Helpful Terms

Standard Abbreviations  |  Old Medical Terms  |  Legal Terms



Genealogical Standard Abbreviations:

arr/ arrived/  (date/ship) aft or > after
anc ancestor; ancestry anc/o ancestry of
b birth; born bef or < before
bet between br/o brother of
bp or bap baptized bur buried
ca circa (approximately, about) ch child
chn children ch/o child of
crsp correspondence cs census
d death; died desc/o descendent of
dob date of birth dod date of death
dom date of marriage d/o daughter of
dsp died without issue (no children) dy died young
f/o father of gp grandparent
g-gp great-grandparent gg-gp great-great-grandparent
h/o husband of int intent to wed
m married m/o mother of
n/m not married p/o parent(s) of
SASE self-addressed stamped envelope s/o son of
sr/o sister of VR vital records
w/o wife of wid/o widow of
w/2 wife # 2

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Old Medical Terms:

Ague used to define the recurring fever & chills of malarial infection
Aphonia stroke
Apoplexy laryngitis
Bad Blood syphilis
Biliousnes jaundice or other symptoms associated with liver disease
Blood Poisoning septicemia (overwhelming bacterial infection)
Bright's Disease glomerulonephritis (serious kidney disease)
Camp Fever typhus, typhoid fever
Canine Maddness hydrophobia, rabies
Chlorosis iron deficency anemia
Consumption tuberculosis, pulmonary
Corruption infection
Coryza a cold
Costiveness constipation
Cramp Colic appendicitis
Cretinism hypothyroidism, congenital
Dropsey congestive heart failure; edema (swelling), often caused by kidney or heart disease
Dysepsia acid indigestion
Extravasted Blood rupture of a blood vessel
Falling Sickness epilepsy
Fatty Liver cirrhosis
Flus of Humor circulation
French Pox veneral disease
Glandular Fever mononucleosis
Green Sickness anemia
Grippe influenza (flu)
Hip Gout osteomyelitis
Jail Fever typhoid fever, typhus
King's Evil tubercular infection of the throat lymph glands
Lock Jaw tetanus
Lues Venera veneral disease
Lumbago back pain
Lung Fever pneumonia
Lung Sickness tuberculosis
Mania insanity
Mortification infection
Nostalia homesickness
Plague or Black Death Bubonic plague
Podagra gout
Pott's Disease tuberculosis of the spinal vertebrae
Putrid Fever diptheria
Quinsy streptococcal tonsillitis
Remitting Fever malaria
Sanguinous Crust scab
Screws rheumatism
Scrofula tubercular infection of the neck lymph nodes
Ships Fever typhus
Strangery rupture
Summer Complain baby diarrhea caused by spoiled milk
Toxemia of Pregnancy eclampsia (high blood pressure & seizures)
Venesection bleeding

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Terms used in Legal Documents

administration the management and settling of an estate
administrator a person appointed by a court to settle the estate of a deceased person who has died without leaving a valid will
affidavit a signed Written statement sworn before a notary or other court officer
assignee one to whom some right, privilege, or property is signed over by the court
assignor one who signs over the title or interest in some-thing (e.g., a part or whole of an estate) to another in-dividual or party
bequest commonly used to denote a gift of real estate by will; also a legacy
bound land land given by the government to induce men to enter military service; it usually consisted of a specific number of acres of previously unallocated public land
bound land warrant a gift of bounty land due a person, his heirs, or assigns and entitled by military service
canon law a law or statute of the church
codicil document created by the testator to amend his/her will
collateral ancestor an ancestor not in direct line of ascent, but of the same ancestral stock (e.g. the brother or sister of a direct ancestor)
consanguinity relation by blood; descended from a common ancestor
decedent a deceased person
deed a formal written instrument, signed, sealed, and delivered according to law and conveying title to real estate
denizen a person who has been admitted to residence in a foreign country
deposition the testimony of a witness in writing and duly authenticated, given in the course of a legal proceeding
descendant one who is descended, however remotely, from another
devise to grant real property by will
devisee one to whom real property is given by will
direct heir one who is an individual's direct line of ascent or descent
dower the legal right of a wife to use or own some portion of her husband's real estate, should she survive him
escheat reverting of property to the state upon the death of an owner without heirs
estate the property of a deceased person: a right, title, or interest in that property
Et Uxer (Et. Ux.) and wife
executor the person named in a will and appointed by a court to carry out the provisions of the will
executrix feminine form of executor
fee simple an estate of inheritance in land, absolute and without limitation to any particular class of heirs
fee tail an estate of inheritance in land, limited to a partic-ular class of heirs
freeholder a person who held land in fee simple. He had the right to vote and hold public office
grant a term used in deeds for transferring title to real property
grantee one to whom a grant is made
grantor one who makes a grant (e.g. transfers title to real property)
guardian a person appointed by a court to care for the property and rights of a minor or someone otherwise incapable of administering his own affairs
heir a person who by descent or right of relationship inherits an estate upon the death of his ancestor
holographic will a will entirely in the handwriting of the testator
imprimis "first of all"
indenture any deed, written contract, or sealed agreement; a contract by which a person, as an apprentice, is bound over for service; the formal agreement between a group of bondholders and the debtor as to the terms of the debt
infant a person not of legal age; a minor
intestate a person who has died without having left a valid will or otherwise disposed of his real and personal property
inventory a list of goods or valuables in the estate of a, deceased person, filed in probate court by an executor or administer
kindred persons related by blood
legacy a gift by will
lineal descendant a person in the direct line of descent
Notorial (Authentic) Will will made by the testator before a Notary It is retained in the Notary's file until the testator's death
nuncupative will an oral or unwritten will, declared by the testator in his last sickness and in the presence of wit-nesses, and later reduced to writing by someone other than the testator
personal property all property other than real property
posthumous born after the death of a parent
primogeniture condition of being the first-born child of the same parents; in law, the right of inheritance by the eldest son
probate the process of proving a will
relicit a widow; sometimes (rarely) used to mean a widower
sibling a brother or sister; all children of the same parents
spouse a husband or wife
trustee a person to whom another's property or the manage ment of another's property is given in trust
testament the disposition of one's personal property by will
will the legal document containing the statement of a per-son's wishes regarding the disposal of his property after his death
Details of Will: ADOPTION AND GUARDIANSHIP: name of the child(ren), parents, guardian(s) or foster parents; age and sex of child(ren); residences of the parties involved; inheritance(s); and guardians' bond.

BOND: name of the administrator or executor(s), bondsmen, the deceased; amount and date of bond.

CASE FILE: copy of will; inventory of estate; copies of the court order; miscellaneous letters and papers pertaining to the probate action.

DOCKET, CALENDAR or INDEX: date of court action; name(s) of executor(s) or administrator(s), and of the deceased; reference to the order book and case files.

ORDER BOOK: court order; date of order; name(s) of executor(s) or administrator(s); identification of the estate.

WILL: date of will; name of testator; name(s) and relationship(s) of heir(s) (if any); description of property and its deposition; name(s) of executor(s) and witnesses; date of probate

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