Legal Question in Administrative Law in California

Hmmmmm. This doesn't sound like the right approach to establishing that you are the person who is the beneficiary of the trust. How would a photo of a four year old establish that she is the same person who is now forty? I suspect that the trustee, or whomever is asking you to prove your identity as the same person named in the trust, is either wrongly interpreting the law or trying to make collecting your inheritance difficult or impossible.

I do not practice in the area of wills, trusts and estates, but you should probably consult with a lawyer who is a specialist in this area and whose office is near you.

As to establishing your identity and former name, one starting point is to think about what pieces of ID or other official documents were issued to you prior to your name change. These might include a birth certificate, various school identification cards, a driver's license, perhaps a passport, a Social Security card, a marriage license, and perhaps more.

Then, think about each in the context of how it ties in to establishing the connection between your former name and your current name. A birth certificate, for example, might have a footprint. Many do. It would match your current footprint (except for size, of course) and would positively identify the current-day "you" as the person named in the certificate.

A Social Security card in your former name with the same number as your present number might help identify you....ask the SSA.

Perhaps the best evidence to tie you to your former name would be marriage records - the license, and the papers filed by the marriage officiant afterwards to show that the marriage had occurred. These can be obtained, probably, from the vital statistics office in the county where the license was obtained and the wedding performed.

None of these relies on photo evidence, which seems to me to be a red herring because an old photo and your present appearance is an extremely inferior method of proving identity.