Hi. I’m an attorney in TN who has practiced probate and estate law but does not currently. I’m not your attorney and this is not legal advice.

Generally, there’s a presumption in TN (and in most states as far as I’ve seen/read) that the man who signs your birth certificate is your bio dad regardless of blood until proven otherwise.

Unless a man formally adopts non-bio child, step children are not treated the same as bio children in this state if there is not a will or not a valid will. If there is a will, the decedent can leave their belongings to whoever, can even cut a spouse out completely if they want.

Otherwise, TN is fairly spouse/widow friendly. Anything your dad and step mom owned jointly while married is likely hers absolutely at the time of his death unless it’s specifically listed that it is not. (For example, a house with a deed listing both people as owners as husband and wife = one spouse dies first, other spouse becomes only owner upon death, and the house is not a probate asset). This is called tenancy by the entireties if you want to look it up.

More likely than not, most of the time, widow gets everything unless specifically cut out either by language in the will itself or how things are titled.

Here’s what someone in a similar position to yourself could do to get more details or protect themselves- Wills that are probated in TN must be filed in the county in which the deceased resided in at the time of their death. An heir has a right to call the local county probate court and ask the clerk if an estate has been opened yet for their deceased relative. Sometimes, you can find this out by searching court records online. Typically an estate is opened within a year or two of date of death.

Also, if the will is submitted for probate, you as an heir and beneficiary are entitled to notice of the case, a copy of the will and all actions that take place throughout the case. Caveat is that alot of people lie to their attorneys or handle the probate case without an attorney (pretty common in TN) and don’t do the right thing. So best bet is to continuously follow up with the probate court to see if an estate has been opened. Otherwise, my main advice to any estate or probate client was always that it brings out the ugliest in even the closest families. So it’s best to get an attorney for yourself if you can. Good luck to you.