But thousands die without or this or that,               
Die, and endow a college, or a cat:                      
To some, indeed, Heaven grants the happier fate,
T'enrich a bastard, or a son they hate.                   

Alexander Pope (1688-1744),
English satirical poet.
Epistle to Lord Bathurst

Texas Oil: A nine page letter from a man in Abilene, Texas came to me in 1982. The letter detailed my possible right to claim a part of the mineral rights that my great grandfather bought in 1919. The deal was simple: The writer, Pete O. Johnson, would do all of the work, appear in court in my behalf and front all expenses to secure the mineral rights. In exchange, Pete would receive one/third of whatever I received. I read and re-read that letter (and still have it if you would like to see a copy) and it seemed a fair deal to me. I had never known about my great grandfather's mineral venture. And would not know how to retrieve it if I did. So I went along with Pete's proposition. I did show Pete's letter to my lawyer first, and I did call the Better Business Bureau in Abilene. All being A-OK on those fronts, I was excited about the prospect of a small windfall, though Pete cautioned me "not to spend the money 'til I had it in hand." Good advice. For neither Pete nor I knew that my great grandfather had left a codicil to his will (an addition to the will, modifying its terms) and that this codicil left the "rest and residue" of his estate to a Youngstown, Ohio institution, an art museum that bears the family name to this day. My great grandfather died in 1927.

So I received nothing from the oil fields of Texas. Lesson well learned. You will see throughout the material that I have enclosed for you the admonition, the warning that 'nothing in this life is certain'. So I repeat those words again...Don't spend it 'til you have it. Pete also said in his letter that he liked to work for "cautious, skeptical people." I was cautious and skeptical. I received nothing personally from the oil fields, but the museum most certainly did. There really are pennies from heaven, you just don't know where they're going to land. So while there was no money for me, there was the seed of an idea, the chance to make something bigger out of a small disappointment. Pete was in Texas, I was in Ohio...why not team up? I could help Pete find missing mineral owners who were "east of the Mississippi." This I did, and with success.

My first assignment was to find "A.C. Smith", last known [in 1920] to be in Camden, New Jersey. I found a former neighbor of A.C. Smith in a nursing home who remembered that A.C. Smith's son had attended Rutgers. Old school records from Rutgers gave me the son's first name. It wasn't easy, but I did find A.C. Smith in Philadelphia. He received his money from Texas. Next it was William O. Fish of New York City. Again, in 1920. A lot of legwork later, I found a doorman who remembered his widow, found the widow's sister and from there to William's three daughters.

All of this and much more was taking place in 1983 and '84. I began to find other sorts of assets that were sitting idle, unclaimed. And this was important because, in the early 80's, we all thought oil would reach $50.00 a barrel. It was not to be (and just as well). In fact oil plummeted to $10.00 a barrel, making the Texas oil fields much less interesting as a source of missing or lost owners.

And in looking at the bigger picture, I was shocked, amazed at the vastness of unclaimed wealth in this country and abroad. We all know about the offices the states maintain to hold unclaimed money for people (and I know how little the states do to return this money...it is, after all, a huge source of revenue for the states). But beyond the states' offices (I never mess with state unclaimed money) there were tremendous sources of money, land, stocks, you name it, all being held by someone for a missing and unknown owner. There was a business to be built here, and I was willing to do it. From 1983 until about 1988, I logged a lot of miles in my old Subaru, stayed in cheap hotels and spent my days in courthouses and libraries. My tracking of lost people was rudimentary. Time and miles, a lot of letters written, 'phone calls, dead ends, false leads. I was inventing the procedure as I went along.

Time is a great teacher. By 1989, my little business had grown. With good people here and with the strong ties I have developed with other companies in this business, and investigators available throughout the U.S. and abroad, Josh Butler & Company has grown meteorically.

I started with a folding table in the attic of my home, moved to a one room office, then to a two room office. I expanded to five rooms in 1990 and in 1991 bought the old Free Methodist Church of New Middletown, Ohio. After ten years in New Middletown, I moved the office to the Commerce Building in Youngstown, Ohio. In all, we have about thirty two hundred square feet devoted to offices, libraries and research area. We maintain a very substantial collection of city directories, aging telephone books, Who's Who volumes, thousands of microfiche and extensive computer databases in house and on line. We have six telephone lines, two copiers, two fax machines and more computers than I care to count.

And all of these many years later, Pete Johnson and I are still good friends and still cooperate on cases.

Growth takes its toll, though. There was a time when I wrote all of the letters and answered the 'phone myself. Chief cook and bottle washer. I would still like to write to each of you personally, and take every call. Our size and volume forbids this, but please know that I am personally available to you if there is ever the need.

Pete Johnson taught me the business, showed me how to walk into a courthouse and come out with what I need (I once found a man because he had taken the time to license his dog. Thank you, Pete!). There are other individuals and companies who do what I do, or some variation of it. I know most of these companies, certainly the reputable ones. I am now and have been (since 1991) the President of the International Probate Research Association, a non-profit professional association with 12 members from the U.S., Canada and Europe. I am justifiably proud of my business and the staff that makes it possible. If I were not, I can promise you it would not have my name on it. We are here to serve you, to provide you with a genuine service. Nothing less will do. - Josh Butler, President A NOTE, To Attorneys, Banks, Executors etc., etc., who are considering retaining our services...This letter speaks for itself. We want you to know that you will be well and properly represented to the claimants of assets you hold. We earn our reputation daily. Maintaining your reputation is part of our business. "You might as well get the best."

"Found with the assistance of the County Dog Licensing Office."