Line of Descent Law and Legal Definition
Line of descent refers to the order or series of persons who have descended, one from the other. It simply refers to the order of succession of blood relatives from their common ancestor. Descent usually refers to hereditary succession to the ownership of an estate by inheritance. In a line of descent, people are placed in a line of succession in the order of their birth, the line showing the connection of all the blood relatives. Line of descent can be classified into:
1. collateral line;
2. direct line;
3. maternal line; and
4. paternal line.
