledge, Canadian.
“Mr. Tinsdill?” Julia’s voice asked, “Are you still there?”
“I’m sorry,” Alex apologized, “Yes, I am still here.”
“I would like to have you come to my office in New York, so we can meet in person and discuss this matter more thoroughly.” Ms. Wentworth said flatly, “Mr. Farnsworth was quite wealthy, and this matter involves a rather large estate, and to date you are potentially the sole heir to that estate. The sooner you can get here the better. I can plan for you as soon as you are available.”
*******
Julia reached for a file which had been sitting on her desk and opened it. She took out a yellowed document but did not allow Alex to see it.
“This is the last will of William Farnsworth.” Julia said as she held the papers in front of her. “Mr. Farnsworth left his entire estate in trust to his son Robert, or anyone who could prove beyond a doubt that they were from his direct bloodline.”
Alex looked at Julia. Had the search really taken more than 80 years to find a direct descendant of William Farnsworth? Was he really the only descendant of William Farnsworth and now the sole heir to some American estate?
“How did you obtain DNA from William Farnsworth if he died in 1934?” Alex asked, confused. “DNA testing wasn’t available in the 1930’s.”
“Mr. Farnsworth’s remains were interred at the family crypt in Brooklyn.” Julia responded, “It is where all the Farnsworth family is interred, except for Robert Farnsworth. When no living relative could be found in America or back in Scotland, and the numerous searches for Robert Farnsworth came up empty, the estate remained in trust, as were the instructions of William Farnsworth. Mr. Farnsworth was convinced that one day his son, or descendants of his son, would be discovered.”
Alex continued to be fascinated by Julia’s story, but it still did not answer his question about how a sample of his great-great grandfather’s DNA had been obtained.
“When DNA testing became available, and the science behind it was proven to be accurate and foolproof, my firm petitioned the court and received the court’s approval to extract DNA from Mr. Farnsworth’s remains.” Julia explained, finally answering Alex’s question.
“It is through William Farnsworth’s DNA that we were able to match your DNA test results, Mr. Tinsdill. When you took your DNA test, and published the results making them public, the match automatically came to us. As you can see, the match between you and William Farnsworth is undeniable.” Julia said as she showed Alex the laboratory results.
“This is quite incredible, Ms. Wentworth.” Alex said as he looked at the lab report, “I would never have thought that a simple DNA test would have ended up with me sitting in a lawyer’s office in New York City.”
Julia smiled momentarily at Alex and then turned back to the will that she still held in her hand.
“Now, I will save you all of the details Mr. Tinsdill, but in short, your great-great grandfather’s estate is still very significant.” Julia stated in her best lawyer’s voice.
“How much of an estate are we talking about?” Alex asked, now more than just a little curious about his newfound inheritance.
“Well, there is Cove Point Manor, which is the house I mentioned earlier. It is located out on Long Island,” Julia began, “and has been very well preserved over the years. There is also a sum of money that has been held in an investment trust. Once we look after all the estate taxes and remove those amounts from the estate, you will receive just under $250 million.”
Julia’s words hit Alex like a truck, causing him to sink back in the big, overstuffed leather chair. For the first time in his life, Alex was speechless and was starting to feel a little lightheaded. $250 million and a mansion! It was all quite unreal, and Alex reached for his glass of water that Julia had earlier poured for him.
“Congratulations Mr. Tinsdill,” Julia said, smiling at Alex, “or should I call you Mr. Farnsworth?”
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