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Abstract- Summary of documents, esp. deeds and wills.
Administrator- Person appointed to manage or divide the estate of
a deceased person. Feminine administratrix.
Ancestor- A person from whom one is descended; forefather.
Ancestry- 1. Descent or lineage. 2. Ancestors collectively.
Archives- Records of a government, organization, institution, the
place where such records are stored.
Attest- To affirm; to certify by signature or oath.
Aunt- 1. The sister of one's father or mother. 2. The wife of one's
Bequeath- To give personal property to a person
in a will.
Bond- A binding agreement to perform certain actions or duties or
be required to pay a specified sum of money as a penality.
Bounty land- Land promised as reward or inducement for enlisting
in military service.
Census- A periodic offical count of population.
Common Ancestor- One shared by any two or more people.
Cousin- 1. A child of one's aunt or uncle. 2. A relative descended
from a common ancestor.
Deed- A document sealed as an instrument of bond, contract, or conveyance,
esp. pertaining to property.
Descendancy- A persons offspring, children, grandchildren, and succeeding
Descendant- Offspring of a person, even into remote generations.
Devise- To give property, usually land, in a will.
Devisee- One to whom property is given in a will.
Devisor- One who gives property in a will.
Dower- Legal right or share which a wife acquired by marriage in
the real estate of her husband, allotted to her after his death for her
Enumeration- Listing or counting, such as a
Estate- All property and debts belonging to a person.
Executor- One appointed in a will to carry out the provisions.
Genealogy- 1. A record or table of ancestory. 2.
Direct descent from an ancestor. 3. The study of ancestory.
Given name- Name given to a person at birth or baptism; one's first
and middle name.
Grantee- One's who buys property or receives a grant.
Grantor- One who sells property or makes a grant.
Great Aunt- 1. The sister of one's grandparents. 2. The spouse of
one's great uncle or great aunt.
Great Uncle- 1. The brother of one's grandparents. 2. The spouse
of one's great uncle or great aunt.
Heir- One entitled by law or by terms of a will
to inherit property from another.
Illegitimate- Born to a mother who was not married
to the child's father.
Indentured servant- One bound into the service of another person
for a specified number of years, often in return for transportation to
Intestate- One who dies without a will; One dying without a will.
Issue- Offspring; children; descendants.
Late- Recently deceased; now deceased.
Legacy- Property or money left to someone in a will.
Legatee- One who inherits money or property through a will.
Lineage- Ancestry; direct descent from a specific ancestor.
Maiden name- A girl's surname before marriage.
Maternal- Related through one's mother. Maternal grandmother is
the mother's mother.
Microfiche- A sheet of microfilm containing rows of pages in reduced
Microfilm- 1. A film on which documents are photographed greatly
reduced in size. 2. A reproductioon on microfilm.
Mortality- Death; death rate.
Namesake- Person named after another person.
Patent- Grant of land from a government to an individual.
Paternal- Related through one's father. Paternal grandmother is
the father's mother.
Pedigree- Family tree; ancestry; lineage.
Pension- Money paid regularly to an individual. especially by a
government as reward for military service during wartime or upon retirement
from government service.
Pensioner- One who receives a pension.
Poll- List or record or persons, esp. for taxing or voting; one
head or taxable person.
Probate- Legal process of determining that a will is valid before
authorizing distributin of the estate, appointing someone to administer
an intestate estate, and overseeing the settlements of estates.
Progenitor- 1. A direct ancestor. 2. An originator of a line of
Sic- Latin. thus; copied exactly as the orginial
Surname- One's last name.
Territory- Area of land owned by the United States,
not a state, but having its own legislature and governor.
Testator- Person who makes a valid will before death.
Tithable- Taxable; a person who owes tax to a specified jurisdiction.
Uncle- 1. The brother of one's father or mother.
2. The husband of one's aunt.
Vital records- Records of birth, death, marriage,
Vital statistics- Data dealing with birth, death, marriage, divorce.
Warranty deed- Deed in which the settler of the
property guarantees a clear title to the buyer.
Will- A legal declaration of how a person wishes one's posessions
to be disposed of after one's death.