If there is a will, the will be followed. In the event that a will has not been made, assets are passed equally among children, parents, siblings, spouse, and grandparents, if no relatives are found, the assets go to the state.
California does not have an inheritance tax. Only 11 states do have one enacted. Seventeen states have estate taxes, but California does not.
I am trying to fill out the California Inheritance Tax Form and am not sure how to fill it out.
California no longer collects inheritance tax. This law was abolished in June of 1982. Any inheritance received is tax free in this state.
There is no known "inventor" of the laws of biological inheritance, like other laws of nature, they were discovered. Mendel is the person you are most likely looking for. For more information, look up Mendelian Laws of Inheritance.
You are not a legal heir-at-law of your in-laws. Your spouse is related to them by blood but you are not. You can check the laws of intestate succession in your state at the related question link below.
finders keepers
California abolished it's Inheritance Tax in 1982. It cost the state $1 billion in the first year.
You can find out about inheritance laws in 1800 England by going to a law library. Law libraries have archives of all the laws passed each year.
Laws of inheritance evolved from ancient common law that was eventually codified in modern state probate codes.
Laws about inheritance vary depending on the country, so check the laws for your specific country. But in general, it should be possible to decline an inheritance - and sometimes it may be to your advantage to decline it, because receiving the inheritance may come along with certain obligations - such as taxes paid on the inheritance, or conditions imposed by the person who leaves you the inheritance.
Gregor Mendel
Required if the decedent was a legal resident of California who died before June 9, 1982, otherwise an inheritance tax wiaver is not required in the state of California.