United States, Selected Court Terminology - International Institute

Selected Terminology
Beware! One of the major pitfalls in courthouse research lies within the terminology. The term “dower,” for example, was used to describe the provision for allotting a life-interest in a portion of the land to a widow, but the amount will vary from state to state, e.g., one-third, one-half, one child’s portion.

The brief definitions that follow should be revisited in the laws and practices of the geographic area (state or territory) in which our research leads us. Study the state Codes (statutes) for a particular period of time.

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