Where any person shall die and no personal representative is or has been appointed, a civil action for the recovery of death benefits based on any policy of insurance, wherein the beneficiary is not named or the beneficiary named is the estate of the decedent and where the face amount of the insurance provided in the policy is one thousand dollars or less, may be brought by the widow, or, where there is no widow, by the next of kin of such deceased. The amount recovered in any such action shall inure to the exclusive benefit of the widow and children, if any, or next of kin, to be distributed in the same manner as personal property of the deceased.