Introduction to the Special Issue on Heirs’ Property

This essay presents a brief introduction to the special issue of the Journal of Rural Social Sciences focused on heirs’ property. Real property transferred over generations without a proper will or other transfer device, heirs’ property and heirs’ property owners are vulnerable to a range of challenges, from limited productive land use to the actual loss of land. A situation that is national in scope, heirs’ property rates are particularly high in the southern region of the United States and among African Americans. Articles in this special issue address operationalizing and measuring heirs’ property at the county-level, describing the characteristics of people seeking assistance with heirs’ property, and the situation and implications faced in a state with limited protections of families with heirs’ property