A few years ago a distant relative died (only child, no living first cousins, etc.) and I wanted to contact person who made funeral arrangements (first cousin once removed of deceased) so I wrote a letter explaining who I was and what information I was looking for as well as offering to send them family details. I put my return address & stamp on the letter and brought it to the funeral home asking it to be forwarded.
Even better than I'd hoped for, the receptionist rang while I was there and I was able to speak on the phone. Turned out the person wasn't interested in family history and delegated clearing out the house (where 3 previous generations had lived) to an old friend of deceased's. The friend was lovely and delighted that I actually wanted old family photos as he hated the thought of throwing them out!
