A boedelhouder literally is an estate keeper; the person who keeps possession of the estate of a deceased person until the estate is settled and divided. If the deceased was married, the boedelhouder would typically be the surviving spouse.

Estate inventory of Jan Hendrik Smulders and Catharina Willem Cleijberg

So in which part of the estate settling process does the boedel houder come in? I have the boedelscheiding of a distant relative from the 1840s. Could you explain what the sequence would be? Thanks.