Abstract-A summary of documents like deeds and wills.
Administration (of estate)-Legally dividing and distributing an estate to the proper heirs.
Administrator (of estate)-Person appointed to oversee the management and distribution of an estate among the heirs.
Administratrix-A female administrator of an estate.
Affidavit-A written statement which has been sworn to before the proper authority.
Alien-Foreigner.
Ancestor-A person from whom you are descended.
Ancestry-A person's lineage.
Apprentice-A person bound by service to another person, by legal agreement, for a specified period of time to learn an art or trade.
Appurtenance-That which belongs to something else, such as a right of way.
Archives-Records belonging to a government, organization, or institution; place where records are stored.
Attest-To declare by signature or oath.
Banns-Public announcement of intended marriage.
Beneficiary-One who receives benefit of trust or property.
Bequeath-To give personal property to a person in a will.
Bond-A legally binding agreement to perform certain duties or requiring payment on or before a given date.
Bounty Land-Land granted as a reward for those who enlisted in service of the military.
Census-An official counting of citizens.
Chattel-Personal property, which can include animate as well as inanimate properties.
Christen-To receive or initiate into the church by baptism.
Circa-About, near, or approximate, usually referring to a date.
Codicil-Addition to a will.
Collateral Ancestor-Belonging to the same ancestral stock but not in direct line of descent, as opposed to lineal such as aunts, uncles and cousins.
Common Ancestor-Ancestor shared by any two people.
Consanguinity-Blood relationship.
Consort-Usually, a wife whose husband is living.
Conveyances-Deeds.
Deceased-Dead.
Decedent-A deceased person.
Declaration of Intention-First paper, sworn to and filed in court, by an alien stating that he wants to become a citizen.
Deed-A document by which title in real property is transferred from one party to another.
Deposition-A testifying or testimony taken down in writing and given under oath in reply to interrogatories, before a competent officer, to replace the oral testimony of a witness.
Descendant-Offspring of a person.
Devisee-One to whom property is given in a will.
Devisor-One who gives property in a will.
Dissenter-One who did not belong to the established church.
District Land Office Plat Book-Books containing the maps that show the location of land patentees.
District Land Office Tract Book-Books which list individual entries by range and township.
Dower-Legal right or share which a wife acquired by marriage in the real estate of her husband, allotted to her after his death for her lifetime or until her remarriage.
Emigrant-One leaving a country and moving to another.
Enumeration-Listing or counting people, like the census.
Epitaph-An inscription on or at a tomb or grave in memory of the one buried there.
Escheat-The reversion of property to the state when there are no qualified heirs.
Estate-All property and debts belonging to a person.
Et Al-Latin for "and others."
Et Ux-Latin for "and wife."
Et Uxor-Latin for "and his wife." Sometimes written simply Et Ux.
Executor-A man appointed in a will to carry out the provisions of that will.
Executrix-A woman appointed in a will to carry out the provisions of that will.
Fee-An estate of inheritance in land, being either fee simple or fee tail.
Fee Simple-An absolute ownership without restriction.
Fee Tail-An estate of inheritance limited to the lineal descendant heirs of a person.
Genealogy-Study of family history.
Grantee-One who buys property or receives a grant.
Grantor-One who sells property or makes a grant.
Guardian-Person appointed to care for and manage property of a minor orphan or an adult incompetent of managing his own affairs.
Heirs-Those legally granted in a will to inherit property from another.
Holographic Will-Will written entirely in the testator's own handwriting.
Homestead Act-Law passed by Congress in 1862 allowing a head of a family to obtain title to 160 acres of public land after clearing and improving it for five years.
Immigrant-One moving into a country from another.
Indenture-A contract which was originally made in two parts by tearing a single sheet across the middle in a jagged line so that the two parts may later be matched together.
Indentured Servant-A servant bound, by choice, into service of another person for a specified number of years. Often this was done in return for transportation to this country.
Instant-Pertaining to the current month. Usually an abbreviated term, "inst."
Intestate-One who dies without a will.
Issue-Offspring; children; lineal descendants of a common ancestor.
Lease-Similar to a rental agreement, creating a landlord-and-tenant situation.
Legacy-Property or money left to someone in a will.
Lien-A claim against property as security for payment of a debt.
Lineage-A line of direct descendants from a specific ancestor.
Lineal-A direct line of ancestors or descendants.
Measurements-Link-7.92 inchesChain-4 rods, or 100 links, or 66 feetSquare Chain-16 polesPole-625 square linksFurlong-1,000 links or 660 feetRod-5 1/2 yards, or 25 links, or 16 1/2 ft (also known as a perch or pole)Rood-From 5 1/2 yards to 8 yardsAcre-43,560 square ft, or 160 square rods, or 10 square chainsMile-80 chainsSquare mile-640 acres
Microfiche-Sheet of microfilm which contains rows of pages in a greatly reduced format.
Microfilm-Film on which documents are photographed and greatly reduced in size.
Migrant-Person, in search of work, who moves from place to place.
Mortality Schedules-An enumeration, conducted by the bureaus of census, of people who died during the year prior to June 1 of 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880 in each state of the United States, conducted by the Bureau of Census.
Necrology-Listing or record of persons who have died recently.
Nee-Used to identify a woman's maiden name.
Probate-Legal process of determining that a will is valid before authorizing distribution of the estate, appointing someone to administer an intestate estate, and overseeing the settlements of estates.
Passenger List-A ship's list of passengers, usually referring to those ships arriving in the U.S. from Europe.
Patent-Grant of land from a government to an individual.
Paternal-Related through one's father.
Patriot-A person who supports the best interests of his country.
Pedigree-A person's family tree or lineage.
Poll-A list or record of people.
Posterity-Descendants.
Power of Attorney-When a person appoints another to act in his behalf.
Pre-emotion Rights-Right given by the federal government to citizens to buy a quarter section of land or less.
Probate-Having to do with wills and the administration of estates.
Progenitor-A direct ancestor.
Progeny-Descendants of a common ancestor.
Proved Will-A will established as genuine by probate court.
Provost-A person appointed to preside over something.
Public Domain-Land owned by the government.
Quitclaim-A deed conveying the interest of the party at that time.
Rector-A clergyman; the ruler or governor of a country.
Relict-Surviving spouse when one has died.
Republic-Government in which supreme authority lies with the people or their elected representatives.
Shaker-Member of a religious group formed in 1747 which practiced communal living and celibacy.
Sic-Latin meaning thus; copied exactly as the original reads.
Sponsor-A bondsman.
Statute-Law.
Surname-Family name or last name.
Territory-Area of land (not a state) owned by the United States.
Testamentary-Pertaining to a will.
Testate-A person who dies leaving a valid will.
Testator-A person who makes a valid will before his death.
Tithable-Taxable.
Tithe-Money due as a tax for support of the clergy or church.
Township-A division of U.S. public land that contained 36 sections, or 36 square miles. Also a subdivision of the county in many Northeastern and Midwestern states of the U.S.
Tradition-The handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, genealogies, etc. from generation to generation, especially by word of mouth.
Transcribe-To make a handwritten copy.
Ultimo-In the month before this one.
Verbatim-Word for word; in the same words; verbally.
Vital Records-Records of birth, death, marriage or divorce.
Vital Statistics-Data dealing with birth, death, marriage or divorce.
Ward-The legal division of a city for election purposes.
Will-Document declaring how a person wants his property divided after his death.
Witness-One who is present at a transaction, such as a sale of land or signing of a will, who can testify or affirm that it actually took place.
Yeoman-A farmer who owns his land.