Index of Genealogical Related Terms

(the ones that might trip you up)

AGNATE

a person related by blood or marriage on the father's side

AHNENTAFEL

a table of one's ancestors, from the German Ahnen (ancestor) and Tafel (table or list)

ANCESTOR

one from whom a person is descended, whether on the father's or mother's side, at any distance of time; a progenitor; a fore father; ascendant, ascendent, antecedent

ASCENDANT

an ancestor, or one who precedes in genealogy or degrees of kindred; a relative in the ascending line; a progenitor

BOROUGH

a self governing incorporated town, larger than a village

CHATTELS

personal property, both animate and inanimate slaves were considered to be chattels

CODICIL

a clause or supplement to a will

COGNATE

allied by blood; kindred by birth; specifically; Law related on the mother's side

CONNUBIAL

of or pertaining to marriage, or the marriage state; conjugal; nuptial

CONNUBIUM

marriage

CONSANGUINITY

blood relationship; distinction from affinity or relation by marriage

DECEDENT

a deceased individual or person

DEMOGRAPHY

study of the characteristics of human populations, as size, growth, density, distribution and vital statistics

DENIZEN

a foreigner permitted certain rights of citizenship; one who is admitted by favor to all or a part of the rights of citizenship, where he did not possess them by birth; an adopted or naturalized citizen.

DESCENDANT

one who descends, as offspring, however remotely; correlative to ancestor or ascendant

D.S.P.

died sine prole; without offspring

ENATE

one related by blood or marriage on the mother's side

GEDCOM

(GEnealogy Data COMmunication) is a specific file format, based on a common specification, that allows sharing of data between two computer software systems. All vital information on each individual in the database is collected and put into a structured format that any other computer software conforming to the GEDCOM specifications can use.

GENTLEMAN

a man well born; one of good family; one above the condition of a yeoman. In Great Britain, the term gentleman is applied in a limited sense to those having coats of arms, but who are without a title, and, in this sense, gentlemen hold a middle rank between the nobility and yeomanry. In a more extended sense, it includes every man above the rank of yeoman, comprehending the nobility. In the United States, the term is applied to men of education and good breeding of every occupation.

IMPOSITUM

the name bestowed

INPRIMIS

in the first place

INTESTATE

having no legal will; not disposed of by legal will

KIN

a person having kinship with another or others

MATRIKIN

matrilineal kin, matrisib, matrilineal sib (one related on the mother's side)

PATRIKIN

patrilineal kin, patrisib, patrilineal sib (one related on the father's side)

PEDIGREE

a recorded ancestry or line of descent properly a genealogical table which records the relationship of families by degrees

PEDIGREE CHART

a standard genealogical form for recording several generations of ancestry

POSTHUMOUS

late born (applied to children born after the father's death, or after he had made his will) Born after the death of the father, or taken from the dead body of the mother; as, a posthumous son or daughter.

PRIMOGENITOR

the earliest known ancestor or forefather

PROGENY

descendants of the human kind, or offspring; children; offspring; race, lineage

PROGENITOR

an originator of a line of descent; an ancestor in the direct line; a forefather

SIBLING

a brother or sister

SOUNDEX

a filing system, usually for recording surnames, using one letter followed by three numbers. The Soundex system groups names of same or similar sounds, but of variant spellings.

SPOUSE

A man or woman engaged or joined in wedlock; a married person, a husband or wife

TESTAMENT

the disposition of one's personal property by will

TESTATE

having made or left a valid will

TESTATOR

a man who died leaving a valid will

TESTATRIX

a female who died leaving a valid will

TRUSTEE

a person or agent holding the legal title to property