1. Intestate:

 

Dying without a valid will.

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2. Probate:

 

The legal process of administering a deceased person’s estate, including distributing assets and paying debts.

 

3. Heir:

 

A person legally entitled to inherit some or all of the estate of a deceased person.

 

4. Beneficiary:

 

A person named in a will or trust to receive assets from the estate.

 

5. Executor:

 

The person appointed in a will to administer the estate.

 

6. Administrator:

 

A person appointed by the court to administer the estate if there is no will or no executor.

 

7. Estate:

 

All the money, property, and other assets that a person leaves behind when they die.

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8. Genealogy:

 

The study of family ancestries and histories.

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9. Heir Hunter:

 

A professional who searches for missing or unknown heirs to estates.

 

10. Lineage:

 

Direct descent from an ancestor; ancestry or pedigree.

 

11. Descendant:

 

A person who is descended from a specific ancestor.

 

12. Kinship:

 

The relationship between members of the same family.

 

13. Testator:

 

A person who has made a legally valid will before their death.

 

14. Legacy:

 

A gift of property or money left to someone in a will.

 

15. Intestacy Laws:

 

Laws that determine how an estate is distributed when someone dies without a will.