In the early 1860s, Elizabeth Freund was appointed adminstratrix of her husband's estate. There was no will. Yet in every other reference to Elizabeth throughout the estate papers, she is called the executor. Repeatedly. Numerous times. Yet she was not the executor of his estate as there was no will. It is likely that the attorney for the estate or the clerk incorrectly referred to her as the executor in one of the earlier documents and the mistake simply got repeated over and over.
Sometimes mistakes are mistakes.
Sometimes you can still have an administrator even though there is no will. My husband's ancestor did not have a will but did have an estate that had to be settled. They had to sell off his property and pay off his debts. It was finally settled 23 years after his death. If he had had a will it may have been settled earlier.
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