Genealogical Terms

Genealogy, and by association, family history, almost has its own language. There are many terms that are unique to the field and many other more common terms that have specific meanings relating the genealogy. Definitions of some of the terms that may be unfamiliar to some who encounter them are included in the pages referenced below, by the beginning letter of the term.

See also

• Dictionary of Genealogy and Archaic Terms
• Acronyms and Abbreviations

The collapsed table below (click on "show") provides information on various terms that those users who are new to genealogy should be aware of when starting their search for their ancestors.  The list of genealogical terms above provides an extensive listing of words and acronyms one may also encounter during your research.

N e w     t o     G e n e a l o g y ?

Common Terms to know for those that are "New to Genealogy"
Ancestral File (AF)	A discontinued collection of lineage linked family information originated by the LDS Church.
Ancestors	The people from whom you are a descendant (your direct line excluding their siblings).
Archives	Stored information and records related to current and past generations.
Cemetery Records	Records related to a burial (both office records and tombstone information).
Census	An official government listing of people within a geographic area.  The US Federal census has been taken every 10 years since 1790. US state census records may be taken in the alternate five year periods.
Christening	Baptism in most churches and often record birth dates, parent information, and can supply some relatives information in the form of god-parents.
Circa	Meaning "about" or "approximately" in reference to a date or a year.
Citation	A reference that links the "data" (the information cited) to an authoritative source to prove it is accurate (usually a primary source such as a legal document).
Descendancy Chart	A listing or display of all the known descendants of a particular ancestor which includes all children, the children's spouses and their children, and so on to the present day.
Emigrant	A person who has "left one country or region for another area. As opposed to an immigrant who is someone who has "arrived" or settles in a new area.
Enumeration	The process of counting people, for example when a census is taken.
Family History Library (FHL)	The world's largest collection of genealogical information, collected by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Family History Centers (FHC)	Facilities located in many cities across the world which provide local research assistance and access to the FHL records.
Family Tree software	A genealogical software program designed to encompass all genealogy information into "one world tree" and it is based on the open edit format.
GEDCOM	An acronym for GEnealogical Data COMmunication which is a file format developed by the LDS Church for recording genealogical information.
Gregorian Calendar	The calendar named after Pope Gregory in 1582 which replaced the Julian calendar.  It was adopted for current use in 1752.
Heraldry	Is the practice (or science) of recording genealogical information in the form of artistic representations, coat of arms, family crests, and insignia.
International Genealogical Index (IGI)	A database that contains source information about genealogy records which can provide valuable clues to one's ancestors.
Immigrant	A person that settles in a new country after leaving (emigrating) from another country. You emigrate from one place but immigrate into another place.
Julian Calendar	A calendar named for Julius Caesar (of the Roman Empire) which was used from 45 BCE until 1582 when the Gregorian calendar was developed.
LDS	An acronym for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Also refers to the website familysearch.org which houses the Church's genealogical records.
Legacy	Often referred to as "money" to be inherited and is similar to a bequest (property) but can also refer to the genealogical records passed down to later generations.
Maternal lineage	Ancestors related to one's mother's side of the family.
Migration	As distinguished from Emigrant and Immigrant: Usually refers to movement of people within the same country such as moving from state to state.  Can also refer to instances where people move seasonally such as migrant workers.
Naturalization	The process used to become a citizen of a country.
Necrology	A list of obituaries or death records published in a newspaper or other public announcement.
Obituary	A published death notice which often contains a brief biography as well as birth and death information and usually the closest relatives.
Open edit	A software design which allows any of the information contained therein (with a few restictions) to be edited by anyone logged into the system.
Patent	A document showing the transfer of public land to an individual (also known as a grant).
Paternal lineage	Ancestors related to one's father's side of the family.
Pedigree chart	The display used to show one person's ancestors by listing their parents and the parent's parents, and so on.
Pedigree Resource File (PRF)	A file format that replaced the Ancestral File format but was ultimately replaced by the open edit format currently used in the FamilySearch Family Tree software.
Registrar	An official that records events such as births, deaths, probates, and the selling of land.
Social Security Death Index (SSDI)	An index of information related to the deceased who were registered under the Social Security program in the United States.  Lists the person's name, birth, death, the soundex code, SS number and the state it was issued in.
Soundex	An indexing system which uses the sound of the consonants in a name to generate a code that can aid in locating misspelled or unusually spelled names.
Sources (Primary)	Included are: census records, birth, marriage, and death records, medical records, and other published records such as newspapers, court and land records.
Sources (Secondary)	Records which are second hand in nature such as biographies, dictionaries and encyclopedias (printed or online like Wikipedia), guides or manuals, and general histories.
Surname	The name associated with a group of people such as a family.  Formerly it was a descriptive phrase used with a name to depict that person's occupation or some characteristic of the person.  Those extra names eventually evolved into one's family name in many instances.
Vital Records	Civil (legal) records which document the birth, marriage, or death of a person.
Wiki	A web application used to collect (or consolidate) information based on the collective knowledge of numerous individuals.  An open edit system used to collaborate and gain consensus for what is published on the web.
Editors Note: Please add or expand this listing with terms useful to those that are "New to Genealogy"

There is also a listing of the terminology related specifically to the wiki which can be found at Help: Wiki Terminology.  If necessary, there are other useful listings outside this wiki which can be found at: genealogyinc and the University of Delaware Library page.

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Family History Library (FHL); now called, FamilySearch Library (FSL)

International Genealogical Index (FamilySearch) - free

International Genealogical Index (FamilySearch) - free