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Affidavit
A legally written statement made under oath
Ahnentafel Number
A numbering system used in charts. For example: Number one designates the person in the first generation. Numbers two and three designate the parents of number one and the second generation. Numbers four through seven designate the grandparents of person number one and the third generation. As the ahnentafel extends by generation, the number of persons doubles.
Alien
A citizen of another country
Ancestor
A relative from your family line. For example a grandparent or great-grandparents and further fown the line are all ancestors.
Ancestry
A term used for traceable ancestors. Estimates suggest that everyone has tens of thousands traceable of ancestors, meaning ancestors whose existence can be documented in surviving records.
Authenticate
Proof given that a record is not a forgery
Bapt.
an abbreviation for baptism, often followed with a date
Bequeath
Normally used in a will, where the person leaves property to another person or organization
Birth Record
Birth record are incredibly valuable in your search. You can find the mother's full maiden name and the father's full name, the name of the baby, the date of the birth, and county where the birth took place.
Cemetery Records
Cemetery caretakers usually keep records of all the deaths and buriels of the church.Also mearby tombsones may contain further information if not too heavily weathered.
Census Records
The census generally takes place every 10 years. The Census is a collection of information regarding the houseowner and residence at that address. A census normally includes names, ages, citizenship status, and ethnic background.
Christian Name
Names other than a person's surname, often more than one christian name are found on the birth certificate.
Common Ancestor
A shared person through whom two or more persons claim descent or lineage
Conveyance
Legal document by which the title to property is transferred; warrant; deed
Cousin
Child of an aunt or uncle. Bare in mind, close relative, or a friend in the past.
Daughter-in-law
The wife of an individual's son; also used to mean a step-daughter
Deceased
A relative who has died; often known as "the deceased"
Deed
Document transferring ownership and title of property
Descendant
Anyone to whom an individual is an ancestor—their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and so on
Direct line
Used for a person who is directly related to one another as a child and parent
Emancipated
Freed from slavery or reaching the legal age
Emigration
Departing the country of origin to live in another country
Estate
Refers to assests of a decedent,including land and personal belongings
Family Pedigrees
In general, family pedigrees refer to family group sheets that are linked as a continuing lineage.
Family History
Books that detail the basic genealogical facts about one or more generations of a particular family
GEDCOM - acronym for GEnealogy Data COMmunications
A standardized format for genealogy databases that allows the exchange of data among different software programs and operating systems.
Genealogy
The study of a persons ancestry history
Guardian
Person lawfully appointed to care for the person of a minor, invalid, incompetent and his or her interests.
Heir
A Person who legally succeeds to an estate upon the death of an ancestor.
Illegitimate
Child born to a woman who is not married to the father.
Immigrant
Person moving into a country from another country
Land Records
Legal proof that a piece of land belongs to a particular individual.
Legacy
Property or money bequeathed to someone in a will
Lineage
Direct line of descent from an ancestor also known as progeny
Maiden Name
A woman's surname prior to marriage
Marriage Bond
Engaged couple receive make this vow prior to marriage. It affirmed that there was no moral or legal reason why the couple could not be married. In addition, the man affirmed that he would be able to support himself and his new wife.
Marriage Contract
Legal agreement between prospective spouses made before marriage
Marriage Records
A marriage record containes information about both individuals and the names and birthplaces of the bride's and groom's parents, the addresses of the bride and groom, information about previous marriages, and the names of the witnesses to the marriage as well as the carreer of the parents.
Maternal Line
Line of descent traced through the mother's ancestry
Military Records
A detailed record of those working for the armed forces with details of a persons name, date of birth, place of residence, military organization, when the individual's service began and ended, where and when the individual died, and where the individual was buried.
Minor
A young person under legal age.
Naturalization Records
Documents recording the process by which an immigrant becomes a citizen. An individual has to live in the country for a specific period of time and file a series of forms with a court before he or she can become naturalized.
Orphan
A minor whose parents have died
Parish
Ecclesiastical division or jurisdiction; the site of a church
Paternal Line
Line of descent traced through the father's ancestry
Patronymics
the practice of creating last names from the name of one's father; for example, Fred, William's son, would become Fred Williamson.
Pedigree
A person's ancestry, lineage and family tree
Pedigree Chart
A chart showing a person's ancestry lineage
Pensioner
Person who receives any kind of pension benefits normally due to lack of ability to physically work
Power of Attorney
A designated person is appointed as a representative to perform certain legal acts on behalf of the principal, such as buying or selling property.
Sibling
A brother or sister, persons who share the same parents
Soundex - acronym for Sound Index
Phonetic indexing system;
Stepchild
Child of one of the spouses by a former marriage who has not been adopted by the step-parent
Stepfather
Husband of a child's mother by a later marriage
Stepmother
Wife of a child's father by a later marriage
Surname
Last name also known as the family name
Tithe
A tenth part of one's annual income paid to support noblemen and clergy.
Transcript
A written document or record. In a transcript, it is expected that everything from the original was transcribed or copied like todays photocopying.
Vital Records
Birth, marriage, death and divorce records are said to be under the broader term "Vital Records"
Widow
A woman whose husband has died
Widower
A man whose wife has died
Witness
A witness is an individual present at an event such as a marriage or the signing of a document who can vouch that the event took place
Will
A document stating how a person wants his estate and personal property divided after his death
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