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Secret heirs

Hidden children, impostors and claimants, and the paternity tests, exhumations and courts that decided who was family.

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What do the secret heirs estate cases show?

Without a will, state intestacy law picks the heirs, and the court must rule on every claim of kinship before the estate can be divided. Control of a body passes to the legal next of kin, so a guardian acting for a 5-month-old child can outrank the dead woman's mother and partner.

Stories
61
Years
1519 to 2024
Main regions
North America, Europe, East Asia
Legal traditions
Common law, Civil law
Updated
30 October 2026

Every case in secret heirs, best-known first

Best-known first: cases from 1900 on, then the United States, then Europe, and the people most read about on English Wikipedia each month. Fiction, scripture and legend come last.

Prince at Coachella 001: Prince performing at Coachella 2008.2016 · Paisley Park, Chanhassen, Minnesota, USAPrince died without a will, more than 45 people claimed to be his relatives, and his estate took 6 years and a tax court case to dividePrince was found unresponsive in an elevator at Paisley Park in Chanhassen, Minnesota, on 21 April 2016, aged 57. An autopsy found fentanyl toxicity. He left no will, spouse or children.nbcwashington.com and 16 moreAnna Nicole Smith: Anna Nicole Smith2007 · Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood, Florida, UAnna Nicole Smith's body went to her 5-month-old daughter's guardian after a Florida judge wept through the ruling, and DNA named the girl's fatherAnna Nicole Smith gave birth to a daughter, Dannielynn, in the Bahamas on 7 September 2006. Three days later her son Daniel, 20, died in her hospital room. The Bahamian birth certificate named her lawyer and companion Howard K.cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov and 7 moreSteve Jobs: Steve Jobs Headshot 2010 (cropped 4)2011 · Palo Alto, CaliforniaSteve Jobs swore he was sterile to avoid paying for his daughter, lost on a blood test, and later left her millionsLisa Nicole Brennan was born on 17 May 1978 at a commune outside Portland, Oregon, to Chrisann Brennan and Steve Jobs. Jobs denied he was her father for more than two years.fortune.com and 2 moreMichael Crichton: MichaelCrichton 22008 · Los Angeles, California, USAMichael Crichton's son was born after his death and left out of his will; in 2024 his estate sued Warner Bros., calling The Pitt an ER rebootMichael Crichton, the author of "Jurassic Park," created the NBC series "ER" and secured a "frozen rights" clause barring Warner Bros. from sequels, remakes or spinoffs without his consent, or his estate's after his death.NBC News and 5 moreLoretta Young: Loretta young studio portrait1960 · Los Angeles, CaliforniaLoretta Young hid her daughter by Clark Gable in orphanages, then "adopted" her, and admitted the truth only in a book published after her deathIn 1935 Loretta Young became pregnant by Clark Gable during the filming of The Call of the Wild. Gable was married. Young hid the pregnancy. Their daughter, Judy, was born on 6 November 1935.The New York Times and 2 moreZsa Zsa Gabor: Zsa Zsa Gabor - 19592016 · Los Angeles, CaliforniaA former baker bought a prince's title by adult adoption, sold it on to adopted sons, and became Zsa Zsa Gabor's heirHans Robert Lichtenberg was born in Wallhausen, Germany, on 18 June 1943. He trained as a baker and ran men's saunas.goodmorningamerica.com and 4 moreCharles Lindbergh: Charles Lindbergh (Harris & Ewing photo, cropped)1974 · Kipahulu, Maui, HawaiiCharles Lindbergh had seven secret children in Germany, confirmed by DNA 29 years after his deathCharles Lindbergh flew the Atlantic alone in 1927.mnhs.org and 2 moreStrom Thurmond: Strom Thurmond, c 1961 (cropped)2003 · Edgefield, South CarolinaStrom Thurmond's family confirmed his Black daughter six months after his death, and South Carolina added her name to his monumentEssie Mae Butler was born on 12 October 1925 in Edgefield, South Carolina. Her mother, Carrie Butler, was 16 and worked as a maid for Thurmond's parents. Strom Thurmond was 22 and unmarried.The New York Times and 4 moreJohn D. Rockefeller: Portrait of J. D. Rockefeller1906 · Freeport, IllinoisJohn D. Rockefeller's father lived 50 years as "Dr. Levingston" with a second wife and was buried under the false nameWilliam Avery Rockefeller married Eliza Davison, and their son John D. Rockefeller was born in 1839.Library of Congress and 4 moreWarren G. Harding: Warren G. Harding 1920s portrait (3x4 cropped)1923 · San Francisco, CaliforniaNan Britton lost her libel suit over Warren Harding's daughter in 1931, and DNA proved the daughter was his in 2015Nan Britton was born in Harding's hometown of Marion, Ohio, in 1896. Her daughter, Elizabeth Ann, was born on 22 October 1919 in Asbury Park, New Jersey, and was raised by Britton's aunt and uncle in Athens, Ohio.The New York Times and 4 moreJ. P. Morgan: J.P. Morgan (cropped)1941 · Ponca City, OklahomaOklahoma oilman E.W. Marland annulled his adoption of his wife's niece and married her, then lost his company to J.P. Morgan's bankersE.W. Marland lost his first fortune in the Panic of 1907, moved to Ponca City in 1908 and struck oil in June 1911. By 1927 Marland Oil had 550 service stations in 11 states. He and his wife Virginia had no children.okhistory.org and 4 moreAI illustration: The towers of Century City, Los Angeles, 20202020 · Century City, Los AngelesSteve Bing's father asked a court to rule that Bing's two children born outside marriage were not his grandchildren, and lostSteve Bing inherited about $600 million at 18 from his grandfather Leo S. Bing, a New York real estate developer. He had two children outside marriage.wealthmanagement.com and 3 moreAndrew Carnegie: Andrew Carnegie, by Theodore Marceau (cropped) (2)1907 · Ohio State Penitentiary, ColumbusCassie Chadwick said she was Andrew Carnegie's illegitimate daughter, borrowed against forged Carnegie notes, and broke an Ohio bankElizabeth Bigley was born in Ontario in 1857. In 1889 she was convicted of forgery in Toledo and sentenced to nine and a half years. She was paroled in 1893.case.edu and 3 moreAI illustration: A small churchyard at Laugardælir, Iceland, in winter light, 20102008 · Reykjavík, IcelandIceland exhumed Bobby Fischer to test a girl's paternity claim, and the DNA said noBobby Fischer became world chess champion by beating Boris Spassky in Reykjavík in 1972. Wanted in the United States for playing a 1992 match in Yugoslavia, he was given Icelandic citizenship in 2005.UPI and 4 moreAI illustration: The Supreme Court of Spain in Madrid2014 · MadridSpain's Supreme Court admitted a paternity suit against Juan Carlos I, then threw it out 7 votes to 3Juan Carlos I reigned from 1975 until his abdication in June 2014. As king he was inviolable. Two people said he was their parent.legaltoday.com and 4 moreAlain Delon: Alain Delon 19612024 · Douchy-Montcorbon, Loiret, FranceAlain Delon never acknowledged the son his mother raised, and French courts ruled the claim too late after both men diedIn August 1962 the German singer Nico gave birth to a son, Christian Aaron, near Paris and named Alain Delon as the father. Delon admitted a relationship with her but never acknowledged the boy and never took a DNA test.ici.fr and 5 moreH. L. Hunt: H. L. Hunt (American oil magnate, 1965)1974 · Dallas, TexasOilman H.L. Hunt had three families with 15 children, and the wife from his bigamous marriage sued his heirs four years after his deathH.L. Hunt made one of the largest oil fortunes in America from the East Texas field. He married Lyda Bunker in November 1914 and had seven children with her.UPI and 3 moreThomas Jefferson: Rembrandt Peale - Thomas Jefferson title QS:P1476,en:"Rembrandt Peale - Thomas Jefferson "label QS:Len,"Rembrandt Peale 1826 · Monticello, Albemarle County, VirginiaThomas Jefferson's will freed his two youngest sons by Sally Hemings, and his debts sent 130 enslaved people to auctionJefferson owed about $100,000 in his last months. In February 1826 the Virginia General Assembly approved a lottery to raise money for him.nature.com and 4 moreAI illustration: Dental floss in a kitchen bin in Beverly Hills, 20022015 · Beverly Hills, CaliforniaKirk Kerkorian's investigator took Steve Bing's dental floss from the trash and proved Kerkorian's "daughter" was Bing's childKirk Kerkorian built MGM Grand and controlled the MGM film studio through his holding company, Tracinda. In 1999 he married Lisa Bonder, a former professional tennis player 48 years younger. The marriage lasted about one month.dailyjournal.com and 4 moreW. C. Fields: W. C. Fields, NPG 94 461946 · Pasadena, CaliforniaW.C. Fields paid his son's mother $20,000 to deny he was the father, and his will's orphan college lost to the wife he never divorcedW.C. Fields married Harriet "Hattie" Hughes in 1900. Their son, William Claude Fields Jr., was born in 1904. The couple separated by 1907 and never divorced, and Fields paid her an allowance until he died.The New York Times and 2 moreFrançois Mitterrand: President François Mitterrand in 1983 (cropped)1996 · ParisFrançois Mitterrand's secret daughter walked behind his coffin after the state had paid to hide herFrançois Mitterrand died of prostate cancer in Paris eight months after leaving office. On 11 January 1996 there were two ceremonies: a mass at Notre-Dame in Paris and a burial at his hometown, Jarnac.fr-academic.com and 3 morePrince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld: Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld 19762004 · Utrecht, NetherlandsPrince Bernhard denied a secret daughter to the Lockheed inquiry, then left her and a second one a sixth of his estate eachPrince Bernhard married Princess Juliana in 1937; she reigned from 1948 to 1980. In 1976 a government inquiry, the Commissie van Drie, found that Lockheed had sent $1.1 million in bribes meant for him.nos.nl and 4 moreAI illustration: A notarized paper on a New York lawyer's desk, 1970s1973 · New YorkMario Lalli called Robert "my son" in a notarized paper, and the Supreme Court still let New York shut him out of the estateMario Lalli died in New York on 7 January 1973 without a will. His widow, Rosamond Lalli, became administratrix. Robert Lalli said he was Mario's son, born outside marriage, and asked for an accounting of the estate.Cornell Law School, LII and 1 moreCarlos Menem: Menem con banda presidencial2021 · Buenos Aires, ArgentinaArgentine president Carlos Menem's son from his prison-era affair was recognised by a court only in 2006, after his mother's deathIn 1981 the military regime held Carlos Menem, then a former governor of La Rioja, in internal exile in Las Lomitas, Formosa.pagina12.com.ar and 2 moreAI illustration: Polo ponies on the field at Wellington, Florida2010 · Wellington, FloridaA polo club founder adopted his 42-year-old girlfriend after a fatal drunk-driving crash, giving her a share of his children's trustJohn Goodman's family sold Goodman Manufacturing to Apollo Management for about $1.43 billion in 2004. He founded the International Polo Club Palm Beach.abcnews.com and 3 moreAI illustration: The Supreme Court of the United States building, Washington2002 · FloridaTwins conceived after their father's death were denied his Social Security benefits by a unanimous Supreme CourtRobert and Karen Capato married in May 1999. Soon after, Robert was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. Told chemotherapy might leave him sterile, he deposited semen at a sperm bank, where it was frozen.Cornell Law School, LII and 2 moreCharles Kuralt 1976 CBS publicity1997 · New York CityCBS newsman Charles Kuralt kept a second family for 29 years, and a letter from his hospital bed gave his mistress his Montana landCharles Kuralt was CBS's roving reporter on "On the Road." In 1968 he met Patricia Elizabeth Shannon in Reno. For 29 years he kept a relationship with her while married to Suzanna "Petie" Baird.FindLaw Caselaw and 3 moreAI illustration: Frozen sample vials lifted in a rack from a steaming liquid-nitrogen tank, early 1990s, unlabelled1991 · Las Vegas, Nevada; estate probated in Los AngelesA Los Angeles man willed 15 vials of his sperm to his girlfriend before killing himself, and his children asked the court to destroy themIn October 1991 William Everett Kane, 48, deposited 15 vials of sperm at California Cryobank in Los Angeles and authorised release to Deborah Hecht, his partner of about five years.Caselaw Access Project, Harvard Law School and 3 moreAI illustration: An old car parked on a Chicago street, 1970s1974 · Chicago, IllinoisA court had ordered Sherman Gordon to support his daughter, but Illinois gave his only asset, a $2,500 car, to his parents and siblingsSherman Gordon lived in Chicago with Jessie Trimble and their daughter, Deta Mona, from 1970. On 2 January 1973 an Illinois circuit court found him to be Deta Mona's father and ordered him to pay $15 a week in support.Cornell Law School, LIIAI illustration: A farmhouse in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, late 1960s1968 · Rapides Parish, LouisianaEzra Vincent signed a paper acknowledging his daughter, and in 1971 the Supreme Court let his brothers and sisters take his whole estateEnglish common law called a child born outside marriage filius nullius, the child of no one, with no right to inherit from either parent.Cornell Law School, LII and 3 moreAI illustration: Blank adoption papers and a fountain pen on an empty court clerk's desk in Louisville, Kentucky, 1959, no people1959 · Louisville, KentuckyA Kentucky man adopted his own wife so she could inherit from his mother's trust, and the court refusedAmelia S. Minary signed her will on 4 April 1932 and died that year. It created a trust paying income to her husband Thomas and their three sons, James, Thomas Helm and Alfred.Caselaw Access Project, Harvard Law School and 1 moreFausto Coppi: Fausto Coppi, Tour de France 1952 01 (cropped)1960 · Tortona, ItalyFausto Coppi's son was born in Argentina so he could carry the Coppi name, because Italian law made him another man's sonFausto Coppi won the Giro d'Italia five times and the Tour de France twice. He married Bruna Ciampolini in 1945, and their daughter Marina was born in 1947.Internet Archive and 4 moreKarl Wilhelm Naundorff: Naundorff11845 · Delft, NetherlandsKarl Wilhelm Naundorff sued the Bourbons as the lost son of Louis XVI, and DNA from the boy's heart ended the claim in 2000Louis-Charles, son of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, died in the Temple prison in Paris on 8 June 1795, aged 10. At the autopsy the physician Philippe-Jean Pelletan took his heart.Wikipedia (English) and 2 moreChristabel Russell: Christabel and Geoffrey Russell, 19241973 · England; buried at Chenies, BuckinghamshireChristabel Russell said she was a virgin when her son was conceived, and the House of Lords made him heir to the Ampthill baronyJohn Russell, heir to the 2nd Baron Ampthill, married Christabel Hart on 18 October 1918. The marriage was not fully consummated. In 1921 Christabel found she was about five months pregnant.UK Parliament, Hansard and 3 more1583 portrait of Sir Francis Drake1943 · Medical Center for Federal Prisoners, Springfield, MissouriOscar Hartzell sold shares in a $22 billion Sir Francis Drake estate that did not exist, and about 70,000 Midwesterners paidSir Francis Drake died in 1596. In 1915 two promoters, Sudie Whiteaker and Milo Lewis, told Iowans named Drake that his estate had never been settled and had grown for 300 years. Oscar Hartzell's mother put in about $6,000.Caselaw Access Project, Harvard Law School and 4 moreAI illustration: Bundles of cash and bonds in a shoebox in a room of the Herald Square Hotel, New York, 19321932 · Herald Square Hotel, New YorkA recluse died in a New York hotel with a fortune in cash, 1,103 people claimed it, and the 10 real heirs had never met herEllen Walsh was born in Oldham, England, in 1838 to an Irish peddler. In 1857, aged 19, she moved to New York and called herself Ida Mayfield, daughter of a Louisiana sugar planter named Henry Mayfield. The planter did not exist.Smithsonian Magazine and 2 moreAI illustration: Claimants to the Garrett estate queue to file at Philadelphia City Hall, 1930s1930 · Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaA Philadelphia widow left $17 million and no will, and 26,000 people claimed to be her heirsHenrietta E. Garrett, born Schaeffer, died intestate as to a residuary estate of over $17,000,000. Nearly 26,000 claims were filed in the Orphans' Court of Philadelphia County by people saying they were her next of kin.Caselaw Access Project, Harvard Law School and 2 moreJames Smithson: James Smithson title QS:P1476,en:"James Smithson "label QS:Len,"James Smithson "1829 · GenoaA duke's illegitimate son left his fortune to the United States, which used it to found the SmithsonianJames Smithson was born in Paris about 1765 as Jacques-Louis Macie, the illegitimate son of Elizabeth Hungerford Keate Macie and Hugh Percy, 1st Duke of Northumberland.siris-sihistory.si.edu and 2 moreRichard Mentor Johnson1850 · Frankfort, KentuckyVice President Richard Mentor Johnson's daughter was ruled illegitimate, and a Kentucky court gave his estate to his brothersRichard Mentor Johnson inherited Julia Chinn, an enslaved mixed-race woman, when his father died in 1815.Library of Congress and 4 moreChiang Ching-kuo 19481988 · Taipei, TaiwanChiang Ching-kuo never acknowledged his twin sons, and one of them took the Chiang name 63 years laterChang Ya-juo was a mistress of Chiang Ching-kuo, son of Chiang Kai-shek. On 1 March 1942 she gave birth to twin boys in Guilin.cna.com.tw and 5 moreVita Sackville-West: Vita as a married woman1908 · Knole, Sevenoaks, KentLord Sackville's son by a married Spanish dancer sued for Knole and the peerage, and the court ruled all her children illegitimateLionel Sackville-West met the Spanish dancer Pepita, born Josefa Durán, in Paris in 1852. She had married Juan Antonio de la Oliva in Madrid in January 1851 and never divorced him. Oliva lived until 1888.Internet Archive and 4 moreAI illustration: A baronet's family tree and a DNA test kit on a library table, 20132013 · United KingdomA DNA test showed a baronet's grandfather was not his father's son, and the Privy Council gave the title to a cousinSir Norman Hamilton Pringle was born on 13 May 1903, seven months after his parents married on 16 October 1902.bailii.org and 3 moreAI illustration: Probate files tied with tape on a shelf in a Saarland district court, 19981998 · Saarland, GermanyA German woman born in 1948 lost her father's estate to relatives he never met, and Europe's human rights court ruled for herBrigitte Brauer was born in 1948 in Oberschwöditz, in what became East Germany. Her father, Mr Schildgen, recognised her a few months after the birth. He lived in West Germany.European Court of Human Rights and 3 moreAI illustration: A blank official certificate form with ruled boxes, one box left empty, on a registry office counter, England, 1990s, all lines blank with no writing1995 · Nottinghamshire, EnglandA British widow had her dead husband's sons abroad, then fought until Parliament let his name go on their birth certificatesStephen Blood fell into a coma with bacterial meningitis in early 1995. At his wife Diane's request, doctors took sperm from him before he died. The couple had been trying for a child.legislation.gov.uk and 3 moreAlbert II of Monaco: Albert II - 08.06.2025 - Encontro com Sua Alteza o Príncipe de Mônaco, Alberto II (54574973880)1993 · MonacoAlbert II of Monaco acknowledged two children born outside marriage, and Monaco's constitution keeps both off the throneArticle 10 of Monaco's constitution gives the throne only to the prince's "direct and legitimate" descendants.legimonaco.mc and 2 moreAI illustration: A white exhumation tent among the graves of Père Lachaise cemetery at night, 19981991 · Senlis, FranceA French court declared Yves Montand a girl's father after his death, and his body was exhumed to test itYves Montand, born Ivo Livi, was one of France's biggest singing and film stars. He died of a heart attack at Senlis on 9 November 1991, aged 70, and was buried at Père-Lachaise beside his wife Simone Signoret.The Irish Times and 2 moreAI illustration: The European Court of Human Rights building in Strasbourg1990 · FranceFrench law gave a child born of adultery half a share of his mother's estate until Europe's human rights court ruled against it in 2000Claude Mazurek was born in Avignon in 1942. His mother was married to another man when he was conceived, which made him an "adulterine" child under the French Civil Code.European Court of Human Rights and 2 moreFrederick Berkeley, 5th Earl of Berkeley: A-noble-commander-from-South-Gloucester-taken-on-the-Steyne-at-Brighton1810 · EnglandThe Earl of Berkeley's eldest son was ruled illegitimate in 1811 after the church register entry for a secret 1785 marriage proved forgedFrederick Augustus, 5th Earl of Berkeley, lived with Mary Cole, daughter of a publican and butcher. They had seven sons and five daughters.Internet Archive and 3 moreTichborne case: TichborneTryptich1898 · LondonA Wapping butcher's son claimed the Tichborne baronetcy, and a 188-day perjury trial sent him to prison for 14 yearsRoger Tichborne, born in Paris on 5 January 1829, was heir to a Hampshire baronetcy whose estates, including the 2,290-acre Tichborne Park, paid over £20,000 a year.UK Parliament, Hansard and 4 moreAmanda America Dickson: Amanda America Dickson 0011885 · Hancock County, GeorgiaA Georgia planter left his estate to his daughter by an enslaved girl, and his white relatives lost their challenge in 1887David Dickson was one of the eight richest planters in Hancock County. When he was 40 he raped Julia Frances Lewis, a 12-year-old girl he enslaved. Their daughter, Amanda America Dickson, was born on 20 November 1849.Caselaw Access Project, Harvard Law School and 3 moreAI illustration: The Committee for Privileges room in the House of Lords, Westminster1991 · Manila, PhilippinesA fugitive baron died in Manila with two infant sons by two women, and the Lords gave his title to his half-brother after DNA ruled out one boy and bigamy the otherAntony Moynihan became 3rd Baron Moynihan in 1965 and sat in the Lords as a Liberal whip.publications.parliament.uk and 4 moreJohn Bentinck, 5th Duke of Portland: 5th Duke of Portland bust1879 · LondonA widow said the Duke of Portland had faked his own death as a London shopkeeper, and the coffin was opened to settle itWilliam John Cavendish-Bentinck-Scott, 5th Duke of Portland, never married. He built tunnels and underground rooms beneath Welbeck Abbey and was succeeded by a cousin as 6th Duke.University of Nottingham and 2 moreAI illustration: A blood sample vial beside a tied bundle of plain court files in a New Delhi courtroom, 2012, unlabelled2018 · New Delhi, IndiaA Delhi court forced a former chief minister to give blood for a paternity test; his son won, and was killed a year after the father diedNarayan Dutt Tiwari was chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and later of Uttarakhand. In 2008 Rohit Shekhar filed a suit in the Delhi High Court saying Tiwari was his biological father; his mother was Ujjwala Sharma. Tiwari resisted.indiatoday.in and 4 moreAI illustration: The Constitutional Court of Indonesia in Jakarta2011 · Gleneagles Hospital, SingaporeA singer's son by a Suharto minister changed Indonesian law: children born outside marriage can now claim their fathersMoerdiono was Indonesia's State Secretary under President Suharto from 1988 to 1998. On 20 December 1993 he married the singer Machica Mochtar in a siri ceremony, a religious marriage never registered with the state.nasional.kompas.com and 2 moreSupreme Court of Japan: Supreme Court of Japan (10357245203)2001 · Tokyo, JapanJapan's Supreme Court struck down the half-share rule for children born outside marriage in 2013, 18 years after upholding itArticle 900(4) of Japan's Civil Code gave a child born outside marriage half the inheritance share of a child born in marriage.courts.go.jp and 2 moreMartin Guerre: Thumbnail (5)1560 · Artigat, County of Foix, FranceAn impostor lived as Martin Guerre for three years, took his wife and land, and was hanged when the real Martin walked into courtMartin Guerre, a peasant heir in the Pyrenean village of Artigat, married Bertrande de Rols at about 14. In 1548, accused of stealing grain from his father, he disappeared. In summer 1556 a man arrived claiming to be Martin.Internet Archive and 3 moreOlivia Serres: Engraving of Olivia Serres1834 · LondonA house painter's daughter claimed to be a royal princess, and a jury ruled her proofs forged in 1866 without hearing the Crown's full replyOlivia Wilmot was born in Warwick on 3 April 1772, the daughter of a house painter. She married the marine painter John Thomas Serres in 1791 and separated from him in 1804.Wikisource (primary text) and 2 moreLady Jane Douglas: Crop of Portrait-Of-Lady-Jane-Douglas,-Full-Length,-As-A-Shepherdess-Seated-In-A-Landscape1827 · ScotlandLady Jane Douglas said she gave birth to twins in Paris at 50, and the Duke of Hamilton sued to prove her son was a stolen childArchibald, 1st Duke of Douglas, had no children. His sister Lady Jane Douglas, born in March 1698, married Colonel John Stewart in secret on 4 August 1746.Wikisource (primary text) and 3 moreTrinity Church (Manhattan): Trinity Church (1788-1839), Broadway at Wall Street, New York1738 · New York CityDescendants of a 1640s settler sued Trinity Church for downtown Manhattan, and courts ruled the church's 230 years of possession beat their claimIn 1705 Queen Anne granted Trinity Church the King's Farm on the west side of lower Manhattan. Claimants have tried to take it back for 240 years.Caselaw Access Project, Harvard Law School and 3 moreJames Annesley: James Annesley, (1715-1760), Claimant to the Annesley Peerage1760 · Lee, near LondonAn uncle shipped his 12-year-old nephew to America as a servant to take the Anglesey titles, and a Dublin jury found for the nephew in 1743Arthur Annesley, 4th Baron Altham, died in 1727. His son James, born in County Wexford in 1715, was heir to the Altham title and, through it, to the earldom of Anglesey and its Irish estates.Internet Archive and 2 moreLeonardo da Vinci: Portrait of Leonardo da Vincilabel QS:Len,"Portrait of Leonardo da Vinci"label QS:Les,"Retrato de Leonardo da Vinci"labe1519 · Clos Lucé, Amboise, FranceLeonardo da Vinci's legitimate half-brothers cut him out of their father's estate, and his will still left them money and landLeonardo was born on 15 April 1452 near Vinci, the illegitimate first child of the notary Piero da Vinci and Caterina di Meo Lippi. Piero married four times and had at least 16 legitimate children, the last born after his death.Treccani and 2 more