Nowadays, an heir-at-law is anyone who is eligible to receive part of
an intestate estate: spouse, children, parents, siblings,
grandchildren, nieces, nephews, maybe even cousins.  This is
established by statute, so you would have to look at what the law was
in 1800 to determine who was eligible.  Without further information,
the best you could say about an heir-at-law was that he was the
spouse or a blood relative of the deceased.  I would expect that the
court papers stated his relationship.

Susan M.

At 11:26 AM 7/14/2006, you wrote:
>Friends,
>
>   In 1800 Virginia, did a man  suing an estate as "the
> heir-at-law"  mean he must have been  the oldest son, or is the
> definition broader than that?
>
>   Joanne

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