Death

[larkspur]

My cousin died just before Christmas. Is there any way I can enter this on her Ancestry profile or  tree. She gave me  access to her tree and DNA results but not to her account. I would just like to be able to inform anyone who may try and get in touch with her.

[Andy J2022]

Ancestry have a help page on this issue: https://support.ancestry.co.uk/s/article/Managing-a-Deceased-Person-s-Account

[larkspur]

Many thanks, I had seen that, but not much help. I need to be an executer etc. I suppose that Ancestry need solid proof as anyone could just mark a member down as deceased. Probably why so many people complain they never get an answer from a member!

[Andy J2022]

While you can't necessarily sort this out yourself, your cousin's executor can, and it should form part of their duties in winding up the estate. For instance, if your cousin was paying a subscription to Ancestry this will need to be cancelled. Plus, these days the digital records we leave behind when we die are increasingly being treated with much the same seriousness as our physical possessions. At the very least I would have thought that the executor should be asking for a complete digital copy of your cousin's Ancestry account

Added: If your cousin had done a DNA test with Ancestry, it is essential that your cousin's close relatives know what will happen to the original sample and any results held by Ancestry. Ideally these should be deleted unless the cousin's will or the family expressly permit them to be retained.

[larkspur]

Ok thank you for that.