Genealogical Terms

a.k.a.
Also known as; alias

abeyance
A condition of undetermined ownership, as of an estate that has not yet been assigned

abstract
Abbreviated transcription of a document or record that includes the date of the record; every name appearing therein; the relationship (if stated) of each person named and their description (i.e., witness, executor, bondsman, son, widow, etc.); and whether they signed with their signature or mark

ad litem [ad: "for" + litem: "(law)suit"]
Legal term meaning "in this case only," for example, "George Thomas, duly appointed by the court, may administer ad litem the settlement of the estate of Joseph Thomas, deceased"

adm. (abbreviation)
See admin.

admin. (abbreviation)
Administrator, administration

admon. (abbreviation)
Letters of administration

administration
A court action used to settle the estate of a person who died without leaving a will, or a person who left a will that the court disallowed, or where the executor appointed by the deceased refuses to serve in that capacity

affidavit
A written or oral statement made under oath

ahnentafel [ahnen: "ancestors" + tafel: "table"]
Tabulates the ancestry of one individual by generation in text rather than pedigree chart format. A comprehensive ahnentafel gives more than the individual's name, date and place of birth, christening, marriage, death and burial. It should give biographical and historical commentary for each person listed, as well as footnotes citing the source documents used to prove what is stated.

ahnentafel number
The unique number assigned to each position in an ancestor table. Number one designates the person in the first generation, the one at the beginning of the chart. Numbers two and three designate the parents of number one and the second generation. Numbers four through seven designate the grandparents of person number one and the third generation. As the ahnentafel extends by generation, the number of persons doubles.

alien
A citizen of another country

ancestor
A person from whom you descend; grandparents, great-grandparents, 2nd great-grandparents (also called great great-grandparents), 3rd great-grandparents, etc.; direct-line ancestor; forefather; forebear

Ancestral File
A genealogical system developed by the Family History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that links individuals to ancestors in pedigree, family group, and descendant formats. It contains genealogical information about millions of people from many nations.

anon. (abbreviation)
Anonymous

annotation
Interpretation, explanation, clarification, definition, or supplement. Many types of genealogical presentations contain statements, record sources, documents, conclusions, or other historical information that require an annotation. Generally, annotations appear in footnotes, end-notes, or in the text itself. Genealogical software provides a field for documentation, comments, notes, and analysis. Genealogists use annotations to explain discrepancies between two or more documents, to add information from another source to support a statement or conclusion made in a different record, and other difficult to interpret situations.

antebellum [ante: "before" + bellum: "war"]
Usually intended to mean before the Civil War.

appr. (abbreviation)
Appraisal; appraisement

assignment
Grant of property or a legal right, benefit, or privilege to another person

authenticate
The process to prove a document is not a forgery

appr. (abbreviation)
Born

B. (abbreviation)
Black (indicating race)

banns
Public announcement of an intended marriage, generally made in church

bapt. (abbreviation)
Baptized

base-born
Illegitimate child

bastard
Person who was born to unmarried parents

bef. (abbreviation)
Before

bequeath
To leave or give property to another person or organization (used in wills)

bet. (abbreviation)
Between

bibliography
List of writings relating to a specific subject, some of which are annotated. A bibliographic citation describes and identifies the author, edition, date of issue, publisher, and typography of a book or other written material. Generally, bibliographies appear at the end of a publication to indicate the sources used by the author or to suggest titles for additional reading. Bibliographic citations appear in footnotes and end-notes to document the source of a statement made in the body of a writing.

biography
A book written about someone's life. 

birth record
A record containing information about someone's birth. On a birth record, you can usually find the mother's full maiden name and the father's full name, the name of the baby, the date of the birth, and county where the birth took place. Many birth records include other information, such as the birthplaces of the baby's parents, the addresses of the parents, the number of children that the parents have, the race of the parents, and the parents' occupations.

bond
A written, binding agreement to perform as specified. Many types of bonds have existed for centuries and appear in marriage, land and court records of used by genealogists. Historically, laws required administrators and executors of estates, grooms, and guardians of minors to post bonds. It is not unusual to discover that a bondsman was related to someone involved in the action before the court. If a bondsman failed to perform, the court may have demanded payment of a specified sum as a penalty.

bounds
Pertaining to measuring natural or human-made features on the land

bounty land
Land promised as an inducement for enlistment or payment for military services. A central government did not exist when the Revolutionary War began, nor did a treasury, so land, the greatest asset the new nation possessed, was used to induce enlistment and as payment for military services. Those authorized to bounty land received a Bounty Land Warrant from the newly formed government after the war.

bp. (abbreviation)
See bapt.

bpt. (abbreviation)
See bapt.

bro. (abbreviation)
Brother

bu. (abbreviation)
Buried

bur. (abbreviation)
Buried

c. (abbreviation)
Circa [circa: "around"], used to mean "about" or "around."

ca. (abbreviation)
Circa [circa: "around"], used to mean "about" or "around."

cem. (abbreviation)
Cemetery

cemetery records
Records of the names and death dates of people buried in a cemetery or graveyard. 

census records
An official enumeration of the population in a particular area. In addition to counting the inhabitants of an area, the census generally collects other vital information, such as names, ages, citizenship status, and ethnic background. The United States government began collecting census data in 1790, and has done so every 10 years since that date. Selected states have also conducted their own censuses over the years.

chr. (abbreviation)
Christened

Christian name
Names other than a person's last name

church records
Formal documents that churches have kept about their congregations through the years. Churches normally record information about christenings, baptisms, marriages, and burials. The type of information you will find in the records are the name(s) of the individual(s) involved, the date of the event, the location of the event, and the clergyman's name. You may find additional information, such as parents' names (father's full name and mother's maiden name), the names of witnesses to an event, and the individual's (or family's) place of residence.

civ. (abbreviation)
Civil

civil law
Laws concerned with civil or private rights and remedies, as contrasted with criminal law; body of law established by a nation, commonwealth, county or city; also called municipal law

codicil
Supplement or addition to a will; not intended to replace an entire will

collateral line
Line of descent connecting persons who share a common ancestor, but are related through an aunt, uncle, cousin, nephew, etc.

conf. (abbreviation)
Confirmed

consanguinity
Degree of relationship between persons who descend from a common ancestor. A father and son are related by lineal consanguinity, uncle and nephew by collateral sanguinity.

comm. (abbreviation)
Communion, communicant

common ancestor
Person through whom two or more persons claim descent or lineage

communicant
Person receiving communion in a religious ceremony or service

Confederacy
The Confederate States of America, a republic that existed from 1861–1865. The Confederacy was made up of a group of southern states that seceded from the United States of America prior to and during the U.S. Civil War.

consort
Wife, husband, spouse, mate, or companion

conveyance
Legal document by which the title to property is transferred; warrant; patent; deed

cousin
Child of an aunt or uncle; in earlier times, this could be a kinsman, close relative, or friend

CW (abbreviation)
Civil War (1861-1865); also called War of the Rebellion or War between the States

d. (abbreviation)
Died

dau. (abbreviation)
Daughter

daughter-in-law
The wife of someone's child; also used to mean a step-daughter (see step-)

dec'd (abbreviation)
Deceased

deceased
Someone who has died; commonly written "the deceased"

declaration of intention
A document filed in a court by an alien who intended to become a United States citizen. It could also be a declaration filed by a couple in a local court, indicating their intention to marry. Also called "declaration of intent."

deed
Document transferring ownership and title of property

descendant
Anyone to whom an individual is an ancestor—their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and so on

devise
Gift of real property by last will and testament of the donor

devisee
Person receiving land or real property in the last will and testament of the donor

devisor
Person giving land or real property in a last will and testament

direct line
Line of decent traced through persons who are directly related to one another as a child and parent

directories
A variety of records containing an alphabetical or classified listing of names, addresses, and other data, such as information for city, telephone, county, regional, professional, religious, post office, street, ethnic, and school environments. The directories one searches will depend on the type of information known about the individual. The information that one can find in a directory depends on the type of directory. For example, city directories normally list names and addresses. In some city directories, one can also find information such as children's names, marriage dates, death dates, and birth dates. Other types of directories may provide even more interesting information about certain ancestors. For instance, a church directory may tell about an individual's involvement in church activities, professional directories may give you insight into your ancestor's professional life. Club directories may contain information about your ancestor's involvement in social activities.

dissenter
Label given a person who refused to belong to the Church of England

div. (abbreviation)
Divorced

double date
More than one date given for an event. The practice of writing double dates resulted from switching from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar. This also relates to the fact that not all countries and people accepted the new calendar at the same time.

dowager
Widow holding property or a title received from her deceased husband; title given in England to widows of princes, dukes, earls, and other noblemen

dower
Legal provision of real estate and support made to the widow for her lifetime from a husband's estate

downloading
The process of receiving files from a network, Internet or bulletin board system for use on your own computer. Many Internet sites and bulletin board systems with genealogy sections have files that you can download

dowry
Land, money, goods, or personal property brought by a bride to her husband in marriage; also spelled dowery

emancipated
Freed from slavery; freed from parents' control; of legal age

emigrant
Person leaving one country to reside in another country

emigration
Departing the home country to live in another country

entail
To restrict the inheritance of land to a specific group of heirs, such as an individual's sons

enumeration
The process of counting people; also used to mean a list of people, as in a census

estate
Assets and liabilities of a decedent, including land, personal belongings and debts

et al. (abbreviation)
Used for either et alii [et: "and" + alii: "others"], meaning "and other individuals," or et alibi [et:"and" + alibi: "elsewhere"], meaning "elsewhere within this document or record"

et ux. (abbreviation)
Used for et uxor [et: "and" + alii: "wife"], meaning "and wife"

evidence
Any kind of proof, such as testimony, documents, records, certificates, material objects, etc.

exec. (abbreviation)
Executor

exor. (abbreviation)
Executor

exox. (abbreviation)
Executrix; see exec.

executor
Male appointed by a testator (one who wishes are in the will) to carry out the directions and requests in his or her will, and to dispose of the property according to his or her wishes after death

executrix
Female appointed by a testator (one who wishes are in the will) to carry out the directions and requests in his or her will, and to dispose of the property according to his or her wishes after death

fam. (abbreviation)
Family

family group sheet
A form that presents genealogical information about a nuclear family 

family pedigrees
In general, family pedigrees refer to family group sheets that are linked as a continuing lineage. They are now commonly linked within a computer system (on one machine or the Internet). When you access an individual's family group sheet in a linked pedigree, you can also access all of the records that are linked to that individual.

family histories
Books that detail the basic genealogical facts about one or more generations of a particular family

fee simple
An inheritance having no limitations or conditions in its use

feme [feme: "woman"]
Female, woman, or wife

feme sole [feme: "woman" + soule: "single"]
Unmarried woman or a married woman with property independent of her husband

fortnight
Two weeks

FR (abbreviation)
Family register

free man of color
Black man who was free from birth or freed later in life

freedman
Man released from slavery; emancipated person

freeman
Man of legal age with the right to vote, own land and practice a trade

full age
Age of majority; legal age; adult (legal age varied according to place and current law)

gazetteer
A book that alphabetically names and describes places in a specific area. For example, a county gazetteer would name and describe the towns, lakes, rivers, and mountains in the county.

gdn. (abbreviation)
Guardian

GEDCOM (acronym) GEnealogy Data COMmunications
Standardized file format for family trees.

good brother
Brother-in-law

good sister
Sister-in-law

good son
Son-in-law

granddame
Grandmother

grantee
Person purchasing, buying or receiving property

grantee index
Master index of persons purchasing, buying or receiving property

grantor
Person selling, granting, transferring or conveying property

grantor index
Master index of persons selling, granting, transferring or conveying property

grdn. (abbreviation)
Guardian

guardian
Person lawfully appointed to care for the person of a minor, invalid, incompetent and his or her interests, such as education, property management and investments

heir
Person who succeeds, by the rules of law, to an estate upon the death of an ancestor; one with rights to inherit an estate

heir apparent
By law, a person whose right of inheritance is established, provided he or she outlives the ancestor. see primogeniture

holograpphic will
A handwritten will, signed by the individual who created it; commonly written "holographic" or "olographic."

homestead
Land obtained from the United States government with a home on it. Part of the agreement between the individual and the government was that the individual had to live on the land and make improvements to it, such as adding buildings and clearing fields.

hon. (abbreviation)
Honorable

husb. (abbreviation)
Husband

illegitimate
Person born to unmarried parents

immigrant
Person moving into a country from another country

immigration
The process of moving into a new country to live

imp. (abbreviation)
Imported

in loco parentis [in: "in" + loco: "place" + parentis: "parent"}
In the stead of one or both parents

indentured servant
Person who is bound into the service of another person for a specified period, usually seven years in the 18th and 19th centuries, to repay the passage to the new country

index
An alphabetical list of names that were taken from a particular set of records. For example, a census record index lists the names of individuals that are found in a particular set of census records. Indexes have usually been in book form, but you can also find them on CD-ROM, microfilm, microfiche and the Internet.

inf. (abbreviation)
Infantry

infant
Person under legal age

inhab. (abbreviation)
Inhabitant; inhabited

instant
of this month

IGI (acronym) [International Genealogical Index]
One of the resources of the Family History Library of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Containing more than 300 million names, it is an index of the people submitted as part of family trees, or were extracted from microfilmed church or public records (from as far back as the 1500s).

intestate
Used to denote a person who died without leaving a will

inventory
A legal list of all the property in a deceased person's estate. The executor of the will is required to make an inventory.

issue
Children, descendants, offspring

Jno. (abbreviation)
Used for the names John or Johannes

joiner
Carpenter who does finish work

jud. (abbreviation)
Judicial

Julian Calendar
Calendar named for Julius Caesar and used from 45 B.C. to A.D. 1582, called the "Old Style" calendar; replaced by the Gregorian calendar

junr. (abbreviation)
Junior

juvenis [juvenis: "juvenile"]
Juvenile, minor, under legal age

knave
Servant boy

knt. (abbreviation)
Knight

land records
Deeds; proof that a piece of land has been legally transferred to a particular individual. The information you receive from the records will vary, but you will at least get a name, the location of the property, and the period of ownership.

late
Denoting someone who is deceased (e.g., the late John Thomas)

legacy
Property or money bequeathed to someone in a will

legatee
Someone who inherits money or property from a person who left a will

lessee
Person leasing property from an owner

lessor
Owner leasing property to a tenant

letters testamentary
Court document allowing the executor named in a will to carry out his or her duties

liber [liber: "book"]
Book of public records (as of deeds or wills)

lic. (abbreviation)
License

lien
Claim placed on property by a person who is owed money

life estate
Use interest in property an individual has until that person's death

lineage
Direct line of descent from an ancestor; progeny

lis pendens [lis: "(law)suit" + pendens: "pending"]
Notices of lawsuits awaiting litigation, usually in matters concerning land

litigant
Person involved in a lawsuit

litigant
Person involved in a lawsuit

liv. (abbreviation)
Living

local history
Usually, a book about a particular town or county. Local histories were quite popular in the late 19th century. While they often give the history of the development of the area, they usually also include some information about the important families who lived there.

loyalist
Colonist who supported the British during the American Revolution; Tory

ltd. (abbreviation)
Limited

m. (abbreviation)
Married

md. (abbreviation)
Married

maiden name
A woman's last name prior to marriage

major
Person who has reached legal age

majores
Ancestors

majority
Legal age

manse
Parsonage; enough land to support a family

manumission
The act of being released from slavery or servitude

manuscripts
Usually, unpublished family histories or collections of family papers. Depending on what the manuscript contains, you may be able to find all kinds of family information. Generally, you will find more than just names, birth dates, and death dates.

marita [marita: "married one" (female)]
Wife, married woman

maritus [maritus: "married one" (male)]
Bridegroom, married man

marriage bond
Document obtained by an engaged couple prior to marriage. It affirmed that there was no moral or legal reason why the couple could not be married. 

marriage contract
Legal agreement between prospective spouses made before marriage to determine their property rights and those of their children

marriage records
Record containing information about a marriage. On a marriage record, you can at least find the spouses' full names, the date of the marriage, and county where the marriage took place. Many marriage records include other information, such as the spouses' parents, names and birthplaces, addresses, information about previous marriages, and the names of the witnesses to the marriage.

maternal line
Line of descent traced from the mother's side

matron
Older married woman with children

mensis [mensis: "month"]
Month

metes
Measurements of distance in feet, rods, poles, chains, etc.; pertains to measuring direction and distance

metes and bounds
Method of surveying property by using physical and topographical features in conjunction with measurements

mil. (abbreviation)
Military

military records
An account of those working for the armed forces. The US government has always kept records on all military and civilian workers. Most of these files have very detailed information, such as the individual's name, spouse's name, date of birth, place of residence, military organization, when the individual's service began and ended, where and when the individual died, and where the individual was buried.

militia
A citizen army; a military organization formed by local citizens to serve in emergencies

minor
A person under legal age; historically, the legal age differed from place to place and over time (Check prevailing law to determine the legal age requirement at a specific time.)

mo. (abbreviation)
Month

mortality schedule
A section of the federal census listing information about persons who died during the census year

mulatto
A person with both black and white ancestors

n.d. (abbreviation)
No date; not dated

n.p. (abbreviation)
No place listed; no publisher listed

na. (abbreviation)
Naturalized; not applicable

naturalization records
Documents recording the process by which an immigrant becomes a citizen. An individual has to live in the United States for a specific period of time and file a series of forms with a court before he or she can become naturalized. Naturalization records provide the following information: place and date of birth, date of arrival into the United States, place of residence at the time of naturalization, a personal description, and sometimes the name of the ship that the individual arrived on and the individual's occupation.

natus [natus: "(having been) born"]
Born; see also obiit

nee
Born, used to denote a woman's maiden name (e.g., Anne Gibson nee West)

neph. (abbreviation)
Nephew

newspaper announcements
Recorded events within newspapers of genealogical interest, such as births, deaths, and marriages.The amount of information in these announcements will vary. Usually, you will find the names of the people involved in the event, the date of the event, and where the event took place. 

nunc. (abbreviation)
See nuncupative will; see also oral will

nuncupative will
Oral will declared or dictated by the testator in his last sickness before a sufficient number of witnesses and afterwards put in writing

ob. (abbreviation) [obitus: "death"]
Deceased

OB (abbreviation)
Order book, as in a court order book

obiit [obiit: "(he or she) died"]
Died; see also natus

obit. (abbreviation)
Obituary

octoroon [octo: "eight" + (cuarte)rón: "(quarter) individual"]
Child of a quadroon; person having 1/8 black ancestry

of color
As in, "person of color." Person who does not identify as white

Old Dominion
Virginia

old style calendar
The calendar used before the Gregorian calendar; see Julian Calendar

olographic will
See holograpphic will

oral history
A collection of family stories told by a member of the family or by a close family friend. 

oral will
See nuncupative will

orphan
A child whose parents have died

orphan asylum
A public institution for the care and protection of children without parents; orphanage

OS (abbreviation)
Old style calendar; see Julian Calendar

T. (abbreviation)
Township

terr. (abbreviation)
Territory

test. (abbreviation)
Testament

testate
Died leaving a valid will

testis
Witness

testator
Man who writes a valid will

testatrix
Woman who writes a valid will

titheable
A person taxable by law

tithe
English law: the tenth part of one's annual increase paid to support noblemen and clergy; amount of annual poll tax

township
Government survey: a square tract six miles on each side containing thirty-six square miles of land; a name given to the civil and political subdivisions of a county

transcribe
To make a full, written (or typewritten) copy of a record, book, or other document or written work

transcript
Something transcribed, especially a written, typewritten or printed copy. In a transcript, it is assumed that everything from the original was transcribed or copied.

twp. (abbreviation)
Township

ultimo [ultimo: "in the last (month)"]
The preceding month

unk. (abbreviation)
Unknown

unprobated will
A will never submitted for probate

unsolemn will
Will in which an executor is not named

unm. (abbreviation)
Unmarried

uxor [uxor: "wife"]
Wife, spouse, consort

valid
That which is legal and binding

vestry
Administrative group within a parish; the ruling body of a church

vidua [vidua: "separated (woman)"]
Widow; see also widow

viduus [viduus: "separated (man)"]
Widower; see also widower

virgo [virgo: "virgin"]
Used to describe an unmarried woman in English and European marriage records

vital records
Birth, marriage, death and divorce records

warranty deed
Guarantees a clear property title from the seller to the buyer

wheelwright
Person who makes and repairs vehicle wheels, such as carts, wagons, etc.

widow
A woman whose spouse has died

widower
A man whose spouse has died

witness
A witness is an individual present at an event such as a marriage or the signing of a document who can vouch that the event took place

white rent
Also used to denote rent to be paid in silver

will
A document stating how a person wants real and personal property divided after death

writ of attachment
A court order authorizing the seizure of property sufficient to cover debts and court costs for not appearing in court

writ of summons
Document ordering a person to appear in court

xylographer
A person who used and made wooden blocks used in printing illustrations

yeoman
Farmer; petty clerical officer in the navy; servant or lesser official in a noble household

zincographer
A designer who etched in relief a pattern on zinc plates used for printing

zitherist
A player of a simple, flat many-stringed instrument; rare: a bard or minstrel