janethunter703@aol.com wrote: >I think my experience in Virginia, Tennessee >and NC research is a little different than several >of the other responses. I don't see that your response was different. I think the difference may be is in how we interpreted what Linda meant by the word "witness" in her original query. The other responses stated a WITNESS to an inventory could be an heir. As you note, the APPRAISERS would NOT be an heir because of conflict of interest, but would be neutral persons. Depending on the state/time, the county court would list 4 persons, of which any 3 (or 3 persons, of which any 2) were to return an inventory of the estate to the next court. The appraisers usually lived in the "vicinity" of the deceased, and you may often see in the court records the same appraisers being used for most estates in their "general vicinity." The appraisers would sign the inventory which would be presented at the next court by the administrator/executor. The inventory in being signed by the APPRAISERS will often contain some such wording as "pursuant to an order of this court of [date] to appraise the estate of XXXX we have appraised the estate as above as WITNESS our hands and seals this [date]." Perhaps this is where the confusion in the use of the word "witness" is from. The appraisers would usually testify at the next court where the inventory was presented to their having taken the inventory. The inventory may just have the signatures of the appraisers. Sometimes an inventory will also be signed by witnesses to the appraisers signing the inventory. I don't know of any law saying that an heir couldn't sign as a witness to a neutral party signing an inventory as an appraiser, as there is no conflict of interest. They would not be testifying to taking the inventory (which would be a conflict of interest) but testifying to a neutral party having signed the inventory. This would also be different from a person signing as a witness to a will in which they were an heir, since the person they are testifying to having witnessed signing is dead. Legally, a person couldn't sign as a witness and be an heir to a will, because the person they were testifying to is dead, and "witnesses" that were all heirs could have forged the will. I have seen a few cases where an heir to a will was also a witness, but the will was usually proved by other witnesses who were not heirs. In MD, in addition to being signed by the appraisers, all inventories had to be signed by two "next of kin" [usually identified as "kin" on the inventory] and the two largest creditors [usually identified as "creditors" on the inventory] as approving the inventory done by the appraisers. Although not technically called "witnesses", the kin and creditors were such in their capacity in approving the inventory done by the appraisers. Rick Saunders No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.16.17/1179 - Release Date: 12/9/2007 11:06 AM