Daily AncestorTrustee
A trustee is a person who holds legal title to property and manages it for the benefit of someone else, under a deed, will or court order.
A trustee owns property on paper but must use it for the beneficiaries, not for himself. He has to keep the trust property separate and act in their best interest.
Black's Law Dictionary describes a trustee as one in whom an estate, interest or power is vested to be used for the benefit of another. If a trustee died or refused to act, a court could appoint a new one, so a later deed may name a successor trustee.
As seen in a recordDeed conveying land in trust for a married woman, 1800s
conveyed to Wm. Bell, trustee, for the sole and separate use of Polly Ross
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Trustee." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/legal-land/trustee. Last checked 2026-10-10.