---
title: O.C.G.A. § 44-6-23. Construction of words such as ‘‘heirs’’ or ‘‘heirs of body.’’
collection: code
id: 44-6-23
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 44-6-23 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/44-6-23
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/44-6-23.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/44-6-23/text
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date: 2025
status: active
corpus_version: 2025-supplement-89aa39ab3c68
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publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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current_through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly
heading_path: PROPERTY / ESTATES / FEE SIMPLE ESTATES
---

# O.C.G.A. § 44-6-23. Construction of words such as ‘‘heirs’’ or ‘‘heirs of body.’’

Limitations over to ‘‘heirs,’’ ‘‘heirs of the body,’’ ‘‘lineal heirs,’’ ‘‘lawful heirs,’’ ‘‘issue,’’ or words of similar meaning shall be held to mean ‘‘children’’ whether the parents are alive or dead. Under such words the children and the descendants of deceased children by representation in being at the time of the vesting of the estate shall take.

## History

Orig. Code 1863, § 2229; Code 1868, § 2223; Code 1873, § 2249; Code 1882, § 2249; Civil Code 1895, § 3084; Civil Code 1910, § 3360; Code 1933, § 85-504.

## Law Reviews

For article discussing problems in construction of instrument conveying gift to a group or class, see 6 Ga. St. B.J. 169 (1969). For article, ‘‘Descendible Future Interests in Georgia: The Effect of the Preference for Early Vesting,’’ see 7 Ga. L. Rev. 443 (1973). For article surveying legislative and judicial developments in Georgia’s will, trusts, and estate laws, see 31 Mercer L. Rev. 281 (1979).

For comment on Walters v. Donaldson, 184 Ga. 45, 191 S.E. 429 (1937), see 5 Ga. B.J. 64 (1943). For comment on Brooks v. Williams, 227 Ga. 59, 178 S.E.2d 880 (1970), see 23 Mercer L. Rev. 399 (1972).