Section 254. Service of citation

A citation to the persons interested must
  be served on all parties, other than the petitioner, who are  interested
  in the fund, including sureties of the committee or conservator; but the
  court  may,  in  its  discretion,  dispense  with  the  service  on such
  incompetent person or conservatee, and,  if  the  time  limited  by  due
  advertisement for presentation of claims has expired before the issue of
  citation, creditors who have not duly presented their claims need not be
  served.  The  court  may, by order, direct such citation to be served on
  creditors who have presented claims accompanied by post-office  address,
  as  provided  in  section two hundred and fifty, by depositing a copy of
  the same at least twenty days prior to the return  day  thereof  in  the
  post-office  at  the place where such committee or conservator, resides,
  duly inclosed and directed to each of such creditors at the  post-office
  address  specified  by him as provided in section two hundred and fifty,
  with the postage prepaid, and publishing such citation once in each week
  for at least four weeks  prior  to  such  return  day  in  one  or  more
  newspapers  to  be designated by the court as most likely to give notice
  to such creditors. A citation personally served within the county  where
  such  incompetent  person  or  conservatee  resided  at  the time of his
  becoming incompetent  or  incapable  of  managing  his  affairs,  or  an
  adjoining  county,  must be served at least eight days before the return
  thereof; if in any other county, at least fifteen days before the return
  thereof. The court may direct service to be made by publication, when it
  is satisfied by affidavit or verified petition, either that  the  person
  to  be  served  is unknown or that his residence can not, after diligent
  inquiry, be ascertained, or that he can not,  after  due  diligence,  be
  found  within  the state. The order for such service must direct service
  of the citation upon such person to be made by  publication  thereof  in
  one  newspaper  to  be  designated  by  the court as most likely to give
  notice to the person to be served once a week for four weeks, and that a
  copy of the citation be forthwith  deposited  in  the  post-office  duly
  inclosed  and  directed to each person so served at his last known place
  of residence or post-office address, and the postage  paid  thereon,  at
  least  thirty  days  before the return day thereof. When publication has
  been ordered, personal service without the state  made,  if  within  the
  United  States,  at  least thirty days, or without the United States, at
  least forty days before the return day, is equivalent to publication and
  mailing.  Personal  service   on   minors,   incompetent   persons   and
  conservatees shall be made as prescribed by law for service of citations
  issued  by  surrogates for final accounting, and personal service on one
  or two or more creditors, claiming as co-partners or otherwise as  joint
  creditors shall be equivalent to personal services on all, and voluntary
  appearance  either  in  person  or  by  attorney  shall be equivalent to
  personal service, and such appearance may be made by any one claiming an
  interest, though not served, and such person shall  thereupon  become  a
  party to the proceeding.