Whether you're a beginner or a veteran, you won't get far in
tracing your family tree if you don't understand the lingo.
Build your genealogical vocabulary with this glossary. Skip
ahead to a particular letter by clicking on it below: A B C D E
F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Can't find a term
here? Suggest additions to the editorial staff. An abbreviated
transcription of a document that includes the date of the record
and every name it contains; it may also provide relationships or
descriptions (witness, executor, bondsman, son, widow) of the
people mentioned. A German word meaning “ancestor table.” This
system of numbering gives each ancestor a number and makes
organization and reference easier. Fathers are even numbers,
mothers odd. To find a father’s number, double the child’s
number (if you are #1, then, your father is #2). Add one to the
father’s number to get the mother’s number (your mother would be
#3). In the rectangular survey system, a description for an
exact subdivision of a section of