heir person who succeeds, by the rules of law, to an estate upon the death of an ancestor; one with rights to inherit an estate. heir apparent by law a person whose right of inheritance is established, provided he or she outlives the ancestor, see also primogeniture. holograpphic will a holographic or olographic will is handwritten and signed by the individual that the will belongs to. homestead a homestead usually is a home on land obtained from the United States government. Part of the agreement between the individual and the government was that the individual had to live on the land and make improvements to it, such as adding buildings and clearing fields. hon. (abbreviation) honorable. husb. (abbreviation) husband.