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Film, Video A Hoax in the Family: The Buchanan Estate Scam

Transcript: TEXT

About this Item

Title

  • A Hoax in the Family: The Buchanan Estate Scam

Summary

  • This extreme example of genealogy-gone-bad is a lesson to all of us about how to avoid stealthy pitfalls in family history research. It began when a grocer in Texas seized on a scheme to rally weary spirits, as the Great Depression drained hopes and finances across the country. He announced an $850,000,000.00 estate to be distributed among the eligible heirs of a vague ancestor. Before it was proven in Civil Court to be a complete fabrication, hopeful heirs of the estate scam overwhelmed the United States Postal System, New York Surrogate Courts, and Library of Congress. Tune in to this video to learn more about this event in history.

Event Date

  • November 16, 2021

Running Time

  • 44 minutes 22 seconds

Online Format

  • video
  • image
  • online text

Rights & Access

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Credit Line: Library of Congress

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

A Hoax in the Family: The Buchanan Estate Scam. 2021. Video. https://www.loc.gov/item/webcast-10099/.

APA citation style:

(2021) A Hoax in the Family: The Buchanan Estate Scam. [Video] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/webcast-10099/.

MLA citation style:

A Hoax in the Family: The Buchanan Estate Scam. 2021. Video. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/webcast-10099/>.