Daily AncestorLineal descendant
A lineal descendant is someone in a direct line of descent from a person: a child, grandchild, great-grandchild and so on.
Lineal means in a direct line from an ancestor, father to son to grandson. A lineal descendant is anyone in that straight line below a person. Brothers, nephews and cousins are not lineal; they are collateral.
The term matters in wills and inheritance law: when there is no will, courts put a spouse and lineal descendants first. In legal writing, descendant can include adopted children; stepchildren are not counted as descendants.
As seen in a recordHereditary society application, 1900s
the applicant is a lineal descendant of Pvt. Obadiah Fernald, a soldier of the Revolution
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Lineal descendant." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/relationships/lineal-descendant. Last checked 2026-10-12.