Daily AncestorFinal settlement
A final settlement is the last account an executor or administrator gives the court, showing what the estate took in, what was paid out and what is left to divide.
Settling an estate meant collecting debts owed to the dead person, paying creditors and then handing over what remained. The executor or administrator reported this to the court in accounts, and the final settlement was the closing one. Courts kept these in record books listing the deceased, the executor or administrator and the balance due to or from the estate.
The court's final order dividing what was left is often called a decree of distribution. Settlement books are a good place to look when the loose estate papers are lost.
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Daily Ancestor. "Final settlement." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/legal-land/final-settlement. Last checked 2026-10-12.