The appraisers of an estate are not supposed to have an interest in the estate. That precludes heirs, beneficiaries, or creditors from appraising the estate. Appraisers can be relatives of the deceased (or of the spouse of the deceased), but cannot be directly interested in the settlement of the estate.
In doing some work on Catherine Belless, I came across an 1867 receipt in her husband’s probate case file from Fulton County, Illinois, where she made her mark. I was convinced she had actually signed documents in her Civil War widow’s pension file around the same time. I was certain of it. I was wrong. What I remembered was that the handwriting was different–Catherine had still made her mark. Before you write from memory–check. Otherwise you may be propagating incorrect information yourself.
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