Glossary and vocabulary

Genealogy books sometimes use puffed up vocabulary and Roman Numerals?  Frequently I need a dictionary to look up words, phrases or Roman Numerals. Adding here as I use them. And in my family history choosing simple words not puffed up words unless a puffed up word shows a more precise meaning, but haven’t seen this yet.

And there are many abbreviations used frequently but not well known.

Genealogy Quest glossary, most helpful

Roman Numerals chart, those numbers invented in Ancient Rome, used through the middle ages and still used a lot in genealogy books and papers, and for the Super Bowl.

Copyright concepts are complex, this is helpful.

Cornell University Library Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States

© 2004-2019 Peter B. Hirtle. Last updated 07 February, 2019. Use of this chart is governed by the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

What’s the difference between Family history and Genealogy?

  • Genealogy is: names, dates, births, marriages, deaths and locations.
  • Family History is: stories and connections.

There is a certain privilege that comes with researching white males in early America.

Race and gender seem the least important fact in a person’s record.

Matriculated pensioner: ‘commoner’ this is the actual translation via The Jargon at Queens College Cambridge.

noncupative: a will declared verbally, out loud, not written on paper. Actual definition is -(of a will or testament) declared orally as opposed to in writing, especially by a mortally wounded soldier or sailor-. In genealogy the word is used a lot for persons who are not mortally wounded sailors or soldiers, they just didn’t write out their will. Use simple language. Complex, little known, puffed up words make family history less appealing not more appealing.

capitalist on census as occupation Persons living on income from land, stocks, etc., were to be reported as “Capitalist.”

GMB abbreviations : The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-1633. On Ancestry this is listed as New England, The Great Migration and the Great Migration Begins. The online site of GMB provides an alpha listing of ALL the abbreviations used in the massive book. GreatMigrations.org Key to Abbreviations.

AC  ancestor chart
AF  Ancestral File at LDS library
BCG  Board for Certification of Genealogists
FGS  Family Group Sheet
FHL  Family History Library Salt Lake City, Utah LDS church
NEHGR  New England Historic Genealogical Register [publication of NEHGS]
NEHGS  New England Historic Genealogical Society at American Ancestors.org
TAG The American Genealogist (quarterly journal published since 1922)

sw Alleg swore Oath of Allegiance

Wikipedia’s definition of cousin with descriptions and charts

and a great explanation with snapshots at Genealogy Quest

Genealogy Quest snaphot of their Relationship explanation

Pedigree: how many grandparents

Question: How many grandparents do I have?

Answer: Going back 10 generations you have 1024 grandparents. Read more here, it’s referred to as a “Pyramid Theory of Ancestors”. There is also a “Diamond Theory of Ancestors”. Both of these explanations are provided by Olive Tree Genealogy.

Double dates: In 1752 the calendar changed in a major way. Before that in 1582 Pope Gregory authorized the Gregorian or New Style calendar. This calendar was made partially because seasonal equinoxes were falling too early and church holidays were sometimes in the wrong season, too many leap days seemed to be the problem. The Gregorian calendar dropped 10 days  from October, and leap years fell only in years divisible by 400 (1600, 2000). January 1 was the first day of the new year. Europe and Catholic countries adopted the Gregorian calendar.

England and other Protestant countries kept the Julian or Old Style calendar, based on 12 months, a solar year. Between the years 1582 and 1752 there were two different world calendars in use. During these years, “double dating” was used (1652/3, 1673-4), things were generally confused. So Parliament in 1750 ruled to adopt the Gregorian calendar and be like the rest of the world, their old Julian calendar was losing days and confusing seasons and church holidays based on seasons or solstices. More here and on Wikipedia.

Inmate: In the Pennsylvania, Septennial Census, 1779-1863 Mathias Druckenbrod is listed as an inmate. Colonial and early 1800 tax lists and censuses divided men into categories.

  • Freemen or free holders were usually property owners
  • Inmates were renters, usually married and head of house

Evidence Explained QuickLesson 10: Original Records, Image Copies, and Derivatives
definitions of Original, Facsimile, Extract, Abstract, Database very helpful