Heir
Defined in 2 dictionaries — Cyclopedic (1922), Bouvier (1914)
The Cyclopedic Law Dictionary
Walter A. Shumaker and George Foster Longsdorf; ed. James C. Cahill · 1922
LEGAL.
In civil law. A legal heir is one who is of the same blood as the deceased, and who takes the succession by force of law. This is different from a testamentary or conventional heir, who takes the succession in virtue of the disposition of man. See Civ. Code La. arts. 873, 875; Diet, de Jur. "Heritier Legitime." There are three classes of legal heirs, to-wit, the children and other lawful descendants, the fathers and mothers and other lawful ascendants, and the collateral kindred. Civ. Code La. art. 883.
Bouvier's Law Dictionary and Concise Encyclopedia
John Bouvier; revised by Francis Rawle · 1914
GENERAL. Heir at common law.