GENEALOGY & is for ahnentafel yy Si ^Partial glossary of genealogical Terms & Abbreviations Compiled by Waldron H. Leard id you ever think a cousin who tal acts of baptism, burial, confirma- D was "once removed" was some- tion, communion, etc. as performed by one that had been forcibly evicted from A.A.G.: Assistant Adjutant-General. A clergy or a piece of legislation passed the family at some point? Have you military term, often associated with by the civil government. always thought that a "barr." was some- local militia. The adjutant general A.D.: a dating system inspired by thing Davey Crockett killed? That assists the general. Christianity; the letters abbreviate the "Brother's Keeper" was part of a snap- ab.: abbey phrase Anno Domine, Latin for "in the py retort that got Cain in trouble with abesse: absence (deriving from the year of our Lord." God? That a "chattel" was some kind of Latin for "to be off). A.D.C.: aide-de-camp (an officer on a informal discussion group? When your ab., abt.: about general's staff who conveys his orders, mother told you that your great-grand- Abm: an abbreviation for Abraham. procures intelligence, etc.). father had received a Crown grant, did abstract: a summary that contains the Adj.: adjutant (see AAG.) you think that meant some country had essential information in a document administrator: a person appointed to invited him to be king? such as a will, deed, census, etc. administrate an estate, usually in cir- Fear not! Help is here! A.C.A.: Associate of the Institute of cumstances when no will has been Genealogical researcher and local Chartered Accountants written. historian Waldron Leard has compiled Acad.: academy Adv.: advocate (in some jurisdictions, a glossary of some of the many puz- accession number: the number a term for legal counsel). zling terms and abbreviations re- assigned by an archivist or librarian to ae., aet.: from the Latin aetitis; age at searchers may encounter while in help identify and locate an item within the time of death. search of their ancestors. It is offered a collection. A.F.A.M.: Ancient Free and Accepted here (with a few editorial asides): act: (among other things) sacramen- Masons. afft.: affidavit. agnate: persons related through the male line (Scottish usage). ahnentafel: an ancestor table (from a German word), which is usually devel- oped with a computer program. alien: person born in another country (as opposed to planet), who has not the legal rights of a citizen. allegation: an application for a license to marry. alms: charitable gifts for the poor. als.: alias. amita: (from the Latin) father's sister, i.e. aunt. amita magna: great aunt. anni: Latin for years. anno: "in the year" (Latin). annulment: a marriage that is nulli- fied through a decree of the church. annus luctus: the year of mourning (Latin). anon.: anonymous. 36 ante: before (Latin). Ap: Welsh for "son." a pater: from the father (Latin). A.Q.M.G.: Assistant Quartermaster- General. A.R.C.A.: Associate of Royal Cana- dian Academy. A.S.C.: Army Service Corps. Assoc. S c : Associate in Science. attachment: the seizure of property of persons by a legal process to satisfy a judgement of the courts. attorney in fact: an experienced legal practitioner with technical training or a mentally competent adult who is authorized to act for another. avus: grandfather (Latin) or ancestor. B b: baptized (in Acadian records). b.: born. B.: Broken or cracked headstone. bach.: bachelor (as opposed to the composer!). bacteraemia: blood poisoning. bagman: a travelling salesman (sepa- rate from its political meaning). bailiff: a sheriffs deputy who issues writs, distrains, and makes arrests. ban: excommunication. banns: publication of an intended marriage which was published for bond the fulfilment of an undertaking three consecutive Sundays prior to the such as administration of a will. marriage (also known as "intentions"); Boston States: Maritime expression c , ca.: circa (Latin), i.e. about, on Prince Edward Island, at one time, for the region roughly equivalent to around, approximately (e.g. "born you had to be bonded — if the individ- New England; many Islanders migrat- ca.1784). ual that paid the bond reneged on the ed there in search of work beginning C.A.: chartered accountant. marriage, the bond was paid to the in the late 1860s. cairn: a burial monument or a bound- injured party. bound: obligated to serve another for ary marker. bap., bapt., bpt.: baptized. payment for a period of time in ex- camp fever: any epidemic fever, but barr.: barrister. change for apprenticeship, passage, etc. usually typhus (so-called for its preva- Bartm: Bartholomew. bowery: a farm or plantation. lence in military camps). baseborn: an illegitimate child or a box chart: a descendant chart that cadastral map: map of an area show- child born to parents of lowly means has each person in a box and lines ing land boundaries and land owners. (also base-son). (Not someone born on connecting the boxes. C.A.M.C: Canadian Army Medical a military base!) Blight's disease: a generic term for Corps. B.C.: in Western chronology, "Before several forms of acute and chronic kid- canon law: ecclesiastical law. Christ." ney disease. canus: old age (Latin). B.C., Bible Xn: Bible Christian broadside: (or "broadsheet") a large Capt.: captain (we knew you knew Church, an English Protestant denom- sheet of paper printed on one side that one!) ination that merged with the only; usually containing a speech, Cathne: Catherine. Methodist Church of Canada in 1884. song, or announcement, and often sold C.B.: Companion of the Order of the bd.: buried. on the street. Bath, a British order. (Also Cape B.D.: Bachelor of Divinity. Brother's Keeper: a popular share- Breton). bef.: before. ware computer program for genealo- C.C.: County Councillor. bis: a duplicate, twice (Latin). gists . C.C.F.: Cooperative Commonwealth blue laws: slang for laws that prohibit- bur.: buried. Federation, a Canadian political party ed activities such as conducting of busi- burial permit: a permit, issued pur- with socialist leanings, which was re- ness, dancing, and sport on a Sunday. suant to law, for the interment, disin- organized as the New Democratic Bluenoser: a native of Nova Scotia. terment, removal, reinterment or Party. bondsman: one who guarantees by transportation of human remains. CD-ROM: a piece of computer hard- 37 ware capable of storing vast amounts C. of E.: Church of England. D.D.S.: Doctor of Dental Surgery. of data cognate: persons related through the dec: deceased. C.E.: Civil Engineer. mother (Scottish). decedent: a deceased individual (this C.E.F.: Canadian Expeditionary Col.: colony or colonel. includes a stillborn infant or fetus). Force, the Canadian overseas contin- Coll.: college, collegiate (less fre- deed: a signed and sealed instrument gent during World War I (1914-18). quently encountered as an abbrevia- containing a legal transfer of land or cem.: cemetery, graveyard. tion for "colloquial"). other bargain (and occasionally some- cemetery: any one, or some combina- collateral descent: having a common thing heroic your ancestor might have tion of, the following, in a place used, ancestor. done); deed of trust: a deed from one or intended to be used, and dedicated, columbarium: a structure, room, or or more persons to another person or for cemetery purposes (a) a burial other space in a building or structure group of people to hold the interest in park, for earth interments; (b) a mau- containing niches for inurnment of a parcel of land for a third party; deed soleum, for crypt or vault interments; cremated human remains. quit claim: a deed releasing any and (c) a crematory, or a crematory and Com.-in-Chf.: Commander-in-Chief. all interest a person might have to a columbarium, for cinerary interments. Comr.: commissioner. parcel of land. cession: surrender of property or consanguine: a brother or sister is deg.: degree. rights. consanguine with the other where del.: delegate. C.F.: Chaplain to the Forces. they have a common father but differ- dep.: deputy. CFA: (sometimes PFA), short for ent mothers (Scottish). desc: descendant. "Come From Away," a slang expres- consanguinity: having a common Det.: detective. sion for someone not born on Prince ancestor. dioc: diocese. Edward Island. consort: husband or wife. Dissenter: member of one of a num- C.F.C.: Canadian Forestry Corps.. consumption: common name for the ber of Protestant sects that split off CG(C): Certified Genealogist disease tuberculosis. from the Church (of England). (Canada). conveyance: a land transaction. d/o: daughter of. Ch.: church. cordwainer: a shoemaker, originally dower: part of a man's estate allotted ch.: children. one who worked in cordovan leathers. by law to his widow. chain: a measure of land; 66 feet = 4 Corp.: corporal (also, of course, cor- DSM: Distinguished Service Medal, a rods = 100 links (all of them fixed). poration). British military decoration. Chap.: chaplain (also, in legislative corr. fell.: corresponding fellow. D.S.O.: Distinguished Service Order, parlance, an act or law). corr. mem.: corresponding member. a British military decoration for brav- charwoman: a cleaning woman hired C.P.R: Canadian Pacific Railway. ery. by the day (not a lucrative profession). Cr.: Crown. dsp.: decessit sine prole (Latin for Chas, Chs: Charles. cremains: human remains after cre- "died without issue"). chattel: moveable personal property. mation in a crematory. dspl.: decessit sine prole (Latin for C.H.P.: Christian Heritage Party of Crown grant: on Prince Edward "died without legitimate issue"). Canada. Island, sale of land owned by the gov- dsmp.: decessit sine prole mascula chr.: christened (baptized). ernment (which had purchased it (Latin for "died without male issue").