1820.

LAWS OF MARYLAND.

CHAP. 191.

Passed Feb. 14, 1821.
How lands &c.
of a person dying
intestate shall de-
scend.

CHAP. CXCI.

An Act to amend and reduce into one system the Laws to Direct Descents.

1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland, That if
after the commencement of this act, any person seized of an es-
tate in any lands, tenements or hereditaments, lying or being in
this state, in fee simple or fee simple conditional, heretofore or
hereafter acquired, or of an estate in fee tail general, created
and acquired after the commencement of this act, shall die
intestate thereof, such lands, tenements or hereditaments,
shall descend in fee simple to the kindred, male and female,

How the estate
shall descend, if
it descend to
the intestate no
the part of the
father, and there
be no child or de-
scendant of the
intestate.

of such person, in the following order, to wit: First to the
child or children and their descendants, if any, equally, and if no
child or descendant, and the estate descended to the intestate, on
the part of the father, then to the father; and if no father living.
then to the brothers and sisters of the intestate of the blond
of the father, and their descendants, equally; and if no brother
or sister as aforesaid, or descendant from such brother or sister,
then to the grandfather on the, part of the father; and if no such
grandfather living, then to the descendants of such grandfather,
and their descendants in equal degree equally; and if no descen-
dant of such grandfather, then to the father of such grandfather;
and if none such living, then to the descendants of the father of such
grandfather in equal degree, and so on, passing to the next lineal
male paternal ancestor, and if none such, to his descendants in
equal degree, without and; and if no paternal ancestor, or descen-
dant from such ancestor, then to the mother of the intestate; and
if no mother living, to her descendants in equal degree, equally;
and if no mother living, or descendants from such mother, then
to the maternal ancestors, and their descendants, in the same man-
ner as is above directed as to the paternal ancestors and their de-

How to descend
if it descended to
the intestate in
the part of the
another, and there
be no child or
descendant of the
intestate.

scendants; and if the estate descended to the intestate on the part
of the mother, and the intestate shall die without any child or
descendant as aforesaid, then the estate shall go to the mother;
and if no mother living, then to the brothers and sisters of the
intestate, of the blood of the mother, and their descendants, in
equal degree equally; and if no such brother or sister, or descen-
dant of such brother or sister, then to the grandfather on the part
of the mother; and if no such grandfather living, then to his de-
scendants in equal degree, equally; and if no such descendant of
such grandfather, then to the father of such grandfather; and if
none such living, then to his descendants in equal degree, and so
on, passing to the next male material ancestor, and if none such
living, to his descendants in equal degree; and if no such mater-
nal ancestor, or descendant from any maternal ancestor, then to
the father of the intestate; and if no father living, to his descen-
dants in equal degree, equally; and if no father living, or descen-
dant from the father, then to the paternal ancestors, and their de-
scendants, in the same manner as is above directed as to the ma-

View to descend,
if it vested in the
intestate by pur-
chase, or by de-
scent otherwise
than on the part
of the father or
mother, and there
be no child or de-
scendant of the
intestate.

ternal ancestors; and if the estate is or shall be vested in the in-
testate by purchase, or shall descend to or vest in the intestate, in
any other manner than as herein before mentioned, and there be
no child or descendant of such intestate, then the estate shall de-
scend to the brothers and sisters of such intestate, of the whole
blood, and their descendants, in equal degree, equally; and if no
brother or sister of the whole blood, or descendant from such