One who has preceded another in a direct line of descent; a lineal ascendant. A former possessor; the person last seised. Termes de la Ley ; 2 Bl. Comm. 201. A deceased person from whom another has inherited land. A former possessor. Bailey v. Bailey, 25 Mich. 1S5; McCarthy v. Marsh. 5 N. Y. 275; Springer v. Fortune, 2 Handy, (Ohio.) 52. In this sense a child may be the “ancestor” of his deceased parent. or one brother the “ancestor” of another. Lavery v. Egnn, 143 Mass. 389, 9 N. E. 747: Murphy v. Henry. 35 Ind. 450. The term differs from ” predecessor ,” in that it is applied to a natural person and his progenitors, while the latter is applied also to a corporation and those who have hold offices before those who now fill them. Co. Litt 786.
Black’s Law Online Dictionary
