Ruben Nicolai (46) will be back from Wednesday evening with a new season of ‘The Heir’, in which he is looking for heirs who are entitled to a decent inheritance. In the first episode of the second series, Ruben immediately follows an impressive family tree of John Vredevoort, which leads him to England and Australia.
“It’s wonderful to learn more about my family history”
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With a few details from two heirs, the presenter goes through the family tree in this first episode. In it he discovers all kinds of impressive events. For example, a family member was killed when allies fired on the train he was on. He also reads about a foreign love. Ultimately, his search takes him to England and Australia.
Together with heir researcher Klaas Zondervan, Ruben re-examines every case. They soon come to the two heirs, because they have the names of: Mrs. Heutink-Veldkamp and Mr. Veldkamp. They are the heirs of a man named Vredevoort by his last name. The best man was born in 1934 in Apeldoorn and died in 2003 in Haarlemmermeer. This concerns an amount of more than five thousand euros, for both persons.
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When Ruben does more research on John Vredevoort, he learns that the testator’s father was killed in a shooting on a train in Germany during the war. Several dozen people were killed, including the father of John Vredevoort.
He also discovers that the testator had no brothers or sisters, so he had to look for uncles and aunts. And guess what? The aunt – on her mother’s side – was married to a man named Veldkamp. The two heirs are two of this aunt’s five children. Gretel and Johannes Jantinus.
Klaas also finds the death certificate of Grietje, the testator’s niece. She passed away in 2007, it turns out. In Grietje’s archive and will it is stated that it does not concern children, but because of the will there is an heir.
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When Ruben further investigates Johannes Jantinus, he discovers that he has to go to England. London, to be exact. There it appears that Johannes is married to Hubertina Knooren. The two stayed at the time of the marriage in a hotel, which was known as a place where mainly Dutch people stayed. After that they emigrated to Australia, together with their two children: Franciscus (Frank) and Jan (John).
With the help of an Australian heritage researcher, Ruben gets in touch with John, who then tells that there are two more children: a younger sister and brother, Dianne and Claude. He also tells us that his father passed away in 1998. When Ruben brings up the name of John Vredevoort, the man has no idea who he is talking about. “I know very little about my father’s family,” he says. All in all, John and his brothers and sister will all receive approximately 1,300 euros, as an inheritance from John Vredevoort. “It’s wonderful to learn about my family history.”
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But what about the other part, which was intended for Gretel? The notary has received an address from Grietje’s heirs. It is a couple that was ‘nothing at all’ of Grietje. The woman, Christine, got to know her through her work. “She was always very alone and something has grown that way. More care has arisen for her.” Eventually Christine and Grietje became very close. “She even sometimes called me her daughter when we were with a doctor.”
Ruben finally explains how his search for Christine ended. Christine is ‘flabbergasted’ when she hears that she will receive more than 5100 euros, as an inheritance from Grietje. “I’ll look her up again if I can find her, because I’ve scattered her too. It’s amazing, really.”
Episodes from The Heir missed? Watch the broadcasts here back.
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