Genealogy Dictionary

Every man is a quotation from his ancestors.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Dorothy Stanley started this genealogy dictionary.
It’s an honor to carry on her work.

Ab Nepos
a great-great-grandson
Ab Neptis
a great-great-granddaughter
Abcpsia
blindness
Abeyance
a condition of undetermined ownership, as of an estate that has not yet been assigned
Abstract
a statement summarizing the essential facts contained in a document or record
Abtstract Book
record books containing abstracts of the information contained on deeds or land entries, usually listed in alphabetical order by surname of the purchasers
Accelerated
an index prepared by computer, such as a census index
Accomptant
accountant
Action
a proceeding in a court of law
Administration
management and settlement of an estate
Administrator
an appointee of the court who settles the estate of a deceased who died without leaving a will
Administrator’s Bond
a bond posted by an administrator to guarantee the proper performance of his duties
Administratrix
a female administrator
Aegrotantem
illness, sickness
Affidavit
a written and signed statement sworn in front of a court officer
Ague
recurring fever and chills of malaria
Ahnentafel
a table of one’s ancestors, from the German Ahnen (ancestor) and Tafel (table or list)
Amanuensis
secretary or stenographer
Annus
year
Apoplexy
stroke
Archives
reference to the storage of older records
Artificer
soldier mechanic who does repairs
Ascendant
ancestor
Ashman
shipman or sailor
Assignee
the person to whom a privilege or some property is signed over to by the court
Assignor
the person who signs over a right or property to another
Assistant Marshall
the census taker prior to 1880
Bad Blood
syphilis
Banns
publication or posting of the announcement of a coming marriage, a period of time before the actual marriage to allow advance notice to those that might have reason to protest. In most churches the banns were read aloud on three successive Sundays.
Baptizavi
I baptized
Barrister
lawyer
Bequest
legacy; usually a gift of real estate by will
Bilious fever
fever caused by liver disorder
Black Death
typhus
Black Lung
disease from breathing coal dust
Bloody Flux
dysentery
Boluter
a sieve
Bond
a written promise by a borrower to pay a lender a fixed dollar sum of interest for a prescribed period of time and to repay the principal on a stated date
Boniface
innkeeper
Borough
a self-governing incorporated town, larger than a village
Bounty Land
public land given by the government to induce young men to join the military
Bounty Land Warrant
a gift of bounty land due to a person entitled by military service, or to his heirs or assignees
Brand Iron
the cob irons or fire dogs which confine the brands on an open hearth
Brazier
works with brass
Bright’s Disease
kidney disease
Brightsmith
metal worker
Brother
a male sibling, can also be used to show close friendship
Brownsmith
copper or brass smith
Bundling
to sleep in the same bed while fully clothed, a practiced commonly by engaged couples in early New England
Burnisher
polishes or shines metal
Cadastral
a public record, survey or map for tax purposes showing ownership and value of land
Cals
Certified American Lineage Specialist – a certification of competence in genealogy
Canon Law
a law of the church
Capitation Tax
tax on people, also called a head tax or poll tax
Carner
granary keeper
Carter
maker or driver of carts
Catarrh
Inflammation of mucous membrane or cerebral hemmorage
Census
periodic official tally of the population with details as to ages, sexes, occupations, etc., U.S. Federal censuses have been taken every 10 years since 1790.
Census Index
alphabetical listing of names enumerated in a census
CG
Certified Genealogist
Chaffer
a chaffing dish
Chandler
makes or sells candles; retailer of groceries
Chattels
personal property, both animate and inanimate
Chiffonier
wigmaker
Chilblain
swelling of the extremities caused by exposure to cold
Chin Cough
Whooping Cough
Chorea
disease characterized by convulsions and contortions
Circiter
about
Civitate
the city of
Clan
a social unit in the Scottish Highlands, consisting of a number of families claiming a common ancestor and following the same hereditary leader
Clarke
cleric or scribe
Coat of Arms
shield with certain distinctive symbols or emblems painted on it in definite fixed colors identifying one person and his direct descendants
Codicil
a supplement to a will
Collateral Ancestor
an ancestor not in the direct line of ascent, but of the same ancestral family
Collier
a coal miner or a coal ship
Colporteur
peddler of books
Common Law
a man and woman living together in a marital status without legal action. In some states living together for a specified period of time constitutes a legal marriage, even without benefit of legal action.
Congestive Fever
Malaria
Conjugi
a husband, wife, or spouse
Connubium
marriage
Consanguinity
blood relationship
Consumption
Tuberculosis
Convey
transfer property or the title to property
Conveyance
a written instrument that transfers title to property from one party to another
Conveyor
grantor or seller
Cooper
makes and repairs barrels and casks
Coppice Keeper
one who takes care of small wood
Cordwainer
shoemaker
Cousin
In colonial usage, it most often meant nephew or niece. In the broadest sense, it could also mean any familial relationship, blood or otherwise (except mother, father, sister, or brother), or the modern-day meaning of a child of one’s aunt or uncle. Modern usage includes qualifiers such as first, second, third, once removed, twice removed, etc.
Cramp Colic
appendicitis
Crayman
driver of a cart carrying heavy loads
Cretinism
congenital hypothyroidism
Crop Sickness
overextended stomach
Croup
laryngitis, diphtheria, or strep throat
Crowner
coroner
Cui
of whom, of whose, of whatever person, of what place/country
Culler
gelder of male animals
Currier
tans leather; uses curry comb on horses
Curtesy
the life tenure which by common law is held by a man over the property of his deceased wife and has by her issue born alive who is capable of inheriting her estate; in this case, on the death of his wife, he holds the lands for his life, as tenant by courtesy
Cutler
one who makes or sells knives, etc.
Debility
Abnormal bodily weakness or feebleness; decay of strength. Descriptive term of a patient’s condition and of no help in making a diagnosis. Synonym: asthenia.
Dareman
dairyman
Decedent
the deceased individual
Decem
ten, in Latin
Declaration of Intention
document filed by an alien in a court of record declaring his intention to apply for citizenship after fulfillment of the residency requirement. It may also be used to refer to an intent to marry, usually filed with the town clerk.
Deed
document signed, sealed, and delivered according to the law conveying title to real estate
De Jure
legal term for “by law” or “lawfully”
Delirium Tremens
hallucinations due to alcoholism
Demography
the study of the characteristics of human populations, such as size, growth, density, distribution and vital statistics
Denizen
a foreigner permitted certain rights of citizenship
Deposition
a written testimony by a witness for use in court in his or her absence
Descendant
an immediate or remote offspring
Devise
to transmit property by will
Devisee
one to whom a devise is made
Die
day
Diptheria
an acute infectious disease acquired by contact with an infected person or a    carrier of the disease. It was usually confined to the upper respiratory tract        (throat) and characterized by the formation of a tough membrane (false              membrane) attached firmly to the underlying tissue that would bleed if           forcibly removed. In the nineteenth century the disease was occasionally          confused with scarlet fever and croup.
Direct Heir
one who is in an individual’s direct line of ascent or descent
Distributee
one entitled to a share in the estate of a person who died intestate
(without a will)
Diviner
one who finds water under the ground
Domo
to master or subdue a home, residence, or family
Dornix
   linsey wolsey; also a heavy damask linen having a diaper figure (flowered or  figured) formerly much used for church vestments, altar hangings, etc.
Dowager
   a widow who holds title or property derived from her dead husband
Dower
   the part of interest of a deceased man’s real estate alloted by law to his widow
Dowry
property a bride brings to her husband for the duration of a marriage
Dowser
finds water under the ground
Draper
dealer in cloth and dry goods
Drayman
drives a cart carrying heavy loads
Dresser
surgeon’s assistant in a hospital

Dropsya
contraction for hydropsy. The presence of abnormally large amounts of fluid. Congestive heart failure edema Dropsy of the Brain. – Encephalitis

Drover

drives animals to market; dealer in cattle

Drummer
traveling salesman

Duffer
peddler

Dysentery
Inflammation of intestinal membrane

Dyspepsia
Acid indigestion

D.S.P.
died sine prole – died without offspring

Eadem
same


Eam

she

Ecclescia
church

Ego
I

Ejus

he

Ejusdem

of the same

Encephalitis

swelling of the brain, aka sleeping sickness

Enteritis

inflammation of the bowels

Enumeration
process by which persons are counted for purposes of a census

Enumerator
census taker

Eodemto the same place/person/day

Episcopus

bishop

Escheat

property reverted to the state when no legal heirs or claimants exist

Est

is

Estate

the whole of one’s possessions; especially all the property left by a deceased person

Et

and – both

Etiam

also, besides, again

Et Ux, Et Uxor
and wife

Ex

from

Executor
the person named in a will to carry out the provisions of the will

Executrix
a female executor

Farrier
horse doctor, blacksmith who shoes horses

Fatty Liver
cirrhosis

Fee Simple

estate of land which the inheritor has unqualified ownership and power of disposition

Filiam

daughter

Filium

son

Final Papers

petition for citizenship with supporting documentation filed by an alien in a court of law

Firelands

a tract of land in northeastern Ohio reserved by Connecticut for its own settlers when it ceded its western lands in 1786. The State of Connecticut deeded land there to its citizens whose homes were burned during the Revolutionary War, therefore, the terrirory became known as “fire land.”

First Papers

declaration of intention filed by an alien in a court of law

Fletcher

makes bows and arrows

Flux

discharge of fluid from the body

Forebear

an ancestor, a forefather

Fortnight
14 days

Framar
farmer

Freeborn
born as a free person

Freedman/woman

a man or woman who has been freed from bondage or slavery

Freeholder

one who holds land by fee simple. In colonial times, a freeholder had the right to vote and hold public office.

Freeman

one who held the full rights of citizenship, such as voting and engaging in business (as opposed to an indentured servant)

Friends
c
orrectly called “The Society of Friends”, the correct term for the Quakers

Fuere

were

Fuller

cleans and thickens cloth

Gaoler

jailer

Galloping Consumption

Pulmonary Tuberculosis

Gentile

a person who is not Jewish

Gentleman

a member of the gentry, a descendant from an aristocratic family whose income came from the rental of his land

Ginerr

joiner

Glandular Fever

mononucleosis

Glover

dealer or maker of gloves

Godfather

a man or woman who sponsors a child at baptism, also called a Godparent

Goodman

a solid member of the community who ranked above a freeman but below a gentleman on the social scale

Goods and Chattels

personal property, as distinguished from real property

Goodwife
a woman married to a “gentlman.” Often the title was shortened to “Goody.” If you come across names such as Goody Cook or Goody Loomis, they are not first names but the abbreviation of a title

Grant
to transfer property by a deed

Grantee
one to whom a grant is made

Grantee Index

index to grantees of deeds recorded in a deed book

Grecher

grocer

Green Sickness

Anemia

Gregorian Calendar

the calendar in use today. Pope Gregory XIII ordered the replacement of the previous Julian Calendar in 1582, although it was not adopted by England and the American Colonies until 1752.

Gripe

Influenza

Guardian

an appointee of the court who cares for the property and rights of a minor or someone incapable of handling his or her own affairs

Guilder

makes gold or silver coins

Gutte

gutter or drain pipe

Haeretica

heretical

Hansard

weapon maker of seller

Hawker

peddler

Headborough

constable

Headright

right to a certain number of acres (usually 50) of land guaranteed in advance for each settler in a new territory

Head Tax

tax on people, also called a poll tax or capitation tax

Heir
a person who inherits, or is entitled by law to inherit, the estate of another

Hereditaments

property that can be inherited

Heraldry

the practice of devising, blazoning, and granting armorial insignia (coats of arms)

Hibernia
Ireland

High Sheriff

the highest ranking sheriff, as opposed to deputy sheriffs. This term was popular in England and Colonial America.

Hillard/Hiller

one who covers houses with slate

Hind

farm laborer

Holographic Will

a document written entirely by the hand of the person whose signature it bears

Hostler

takes care of horses at an inn

Huc

here, to this place

Huckster

sells small articles

Hujus
of this

Hujusidem
of this month and year

Husbandman
a person whose occupation is in husbandry; a farmer

Hutch
a chest, box coffer, or bin

Immens
to be near

Imminens

eminent, immediate

Impositum

the name bestowed

Impressment

the act of seizing people or property for public service or use.
The practice of forcibly inducting men into military service

Indenture

a deed, contract, or sealed agreement executed between two or more parties; a contract by which a person is bound over for services

Indentured Servant

one who was voluntarily or involuntarily committed to working for someone for a fixed number of years (usually 4 to 7) in exchange for passage to America or some other financial advantage (i.e., learning a trade). An indentured servant had few, if any, rights, but people without skills or money accepted this position in order to emigrate. After the period of work was over, the servant usually became a freeman. It was also common practice for parents to indenture their children with the intent of having their child learn a trade or craft.

Infant

a minor

Infantem

child

Infantile Paralysis

polio

Infra

down, below

In-Law

colonists used this term for any familial relationship that occurred from a marriage. Thus, a woman’s father-in-law could be her husband’s father or her stepfather. Her son-in-law could be her daughter’s husband or her own stepson.

Inprimis

in the first place

Inqus

repeat, maintain

Ipsius

in person, of own accord

Instrument

a formal document such as a deed or a will

Intestate

having no legal will; not disposed of by legal will

Inventory
a list of goods in the estate of a deceased person

Ironmonger

dealer in iron goods

Issue

offspring or children

Jail Fever

typhus

Jaundice

condition caused by blockage of the intestines

Journeyman

craftsman hired day by day

Julian Calendar
the calendar in use prior to 1752 (see Gregorian Calendar), created by Julius Caesar

Junior, Senior

these terms were used in early times to differentiate between men (and sometimes women) with the same name whether they were related or not. These titles were not permanent, but rather conveniences in colonial families and communities.

Keeler

a cooler, a broad shallow wooden vessel, where milk was set to cream or wait to cool

Keller

salt keeper

Kellogg

slaughter man

Kilderkin

a small vessel, the eighth part of a tun or vat

Kindred

a group of blood-related persons

Kith and Kin

friends and neighbors

Lands and Tenements

real property, as opposed to personal property

Lardner

official in charge of pig food

Legacy
money or property bequeathed to someone by will

Lineal Descendant
being in the direct line of descent from an ancestor

Lock Jaw
tetanus

Loco
to place, establish, give in marriage

Locus
place

Loyalist
a Tory (person who remained loyal to England during the Revolutionary War) who later moved to Canada or to another British possession

Lung Fever
pneumonia

Lung Sickness

tuberculosis

Malster

brewer of malted beverages (beer)

Mania
insanity

Manumission

a formal written act to free slaves

Marriage Bond

a document executed to guarantee that no legal or moral impediments existed to an intended marriage

Master

today would be known as The Captain

Mayer

physician

Mensis

month

Miasma

poisonous vapors thought to infect the air

Milk Sickness

disease from the milk from cattle which had eaten poisonous weeds

Millwright

one who designs or builds mills

Mockadow

moccado – stuff made of wood and silk and apparently a mixture of either with flax, a substitute for more expensive velvet

Morsal

Gangrene

Mortaility Schedule

the enumeration of deaths during the 12 months preceding census day, Mortality Schedules were included in the U.S. Census from 1850 – 1900 (1890 and 1900 schedules have been destroyed)

Mortis

death

Mr.
a title that could only precede the names of gentlemen, clergymen, or government officials

Mrs.

a feminine equivalent of Mr., it did not denote marital status, but social position (women of the aristocracy)

Mulierem
woman

Myelitis
inflammation of the spine

Myocarditits
inflammation of the heart muscles

Natum

born

Naturalize
to grant full citizenship to one of foreign birth

Necrology
register book of deaths

Necrosis
mortification of bones or tissue

NEHGS
New England Historic Genealogy Society; the oldest genealogical society in the United States

Nepritis
inflammation of the kidneys

NGS
National Genealogical Society

Nuncupative Will
an oral will declared by the deceased before dying, in the presence of witnesses

Notary
a person officially authorized to draw up or attest to contracts, wills, deeds, or similar documents

Novem
nine

Now Wife
exclusively found in wills, this term implied that there was a former (or ex-) wife

Nupr -A -AE
bride, wife

Nuber Huc Adventis
recently arrived here

Oath of Abjuration
sworn statement renouncing a former allegiance

Ob
before, in front of, because of, on account of

Obit
died

Octo
eight

Oppido
town

Ordinary
public house or tavern

Osler
bird catcher

Outrider
mounted attendant riding before or behind a carriage

Packman
itinerant peddler

Paleography
the study of ancient forms of writing

Palatinate
the area west of the Rhine River in West Germany

Palsy
paralysis or loss of muscle control

Parochus
rector, pastor

Paroxysm
convulsion

Patritius
paternal

Patronymic
a name derived from a paternal ancestor, such as “Johnson, the son of John”

Paucis Hebdomadibus
a few weeks

Pedigree
recorded ancestry or line of descent

Pedigree Chart
a standard genealogical form for recording several generations of ancestry

Peel
a long handled broad shovel used for putting bread into an oven

Peever
pepper seller

Per
for

Personal Property
property other than land

Per Stirpes
a method of dividing an estate so that children act as a group, rather than individually, taking what their deceased ancestor was entitled to

Pleurisy
Inflammation of the lung

Podagra
gout

Population Schedule
a completed population census questionnaire

Posthumous
born after father’s death

Porcher
pig keeper

Porter
gate-keeper or door-keeper

Pott’s Disease
tuberculosis of the spinal vertebrae

Pox
Syphilis

Praecende
previous, preceeding

Prae
in front, before, through

Pridie/Priede
the previous day

Primary Record
a record created at the time of the event (birth, marriage, death, etc.) as opposed to records written years later

Primogenitor
the earlies known ancestor or forefather

Primogeniture
the right of the eldest child (especially the son) to inherit the estate of both parents

Probate
legal establishment of the validity of a will

Procurant
stand instead of, proxy

Procuratorem
in behalf of

Progeny
children

Progenitor
an originator of a line of descent, frequently used in reference to the immigrant ancestor

Purrell
made of a lace called purl

Putrid Fever
diptheria or typhus

Quaker
a member of the Society of Friends

Quarryman
stonecutter

Quarta
four

Quearne
a handmill for grinding grain or seed

Qui
who, whereby

Quinque
five

Redemptioner
a colonial emigrant from Europe to North America who paid for his voyage by serving as a bondservant for a specified period of time after arrival

Relict
widow, sometimes a widower

Revenuer
federal officer enforcing the law against illegal manufacturing of whiskey

Rickets
disease of the skeletal system

Rower
builder of small wagon wheels

Sawyer
sawer of wood

Scarlet Fever
disease characterized by a red rash and sore

Screws
Rheumatism

Scrivener
scribe or clerk

Scrofula
tuberculosis of the neck lymph nodes

Secondary Record
or secondary source; a record created some time after the event

Septem
seven

Sepulchered
buried

Servus/A Servarum
servant/servants

Sewer
tailor or shoemaker

Sex
six

Ship’s Fever
Typhus

Sibling
a brother or sister

Softening of the Brain
apoplexy

Soundex
a filing system, usually for recording surnames, using one letter followed by three numbers. The Soundex system keeps together names of the same and/or similar sounds, but of variant spellings.

Spotted Fever
typhus, cerebrospinal meningitis fever

Spouse
a husband or wife

St. Vitus Dance
Nervous twitches, chorea

Standard
a chest; the upright stem or support of a lamp or candlestick

Stupuet
a stew pan or skillet

Sutler
accompanies troops in the field or garrison and sells food, drink, and supplies

Sweating Sickness
infectious & fatal disease common to the UK in the 15th century

Taper
candlewick maker or seller

Tarletan
a thin, stiff, transparent muslin

Testament
the disposition of one’s personal property by will

Testate
having made or left a valid will

Testator
a man who died leaving a valid will

Testatrix
a female who died leaving a valid will

Thirdborough
tithing man or deputy constable

Thoro
marriage, union

Tinker
itinerant mender of kettles and pans

Tithable
person subject to a tax

Tolvet
a measure, holding half a bushel

Tory
a resident of the American Colonies who remained loyal to England during the Revolutionary War (see Loyalist)

Toxemia of Pregnancy
eclampsia (high blood pressure & seizures)

Transientibus
in transit form, traveling

Tres
three

Tribus Mensibus
three months

Tripper
dancer

Truckle Bed
trundle bed with casters to run under a higher bed

Trug
a basket with fixed handle like an old american woven wooden grape basker

Trustee
a person or agent holding the legal title to property

Tunnel
a funnel

Turnout
an equippage, a carriage with horses, attendants, and equipment

Ultimo
last

Unus
one

Uxor
wife, the married state

Venesection
Bleeding

Vero
certainly, to be sure

Vincinitate
neighboring area

Viper’s Dance
St. Vitus’ Dance, chorea

Visitation
a visit for the purpose of making an official inspection or examination. This term was used to describe census activities.

Vitner
wine merchant

Wheelwright

a person who builds wagon wheels

Whitcher

maker of chests

Whitlow

Boil

Will

the legal document containing the statement of a person’s wishes regarding the disposal of his or her property after death

Winter Fever

 pneumonia

Yellow Jacket
 Yellow Fever