Issue (genealogy) explained

In genealogy and wills, a person's issue means all their lineal descendants.

Lineal descendants

Issue typically means a person's lineal descendants—all genetic descendants of a person, regardless of degree.^[1] Issue is a narrower category than heirs, which includes spouses, and collaterals (siblings, cousins, aunts, and uncles).^[2] This meaning of issue arises most often in wills and trusts.^[3] A person who has no living lineal descendants is said to have died without issue.

A child or children are first-generation descendants and are a subset of issue.^[4]

See also

• Legitimacy (family law)
• Primogeniture
• Royal bastard
• Royal descent

Notes and References

1. Glenda K. Harnad, J. D. and Karl Oakes, J. D., Corpus Juris Secundum, Descent and Distribution § 35 (2015)
2. HEIR, Black's Law Dictionary (10th ed. 2014).
3. For example, In re Auclair's Estate, 75 Cal. App. 2d 189, 170 P.2d 29 (1st Dist. 1945); Brawford v. Wolfe, 103 Mo. 391, 15 S.W. 426 (1891)
4. Web site: Issue and children in wills . willshub.com.au . BHS Legal . 17 December 2021 . en . 25 August 2020 . 17 March 2022 . live . https://archive.today/20220911134239/https://willshub.com.au/issue/ . September 11, 2022.