Genealogical Abbreviations and Latin Terms A to F - International Institute
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The original content for this article was contributed by The International Institute of Genealogical Studies in June 2012. It is an excerpt from their course Methodology - Part 1: Getting Started, Methodology - Part 2: Organizing and Skillbuilding], Methodology - Part 3: More Strategies], Methodology - Part 4: Effective Searching and Recording, Methodology - Part 5: How To Prove It, and Methodology - Part 6: Professional Preparation and Practice by Louise St Denis, Brenda Dougall Merriman and Dr. Penelope Christensen. The Institute offers over 200 comprehensive genealogy courses for a fee ($). |
Abbreviations and Latin Words
A to F
Note: Latin words are in italics
| A + W | Admon with Will attached |
| AAGRA | Australian Association of Genealogists & Record Agents |
| Aas [86] | Anno Aetitis suae 86= died in his 86th year (i.e. he was 85) |
| AB | Appeal against bastardy |
| Abs | Abstract; Absconded; Absent |
| abt | About |
| ac’s | Accounts |
| ACC | Anglican Church of Canada |
| Acc | Accommodation Acct Account |
| Ack | Acknowledged |
| AD | Anno Domini = In the year of our Lord |
| ADD | Additional, as in manuscript usage |
| Addn | Addition |
| adm | Admission, or admitted |
| admin | Administration |
| Admon | Letters of Administration of an estate |
| ae | Age |
| aet | At the age of |
| Aff | Affidavit (e.g. for burials in woollen) |
| AFFHO | Australasian Federation of Family History Organisations |
| AFHSW | Association of Family History Societies in Wales |
| AG | Accredited Genealogist |
| Ag. Lab. | Agricultural labourer |
| ag’mt | Agreement |
| AGRA | Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives (England) |
| AIS | Accelerated Indexing System |
| aka | Also known as |
| alleg | Allegiance |
| als | Alias = also known as |
| anc | Ancestors or ancestry |
| anniv | Anniversary |
| Ap(p). | Apprentice |
| APG | Association of Professional Genealogists (USA) |
| APGI | Association of Professional Genealogists in Ireland |
| apl | Appeal |
| App(l) | Application |
| aquo | From whom |
| AR | Appeal against removal |
| art | Article |
| ASG | American Society of Genealogists |
| ASGRA | Association of Scottish Genealogists and Record Agents |
| Asgt Mtge | Assigned Mortgage |
| assn | Association |
| au | Aunt |
| AV | Appeal against Vagrancy |
| B and S | Bought and Sold; Bargain and Sale |
| B(rig). | Gen Brigadier General |
| b. | Birth, baptism, banns, bachelor, both, boy or burial |
| BA | Bastardy Allegation; Bachelor of Arts |
| BALH | British Association for Local History |
| bap, bapt, bp | Baptised |
| Bapt | Baptist |
| bart., bt. | Baronet |
| Bas | Bastard |
| Bat(t), bat(t)’n | Battalion |
| bb | Baseborn (illegitimate) |
| BB | Bastardy Bond |
| Bbl | Bible |
| bc | Before the congregation |
| BC | Before Christ, Bible Christian, Bas-Canada (Lower Canada, i.e. Quebec); Birth Certificate; British Columbia |
| BCE | Before the Christian Era |
| BCG | Board for Certification of Genealogists (USA) |
| Bd | Bond; Buried |
| BdnL | Bodleian Library (Oxford) |
| BE | Bastardy Examination |
| bet | Between |
| BG | Burial Ground; Board of Guardians (of Workhouse) |
| BIG R | British Isles Genealogical Register |
| Bio(g) | Biography |
| bitp | Both [living] in this parish (Scottish) |
| bk. | Book |
| BL | British Library |
| Blaw | Brother-in-law |
| BM | British Museum |
| BMD | Births, Marriages and Deaths (Civil Registration/Vital Statistics) |
| BMSGH | Birmingham and Midland Society for Genealogy and Heraldry |
| Bn, brn | Born |
| BNL | British Newspaper Library |
| botp | Both of this parish |
| Boyd | Boyd’s Marriage Index (he also did other indexes) |
| Bp | Bishop |
| BQACG | Bureau Québécois d’Attestation de Compétence en Généalogie (Quebec credential) |
| Br(o) | Brother |
| BS | British Subject (may or may not be officially naturalized) |
| BT | Board of Trade |
| BTs | Bishop’s Transcripts |
| Bu(r) | Buried; burial |
| BVM | Blessed Virgin Mary |
| BwkI | Borthwick Institute (York) |
| BYU | Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah |
| C of A | College of Arms |
| C of E | Church of England (Anglican) |
| C of I | Church of Ireland (Episcopalian or Anglican) |
| C of S | Church of Scotland (Presbyterian) |
| c. | Christening, Census; Chapter; Circa (about) |
| C’tee | Committee |
| C18 | 18th century |
| ca. | About |
| Cadet | The younger or youngest son, or a member of a younger branch of the family |
| CAILS | Certified American Indian Lineage Specialist |
| Cal | Calendar = an index where names are arranged in first letter groups only; also = a summary of the contents of a group of documents |
| CALS | Certified American Lineage Specialist |
| Capt | Captain |
| carp | Carpenter |
| Cath | Catholic |
| CB | Colombie Britannique (British Columbia); Child boy |
| CC | County Council; The county of |
| CCB(ap) | Christian Conference Baptist |
| Cdr | Commander |
| CE | Canada East (Quebec) |
| Cem | Cemetery |
| Cent | Century |
| Cert | Certificate |
| cf | Confer = compare with |
| CG | Certified Genealogist |
| CG(C) | Certified Genealogist (Canada) |
| CGI | Certified Genealogical Instructor |
| CGL | Certified Genealogical Lecturer |
| CGRS | Certified Genealogical Records Specialist |
| Ch | Church; Child |
| Ch. Ch. | Christ Church |
| Ch. Yd | Churchyard |
| Chan. Proc. | Chancery Proceedings |
| chap. | Chapter |
| chg | Chargeable |
| chmn | Chairman |
| chn | Children |
| chr. | Christened |
| Chw | Churchwarden |
| CI | Child infant; Channel Islands |
| circa | About |
| cit. | Citizen |
| cl. | Clerk (could mean clerk in holy orders) |
| Cllr | Councillor |
| CMB | Christenings, Marriages and Burials (church ceremonies) |
| Cmdr | Commander |
| cn | Children; Cousin |
| CN | Canadian National (Railway Company) |
| Cnty | County Co. County; Company |
| cog | Consent of Guardian |
| Coh(r). | Co-heir |
| col. | Column |
| coll., colls | Collateral(s) |
| Com. | County |
| Com. Bk. | Commission Book |
| comp. | Compiler |
| Con | The county of; Congregational |
| Conf | Confederate |
| conf | Conference; Confirmation |
| Cong. | Congregationalist |
| conj., conjux | Wife |
| Const | Constitution |
| cop | Copulatio = Marriage; Consent of parent |
| Corr | Correction |
| Corres. | Correspondence |
| cos | Cousin; Counties |
| cou, cous | Cousin |
| CP | Civil Parish; Canadian Pacific (Railway Company); Canadian Presbyterian |
| CR | Cremated |
| cr. | Created (of a peerage etc.) |
| CRO | County Record Office |
| CRS | Catholic Record Society |
| CS | Church of Scotland |
| CSA | Confederate States of America |
| Ct | Court |
| CU | Child of unknown sex |
| CW | Canada West (Ontario); Civil War (USA);Churchwarden |
| CY | Churchyard |
| d. | Died, or denarius (penny) |
| d. and coh. | Daughter and co-heir |
| d. inf. | Died as an infant (= under 8 years) |
| d. minor | Died under age 21 |
| d. unm. | Died unmarried |
| D.b.n., De bo non | De bonis non administratis = of goods unadministered |
| d.s.p. | Decessit sine prole = died without issue (children)surviving |
| d.s.p.f. | Decessit sine prole femina = died without female issue |
| d.s.p.leg. | Decessit sone prole legitima = died without legitimate issue |
| d.s.p.m. | Decessit sine prole mascula = died without male issue |
| d.s.p.m.s. | Decessit sine prole mascula supersita = died without surviving male issue |
| d.s.p.s. | Decessit sine prole supersita = died without surviving issue |
| d.v.m. | Decessit vita matris = died in mother's lifetime |
| d.v.p. | Decessit vita patris = died in father's lifetime |
| da.,dau. | daughter |
| DAR | Member of The National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution |
| dat | Dated |
| DC | Death certificate |
| DD | Doctor of Divinity; Discharged Dead |
| Dd | Died, dead |
| dec. | Deceased; Decree; Declaration |
| DED | District Electoral Division (Ireland) |
| dept. | Department |
| des | Deserted, desertion |
| desc | Descendants |
| di | Died without issue (child) |
| Dioc. | Diocese |
| Dip FHS | Diploma in Family History Studies (Australian credential) |
| Dip Gen | Diploma in Genealogy |
| dist. | District |
| distaff | Female side of family |
| div. | Divorced |
| divs | Divisions |
| DL | Deputy Lieutenant |
| DM | Discharged Mortgage |
| DMO | District Medical Officer |
| DNB | Dictionary of National Biography |
| do, d/o | Daughter of |
| dom | Domestic |
| Dom. | Dominus = Sunday |
| DP | Displaced person (refugee) |
| DRO | Diocesan Record Office |
| dt | Dated |
| DUE | Daughter of a United Empire Loyalist |
| DUV | Daughter of Union Veterans |
| dwi | Died without issue (child) |
| dwmi | Died without male issue |
| dwsmi | Died without surviving male issue |
| dy | Died young; Daily; Day |
| dys | Days |
| e.g. | Exempli gratia = for example |
| eb | Erected by |
| ECUSA | Episcopal Church of USA |
| ed. | Edition; Editor; Educated at |
| eds. | Editors |
| Educ | Educated at |
| EIC | [Honourable] East India Company |
| el(d) | Eldest |
| EMC | Episcopal Methodist Church |
| Emp(l) | Employee, employer, employed by |
| Eodem Die | The same day |
| Epis. | Episcopal |
| est | Eldest; Estimated |
| et al. | Et alii = others |
| etc. | Et cetera = and so forth |
| Evan | Evangelical |
| Exam. | Examination (e.g. for Settlement or Bastardy |
| Exch. | Court of Exchequer |
| Exp. | Expenditure |
| ext. | Extinct (of a peerage etc.) |
| F | Female |
| f | And next page; family information |
| F and AM | Free and Accepted Masons |
| f (o). | Folio (page) number |
| F of F | Feet of Fines |
| fa | Father |
| fam | Family |
| FC | Free Church (Presbyterian) |
| Feu | The late or deceased (French Canadian) |
| ff | And following pages |
| FFHS | Federation of Family History Societies |
| FG | Free Grant |
| FHG | Fellow of the Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies |
| FHS | Family History Society |
| fil et hr. | Son and heir |
| filia | Daughter |
| filius | Son |
| fl. | Flourished (lived) |
| fl. Temp. Eliz I | Was alive in the reign of Elizabeth I |
| Flaw | Father-in-law |
| FO | Filiation Order |
| FP | Foreign parts; Free Presbyterian |
| FPRO | Friends of the Public Record Office |
| FR | Father (Roman Catholic) |
| fr | Farmer |
| Frac | Fracrtional |
| FRC | Family Records Centre (formerly St. Catherine's House), London, England |
| FS | Female servant |
| FSC | Family Search Center |
| FSG | Fellow of the Society Genealogists |
| FTM | Family Tree Magazine; Family Tree Maker (genealogy software) |
| FTW | Family Tree Maker (genealogy software) |
| FWK | Framework knitter |
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Information in this Wiki page is excerpted from the online courses Methodology - Part 1: Getting Started, Methodology - Part 2: Organizing and Skillbuilding], Methodology - Part 3: More Strategies], Methodology - Part 4: Effective Searching and Recording, Methodology - Part 5: How To Prove It, and Methodology - Part 6: Professional Preparation and Practice offered by The International Institute of Genealogical Studies. To learn more about these courses or other courses available from the Institute, see our website. We can be contacted at wiki@genealogicalstudies.com
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