"In Scotland on the death of a landowner, the local sheriff held an inquest to establish the credentials of any person claiming to be the true and rightful heir to lands which were in the possession of the deceased at the time of his or her death. The documentary evidence associated with the inquest--taken by the sheriff to determine identities, relationships, and claims to property and known as the Services of Heirs--is a particularly valuable if little known genealogical source. The records of the Services of Heirs, now located at the Scottish Record Office in Edinburgh, provide authentic and reliable confirmation of the relationship between deceased individuals and their heirs. This makes the records an invaluable source for those seeking a trans-Atlantic family connection, as many of the entries link families in North America with Scotland..."--Jacket.