Terminology, Meanings and Descriptions of Genealogical
Abbreviations
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A
B C D
E F G
H I J
K L M
N O P
Q R S
T U V
W X Y
Z
-Select the first letter of the word from the list below
to jump to appropriate section of the glossary-
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- A - |
a. - about, age, acre - about, age, acre,
ante
a.a.r. - against all risks
AASP - American Antiquarian Society
Proceedings
ab. - about; abbey
abbr. - abbreviation
abd.
- abdicated
Abp. - Archbishop
abr. - abridged; abridgment
abs.
or abstr. - abstract
abt.
- about
AC - Ante Christum; ancestor
chart
a.c. - attested copy; account
current
acad. - academy
acc.
- according to; account; accompanied
acco.
- account
accu. - accurate
ackd. - acknowledged
actg. -
acting
AD - [Latin] Anno Domini
adj. - adjoining; adjutant; adjourned
adm. - admission; admitted
admin. - administration; administrator
Admon. - letters of administration
admr.
- administration
af. or afft.
- affidavit
aft. - after
a.k.a. - also known as
AL -
American Legion
ald. - alderman
alleg. - allegiance
a.l.s.
- autographed letter signed
als. - alias
anc. - ancestry; ancestor; ancient
annot. - annotated
ano.
- another
anon. - anonymous
ant. - antiquary; antonym
antiq.
- antiquary; antiquities; antiquity; antiquarian
a.o. - account of
AOP -
American Order of Pioneers
APG -
Association of Professional Genealogists
APJI
- Association for Protection of Jewish Immigrants
app. - apprentice; aprpoximately; appendix;
appointed
App. Div. - Appelate division
appr. - appraisment
apprd.
- apprised; appeared
approx. -
approximately
apptd. - appointed
appx. - appendix
ar. co.
- artillery company
arr. - arrived
ascert. - ascertain(ed)
ASG
- American Society of Genealogists
asgd.
- assignedasr. - assessor
assn.
or assoc. - association
asso.
- associated; associate
atty. - attorney
au. - gold
aud. -
auditor
a.w.c. - admon. (letters of
administration) with will and codicil annexed
AWOLwithout leave
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- B - |
b. - born; bondsman; - born; bondsman;
banns; book; birth; bachelor; brother
ba.
- bachelor; baptized
bach. or
batch. - bachelor
bap or
bapt. - baptized; baptism
B.B.
- Bail Bond
bcer - birth certificate
BCG - Board for Certification of
Genealogists
b.d. or bdt.
- birth date
bd. - bound; buried
bec. - because; became
bef.-
before
bet. - between
BIA
- Bureau of Indian Affairs
b.i.l. -
brother-in-law
biog. - biography
bish. - bishop
bks. -
books; barracks
bl. - bibliography
BLM - Bureau of Land Management
BLW - Bount Land Warrant
B.M.
- Bench Mark; British Museum
bndsmn. -
bondsman
bo or bot. -
bought; bottom
b.o.t.p. - both of this
parish
bp. - baptized; birthplace
bpl. - birthplace
bpt.
- baptized
Br. - British
br. or bro - brother
bro-i-l - brother-in-law
B.S.
- in court records, Bill of Sale
B.T. -
Bishop's Transcripts
bur. or bu
- buried
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- C - |
c. - cousin; circa;
codicil
ca. - circa
capt.
- captain; captured; captivity
CAR -
National Society, Children of the American Revolution
catal. - catalogue
cath.
- cathedral
CC - County Clerk; county
court, county commissioner; company commander
CCP - Court of Common Pleas
CDA
- Colonial Dames of America
CDIB -
Certified Degree of Indian Blood
cem. -
cemetery
cen. or cens. - census
cent. - century
cer.
or cert. - certificate
cf.
- confer
CG - Certified Genealogist
CH - Court House
ch. -
child; children; church; chief, chaplain
chan.
- chancery
chldn. or chn.
- children
ch/o - child of
chr. or chris.- christened
cir. - circa
civ. -
civil
CJ - County Judge
clk. - clerk
cod. - codicil
CO - commanding officer; Colonial
Office
co. - county; company
C of A - Coat of Arms
col.
- colony; colonel
coll. - college;
collections
com. - commissioner;
commander; commentary; committee; common; commoner;
communicate
comm. - commissioners
comp. - company
confer.
- conferred
conject. - conjecture
cont. - continued
contr.
- contract
corp. - corporal
couns. - counsellor
cous.
- cousin
coven. - covenant
c.r. - church report
CRA -
Church Records Archives
crspd. -
correspond; correspondence
c.s. - copy
signed
CSA - Confederate States of
America
csn. - cousin; cousins
ct.citation; county
CW - Civil War; church warden
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- D - |
d. - died; death;
daughter
DA - District Attorne - District Attorney
da. - daughter; day
DAB
- Dictionary of American Biography
DAC
- National Society of the Daughters of the American
Colonists
DAR - Daughters of the
American Revolution
dau. or
daugr - daughter
dau-i-l -
daughter-in-law
daus. - daughters
DAV - Disabled American Veterans
DB - Domesday Book
DC
- District of Columbia; Deputy Clerk; Deputy County Clerk
DCG - Descendants of Colonial Governors
d. & coh. - daughter and coheiress
d'd. - deceased
dea or
deac. - deacon
dec. or
dec'd - deceased
decis.
- decision
degr. - degree
dep. - deputy; depot
dept. -
department
desc. - descendant
DFPA - Daughters of Founders and Patriots
of America
devis. - devised
d. & h. - daughter and heiress
dil. - daughter-in-law
dio. -
diocese
dis. - discharge
discip. - discipline
dist. -
district
div. - division; divided;
divorced; divinity
d/o - daughter of
do. - ditto
doc or
docum. - document
dom.
- domestic
dpl. - death place
DR - Daughter of the Revolution; Diocesan
Registry
dr. - doctor; dram
d.s. - document signed; died single
ds. - deaths; daughters
dsct.
- descendant
d.s.p. - [Latin]
descessit sine parole; died without issue
d.s.p.m. - [Latin] descessit sine parole mascula;
died without male issue
dt. - date
dto. - dittodtr. -
daughter
dt's. - delirium tremens
dum. or d. um. - died
unmarried
D.V.P means decessit vitae patre (died
in fathers lifetime)
D.V.P.S.P means decessit
vitae patre sine prole (died in fathers lifetime without
legitimate issue)
DVR - Society of the
Descendants of Washington's Army at Valley Forge
d.y. - died young
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- E - |
E. - East or eastern
easi. - easily
ecux. -
executrix; a female executor
E.D. -
Enumeration District
ed. - edited;
edition; editor
educ. - education;
educated
Eng. - England
eno.
- enough
ens. - ensign
ensu.
- ensuing
est. - estate;established
establ. - establishment
estd.
- estimated
etc. - [Latin] etcetera;
and so forth
et. vir. - and husband
exc. - except; excellency; excepted;
exchange
exec. or exor.
or exr. - executor
exox. - executrix
exs. - executors
exx.
- executrix
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- F - |
f. - father; female;
folio; feast; feet; farm; following
fa.
- father
F.A. - Field Artillery
fam. - family; families
FARC
- Federal Archives and Records Centers (branches of the
National Archives)
FASG - Fellow
American Society of Genealogists
father-in-l
- father-in-law
F.B. - Family Bible
f.e. - for example
ff.
- following (pages)
FF's - First
Families
FFV - First Families of
Virginia
FGRA - Family Group Record
Archives
FGS - Federation of
Genealogical Societies
FHC - Family
History Center
FHL - Family History
Library
fidel. - fidelity
fil. or f.inl- father-in-law
f.m. - free mulatto
f.n.
- free negro
foll. - following;
followed
FR - Family Registry
freem. - freeman; freemen
ft.
- foot; fort
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- G - |
g. - grand; great
GAR - Grand Army of the Republic
G.B. - Great Britain
gch.
- grandchildren
gdn. - guardian
GEDCOM - GEnealogical Data COMmunication
GH - Genelaogical Helper
giv. - given; giving
GLC -
Genealogical Library Catalog
GLO -
General Land Office
gm. - grandmother
godf. - godfather
godm.
- godmother
gp. - grandparents
GPAI - Genealogical Periodical Annual Index
gr. - grand; great; grant; graduate
g.r. - grave record
grf.
- grandfather
grmo. - grandmother
grs. - grandson
g.s. -
grave stone
GSW 1812 - General Society
of the War of 1812
Gt. Br. - Great
Britain
gt. gr. - great grand
GTT - Gone to Texas
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- H - |
h. - husband; heir;
heiress
hdgrs. - headquarters
HEIC - Honourable East India Comapny
her. - heraldry
hers.
- herself
HM - His or Her Majesty
HMS - Her (or His) Majesty's Service or
Ship
hims. - himself
Hist.
- History
hist. - historian
hon. - honorable
hon. dis.
- honorably discharged
honor. -
honorary
honora. - honorably
HSA - Huguenot Society of America
hund. - hundred
hus. -
husband
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- I - |
ibid. - [Latin]
ibidem; same (reference)
IGI -
International Genealogical Index
ign. -
ignorant
illus. - illustrated
imp. - importation
inc.
- incorporated; incomplete
incl. -
included; inclusive
Ind. - Indians
IND.S.C. - Indian Survivors' Certificates
Ind. T. or Ind. Ter.-
Indian Territory
Ind. W.C. - Indian
Widow's Certificate
inf. - infant;
infantry; informed
info. - information
inh. - inherited
inhab.
- inhabitant
inq. - inquiry
ins. - insert
inst. -
institute; institution
int. -
intentions; interested; interred
inv.
or invt. - inventory
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- J - |
JA - Judge Advocate
JNH - Journal of Negro History
JP - Justice of the Peace
Jr.
- Junior
jud or judic.
- judicial; judicious
junr. - junior
jur. - [Latin] jurat; certification
that a document was written by the person who signed it
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- K - |
k. - killed; king
kn. - known
knt. or
kt. - knight
KRRNY -
King's Royal Regiment of New York
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- L - |
l. - license; law
labr. - laborer
Lat. -
Latin
lb. - pound
LBC
- Letter Book Copy
LC - Library of
Congress
ld. - land
ldr.
- leader
LDS - Chuch of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints
l.e. - local elder in
a church
lib. - library
lic.
- license
lieut. - lieutenant
li. or liv. - lived;
living
liv. abt. - lived about
ll. - lines
lnd. -
land
l.p. - local preacher
ltd. - limited
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- M - |
m. - month; male;
mother; married; marriage
m/1, m/2 -
married first, married second, etc.
mag.
- magistrate
maj. - major
mak. - making
mat. - maternal
m.bn. - marriage banns
MCA
- Microfilm Corporation of America
MCC
- Microfilm Card Catalog
MCD -
Municipal Civil District
MD - Doctor of
Medicine; Middle Dutch
md. - married
mem. - member; membership; memorials;
memoir
ment. - mentioned
messrs. - plural of mister
Mex. S.C.
- Mexican Survivors' Certificates
Mex. S.O.
- Mexcian Survivorr's Originals
Mex. W.C.
- Mexican Widows' Certificate
MG -
Minister of the Gospel
m.h. - meeting
house
MGH - Middle High German
m.i. - monument inscription
mi.
- mile; miles
MIA - Missing in Action
mil or milit. -
military
min. - minister
m-in-l - mother-in-law
MLG -
Middle Low German
MLW - Military Land
Warrant
MM - abbreviation for Monthly
Meeting of Society of Friends (Quakers)
m.o.
- mustered out
mo. - mother; month
mors. - death; corpse
mov.
- moved
MQ - Mayflower Quarterly
Mr. - Mister
Mrs. -
Mistress
ms. - manuscript
mss. - manuscripts
mtg. -
meeting; mortgage
mvd. - moved
my/d - my daughter
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- N - |
N. - Negro; North
n. - nephew; name
NA -
National Archives in Washington, D.C.; Native American
na. - naturalized
NAI - North
American Indian
NARS
- National Archives and Record Service
nam.
- named
nat. - [Latin] natus;
birth; son; offspring
n.d. - no date
N.E. - New England; North Eeast
NEH - National Endowment for the Humanities
NEHGS - New England Historic
Genealogical Society
neph. - nephew
neph-i-l - nephew-in-law
nfi
- no further information
nfk - nothing
further known
NGS - National
Genealogical Society
NHPRC - National
Historical Publications and Records Commission
nm. - name
nmed. - named
not. - noted
NP -
Notary Public
n.p. - no place
nr. - none recorded; not recorded;
naturalized
NS - New Style calendar;
Nova Scotia
NSCDA - National Society of
the Colonial Dames of America
NSDAR -
National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution
NUCMC - National Union Catalog of
Manuscript Colletions
nunc. -
nuncupative
N.W. - North West
NWC - Navy Widow's Certificate
NW. Terr. - North West Territory
n.x.n.
- no christian name
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- O - |
o. - oath
O.B. - Order Book
ob. - obiit
obit. - obituary
o.c.
- only child
O.E. - Old England; Old
English
offor offic. - official
oft. - often
OM -
Organized Militia
o.p. - out of print
ord. - ordained; ordinance; order;
ordinary
org. - organization
orig. - origin; original
OS
- Old Style calendar
o.t.p. - of this
parish
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- P - |
p. - page; per; populus;
parentage; parents; pence
p.a. - power
of attorney
pam. - pamphlet
par. - parish; parent; parents
pat. - patent; patented; paternal
pchd.
- purchased
PE - Presiding Elder
peo. - people
perh. -
perhaps
petitn. or petn.
- petition
petr. - petitioner
ph. - parish
PI -
Preliminary Inventories
pion. - pioneer
PJP - Probate Judge of the Peace
PLB - Poor Law Board
plt.
- plantiff
P.M. - Post Meridiem;
afternoon; Post Mortem; after death; Police magistrate
P.O. - Post Office
POA
- Power of Attorney
POE - Port of Entry
pp. - pages
PPA -
per power of Attorney
pr. - proved;
probated
p.r. - parish record
preced. - preceding
PRO
- Public Record Office
pro. - probate;
proved
prob. - probable; probably
prop. - property
propr.
- proprietor(s)
provis. - provision
pt. - point; port; petition; pint
ptf. - plaintiff
pub.
- public; published; publisher; publication
pvt.
- private
pymt. - payment
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- Q - |
q. - [Latin] quarto;
oversize book
q.y. - query
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- R - |
r. - rector; rex;
rejected; river; road
R. - Range;
Rabbi; River; Road
rat. - rated
R.C. - Roman Catholic
rcdr.
- recorder
rcpt. - receipt
RD - release of dower rights
re.
- regarding
rec. - record
reg. - register
Reg. Gen. -
Registrar General
rel. - relative
reld. - relieved
rel-i-l
- relative-in-law
ren. - renunciation
rep. - report; representative; reprint;
reprinted
repl. - replaced; replacement
repud. - repudiated
res.
- research; residence; resides
respectiv.
- respectively
ret. - retired
Rev. - Reverend; Revolutionary War
Rev. War - Revolutionary War
RG
- Registered Genealogist
rgstr. -
registrar
RIP - [Latin] requiescat
in pace; rest in peace
rinq. -
relinquished
Rom. - Roman
RR - railroad
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- S - |
s. - son(s)/ soldier;
survivor; spinster; successor; shilling
s. and
h. - son and heir
SAR - Sons
of the American Revolution
SASE -
self-addressed stamped envelope
SCV -
Sons of Confederate Veterans
s'd - said
[found in legal documents]
scatt. -
scattering; scattered
SDA - Seventh Day
Adventists
S.E. - southeast
sec. - second; secretary; section; sector;
security
serg. - sergeant
serv. - service; servant
sett.
- settlers; settler
sev. - several
sh. - share; ship
sil
- son-in-law
sin. - [Latin] sine;
without
sis. - sister
sn.
- [Latin] sine; without
s/o -
son of
SO - Survivors' Originals
soc. - society; societies
s.p.
- [Latin] sine prole; without offspring
s.p.l. - [Latin] sine prole legitima;
without legitimate offspring
s.p.m. -
[Latin] sine prole mascula; without male offspring
spell. - spelling; spelled
spr. - sponsor
sr. - senior
srnms. - surnames
st.
- saint; street
sup. - supply; superior
supt. - superintendent
surg. - surgeon
SUV - Sons of
Union Veterans
sw. - swear; sworn
syl.- syllable
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- T - |
T. - Township
tak. - taken
terr. -
territory
test. - testament
tho. - though
thot. -
thought
thro. - through
TIB
- Temple (Records) Index Bureau
tn. -
town; township
top. - topographical
Tp. - Township
t.p. -
title page
t.p.m. - title page
mutilated
t.p.w. - title page wanting
tr. - troop; translated; translation
transcr. - transcribed
transl. - translation
treas. -
treasurer
TRIB - Temple Records Index
Bureau
TVA - Tennessee Valley Authority
twn. - town
twp. -
township
ty. - territory
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- U - |
UDC - United Daughters
of the Confederacy
U.K. - United
Kingdom
unasgd. - unassigned
unc. - uncle
unit. -
uniting; united
unk. - unknown
unm. - unmarried
unorg.
- unorganized
USCG - United States
Coast Guard
USCT - United States
Colored Troops
USMC - United States
Marine Corps
USN - United States Navy
USWPA - United States Works Progress
Administration
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- V - |
v.a. - [Latin] vixit
annos; (s)he lived (a certain number) years
var.
- various; variation; variant
VFW
- Veterans of Foreign Wars
Vi - visitor
VIP - Very Important Person
Vis. or Visc. - Viscount;
Viscountess
vit. - vital
viz. - [Latin] videlicet; namely
V.L.
- Vulgar Latin
vols. - volunteers;
volumes
v.r. - vital records
vs. - versus
v.s. -
vital statistics
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- W - |
w. - wife; will; west;
widow
wag. - wagoner
W.B.
- Will Book
W.D. - War Department
w.d. - will dated
wd.
- widow; ward
wf/o - wife of
wh. - who; which
wit.
- witness
wk(s). - week(s)
wnt. - wants
W.O. - Widow's
Originals
w/o - wife of
W.O. - Warrant Officer
w.p. -
will probated; will proved
WPA - Works
Progress Administration
WRHS - Western
Reserve Historical Society
W.S. -
Writer to the Signet
wtn. - witness
ww. - widow
ww/o -
widow of
wwr. - widower
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- X - |
X - a mark made by a
person instead of a signature; Christ; Christian
x ch. - exchange
Xn. -
Christian
Xnty. - Christianity
Xped. - Christened
Xr.
- Christian
Xt. - Christ
Xtian. - Christian
Xty. -
Christianity
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- Y - |
y. - year
yd. - graveyard
yr. - year;
younger; your
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- Z - |
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