a. - about, age, acre, ante

a.a.r. - against all risks

AASP - American Antiquarian Society Proceedings

ab. - about; abbey

abbr. - abbreviation

abd. - abdicated

Abp. - Archbishop

abr. - abridged; abridgment

abs. or abstr. - abstract

abt. - about

AC - Ante Christum; ancestor chart

a.c. - attested copy; account current

acad. - academy

acc. - according to; account; accompanied

acco. - account

accu. - accurate

ackd. - acknowledged

actg. - acting

AD - [Latin] Anno Domini

adj. - adjoining; adjutant; adjourned

adm. - admission; admitted

admin. - administration; administrator

Admon. - letters of administration

admr. - administration

af. or afft. - affidavit

aft. - after

a.k.a. - also known as

AL - American Legion

ald. - alderman

alleg. - allegiance

a.l.s. - autographed letter signed

als. - alias

anc. - ancestry; ancestor; ancient

annot. - annotated

ano. - another

anon. - anonymous

ant. - antiquary; antonym

antiq. - antiquary; antiquities; antiquity; antiquarian

a.o. - account of

AOP - American Order of Pioneers

APG - Association of Professional Genealogists

APJI - Association for Protection of Jewish Immigrants

app. - apprentice; aprpoximately; appendix; appointed

App. Div. - Appelate division

appr. - appraisment

apprd. - apprised; appeared

approx. - approximately

apptd. - appointed

appx. - appendix

ar. co. - artillery company

arr. - arrived

ascert. - ascertain(ed)

ASG - American Society of Genealogists

asgd. - assigned

asr. - assessor

assn. or assoc. - association

asso. - associated; associate

atty. - attorney

au. - gold

aud. - auditor

a.w.c. - admon. (letters of administration) with will and codicil annexed

AWOL - absent without leave

b. - born; bondsman; banns; book; birth; bachelor; brother

ba. - bachelor; baptized

bach. or batch. - bachelor

bap or bapt. - baptized; baptism

B.B. - Bail Bond

bcer - birth certificate

BCG - Board for Certification of Genealogists

b.d. or bdt. - birth date

bd. - bound; buried

bec. - because; became

bef.- before

bet. - between

BIA - Bureau of Indian Affairs

b.i.l. - brother-in-law

biog. - biography

bish. - bishop

bks. - books; barracks

bl. - bibliography

BLM - Bureau of Land Management

BLW - Bount Land Warrant

B.M. - Bench Mark; British Museum

bndsmn. - bondsman

bo or bot. - bought; bottom

b.o.t.p. - both of this parish

bp. - baptized; birthplace

bpl. - birthplace

bpt. - baptized

Br. - British

br. or bro - brother

bro-i-l - brother-in-law

B.S. - in court records, Bill of Sale

B.T. - Bishop's Transcripts

bur. or bu - buried

c. - cousin; circa; codicil

ca. - circa

capt. - captain; captured; captivity

CAR - National Society, Children of the American Revolution

catal. - catalogue

cath. - cathedral

CC - County Clerk; county court, county commissioner; company commander

CCP - Court of Common Pleas

CDA - Colonial Dames of America

CDIB - Certified Degree of Indian Blood

cem. - cemetery

cen. or cens. - census

cent. - century

cer. or cert. - certificate

cf. - confer

CG - Certified Genealogist

CH - Court House

ch. - child; children; church; chief, chaplain

chan. - chancery

chldn. or chn. - children

ch/o - child of

chr. or chris.- christened

cir. - circa

civ. - civil

CJ - County Judge

clk. - clerk

cod. - codicil

CO - commanding officer; Colonial Office

co. - county; company

C of A - Coat of Arms

col. - colony; colonel

coll. - college; collections

com. - commissioner; commander; commentary; committee; common; commoner; communicate

comm. - commissioners

comp. - company

confer. - conferred

conject. - conjecture

cont. - continued

contr. - contract

corp. - corporal

couns. - counsellor

cous. - cousin

coven. - covenant

c.r. - church report

CRA - Church Records Archives

crspd. - correspond; correspondence

c.s. - copy signed

CSA - Confederate States of America

csn. - cousin; cousins

ct. - court; citation; county

CW - Civil War; church warden

d. - died; death; daughter

DA - District Attorney

da. - daughter; day

DAB - Dictionary of American Biography

DAC - National Society of the Daughters of the American Colonists

DAR - Daughters of the American Revolution

dau. or daugr - daughter

dau-i-l - daughter-in-law

daus. - daughters

DAV - Disabled American Veterans

DB - Domesday Book

DC - District of Columbia; Deputy Clerk; Deputy County Clerk

DCG - Descendants of Colonial Governors

d. & coh. - daughter and coheiress

d'd. - deceased

dea or deac. - deacon

dec. or dec'd - deceased

decis. - decision

degr. - degree

dep. - deputy; depot

dept. - department

desc. - descendant

DFPA - Daughters of Founders and Patriots of America

devis. - devised

d. & h. - daughter and heiress

dil. - daughter-in-law

dio. - diocese

dis. - discharge

discip. - discipline

dist. - district

div. - division; divided; divorced; divinity

d/o - daughter of

do. - ditto

doc or docum. - document

dom. - domestic

dpl. - death place

DR - Daughter of the Revolution; Diocesan Registry

dr. - doctor; dram

d.s. - document signed; died single

ds. - deaths; daughters

dsct. - descendant

d.s.p. - [Latin] descessit sine parole; died without issue

d.s.p.m. - [Latin] descessit sine parole mascula; died without male issue

dt. - date

dto. - ditto

dtr. - daughter

dt's. - delirium tremens

dum. or d. um. - died unmarried

DVR - Society of the Descendants of Washington's Army at Valley Forge

d.y. - died young

E. - East or eastern

easi. - easily

ecux. - executrix; a female executor

E.D. - Enumeration District

ed. - edited; edition; editor

educ. - education; educated

Eng. - England

eno. - enough

ens. - ensign

ensu. - ensuing

est. - estate;established

establ. - establishment

estd. - estimated

etc. - [Latin] etcetera; and so forth

et. vir. - and husband

exc. - except; excellency; excepted; exchange

exec. or exor. or exr. - executor

exox. - executrix

exs. - executors

exx. - executrix

f. - father; female; folio; feast; feet; farm; following

fa. - father

F.A. - Field Artillery

fam. - family; families

FARC - Federal Archives and Records Centers (branches of the National Archives

FASG - Fellow American Society of Genealogists

father-in-l - father-in-law

F.B. - Family Bible

f.e. - for example

ff. - following (pages)

FF's - First Families

FFV - First Families of Virginia

FGRA - Family Group Record Archives

FGS - Federation of Genealogical Societies

FHC - Family History Center

FHL - Family History Library

fidel. - fidelity

fil. or f.inl- father-in-law

f.m. - free mulatto

f.n. - free negro

foll. - following; followed

FR - Family Registry

freem. - freeman; freemen

ft. - foot; fort

g. - grand; great

GAR - Grand Army of the Republic

G.B. - Great Britain

gch. - grandchildren

gdn. - guardian

GEDCOM - GEnealogical Data COMmunication

GH - Genelaogical Helper

giv. - given; giving

GLC - Genealogical Library Catalog

GLO - General Land Office

gm. - grandmother

godf. - godfather

godm. - godmother

gp. - grandparents

GPAI - Genealogical Periodical Annual Index

gr. - grand; great; grant; graduate

g.r. - grave record

grf. - grandfather

grmo. - grandmother

grs. - grandson

g.s. - grave stone

GSW 1812 - General Society of the War of 1812

Gt. Br. - Great Britain

gt. gr. - great grand

GTT - Gone to Texas

h. - husband; heir; heiress

hdgrs. - headquarters

HEIC - Honourable East India Comapny

her. - heraldry

hers. - herself

HM - His or Her Majesty

HMS - Her (or His) Majesty's Service or Ship

hims. - himself

Hist. - History

hist. - historian

hon. - honorable

hon. dis. - honorably discharged

honor. - honorary

honora. - honorably

HSA - Huguenot Society of America

hund. - hundred

hus. - husband

ibid. - [Latin] ibidem; same (reference)

IGI - International Genealogical Index

ign. - ignorant

illus. - illustrated

imp. - importation

inc. - incorporated; incomplete

incl. - included; inclusive

Ind. - Indians

IND.S.C. - Indian Survivors' Certificates

Ind. T. or Ind. Ter.- Indian Territory

Ind. W.C. - Indian Widow's Certificate

inf. - infant; infantry; informed

info. - information

inh. - inherited

inhab. - inhabitant

inq. - inquiry

ins. - insert

inst. - institute; institution

int. - intentions; interested; interred

inv. orinvt. - inventory

JA - Judge Advocate

JNH - Journal of Negro History

JP - Justice of the Peace

Jr. - Junior

jud or judic. - judicial; judicious

junr. - junior

jur. - [Latin] jurat; certification that a document was written by the person who signed it

k. - killed; king

kn. - known

knt. or kt. - knight

KRRNY - King's Royal Regiment of New York

l. - license; law

labr. - laborer

Lat. - Latin

lb. - pound

LBC - Letter Book Copy

LC - Library of Congress

ld. - land

ldr. - leader

LDS - Chuch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

l.e. - local elder in a church

lib. - library

lic. - license

lieut. - lieutenant

li. or liv. - lived; living

liv. abt. - lived about

ll. - lines

lnd. - land

l.p. - local preacher

ltd. - limited

m. - month; male; mother; married; marriage

m/1, m/2 - married first, married second, etc.

mag. - magistrate

maj. - major

mak. - making

mat. - maternal

m.bn. - marriage banns

MCA - Microfilm Corporation of America

MCC - Microfilm Card Catalog

MCD - Municipal Civil District

MD - Doctor of Medicine; Middle Dutch

md. - married

mem. - member; membership; memorials; memoir

ment. - mentioned

messrs. - plural of mister

Mex. S.C. - Mexican Survivors' Certificates

Mex. S.O. - Mexcian Survivorr's Originals

Mex. W.C. - Mexican Widows' Certificate

MG - Minister of the Gospel

m.h. - meeting house

MGH - Middle High German

m.i. - monument inscription

mi. - mile; miles

MIA - Missing in Action

mil or milit. - military

min. - minister

m-in-l - mother-in-law

MLG - Middle Low German

MLW - Military Land Warrant

MM - abbreviation for Monthly Meeting of Society of Friends (Quakers)

m.o. - mustered out

mo. - mother; month

mors. - death; corpse

mov. - moved

MQ - Mayflower Quarterly

Mr. - Mister

Mrs. - Mistress

ms. - manuscript

mss. - manuscripts

mtg. - meeting; mortgage

mvd. - moved

my/d - my daughter

N. - Negro; North

n. - nephew; name

NA - National Archives in Washington, D.C.; Native American

na. - naturalized

NARS - National Archives and Record Service

nam. - named

nat. - [Latin] natus; birth; son; offspring

n.d. - no date

N.E. - New England; North Eeast

NEH - National Endowment for the Humanities

NEHGS - New England Historic Genealogical Society

neph. - nephew

neph-i-l - nephew-in-law

nfi - no further information

nfk - nothing further known

NGS - National Genealogical Society

NHPRC - National Historical Publications and Records Commission

nm. - name

nmed. - named

not. - noted

NP - Notary Public

n.p. - no place

nr. - none recorded; not recorded; naturalized

NS - New Style calendar; Nova Scotia

NSCDA - National Society of the Colonial Dames of America

NSDAR - National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution

NUCMC - National Union Catalog of Manuscript Colletions

nunc. - nuncupative

N.W. - North West

NWC - Navy Widow's Certificate

NW. Terr. - North West Territory

n.x.n. - no christian name

o. - oath

O.B. - Order Book

ob. - obiit

obit. - obituary

o.c. - only child

O.E. - Old England; Old English

offor offic. - official

oft. - often

OM - Organized Militia

o.p. - out of print

ord. - ordained; ordinance; order; ordinary

org. - organization

orig. - origin; original

OS - Old Style calendar

o.t.p. - of this parish

p. - page; per; populus; parentage; parents; pence

p.a. - power of attorney

pam. - pamphlet

par. - parish; parent; parents

pat. - patent; patented; paternal

pchd. - purchased

PE - Presiding Elder

peo. - people

perh. - perhaps

petitn. or petn. - petition

petr. - petitioner

ph. - parish

PI - Preliminary Inventories

pion. - pioneer

PJP - Probate Judge of the Peace

PLB - Poor Law Board

plt. - plantiff

P.M. - Post Meridiem; afternoon; Post Mortem; after death; Police magistrate

P.O. - Post Office

POA - Power of Attorney

POE - Port of Entry

pp. - pages

PPA - per power of Attorney

pr. - proved; probated

p.r. - parish record

preced. - preceding

PRO - Public Record Office

pro. - probate; proved

prob. - probable; probably

prop. - property

propr. - proprietor(s)

provis. - provision

pt. - point; port; petition; pint

ptf. - plaintiff

pub. - public; published; publisher; publication

pvt. - private

pymt. - payment

q. - [Latin] quarto; oversize book

q.y. - query

r. - rector; rex; rejected; river; road

R. - Range; Rabbi; River; Road

rat. - rated

R.C. - Roman Catholic

rcdr. - recorder

rcpt. - receipt

RD - release of dower rights

re. - regarding

rec. - record

reg. - register

Reg. Gen. - Registrar General

rel. - relative

reld. - relieved

rel-i-l - relative-in-law

ren. - renunciation

rep. - report; representative; reprint; reprinted

repl. - replaced; replacement

repud. - repudiated

res. - research; residence; resides

respectiv. - respectively

ret. - retired

Rev. - Reverend; Revolutionary War

Rev. War - Revolutionary War

RG - Registered Genealogist

rgstr. - registrar

RIP - [Latin] requiescat in pace; rest in peace

rinq. - relinquished

Rom. - Roman

RR - railroad

s. - son(s)/ soldier; survivor; spinster; successor; shilling

s. and h. - son and heir

SAR - Sons of the American Revolution

SASE - self-addressed stamped envelope

SCV - Sons of Confederate Veterans

s'd - said [found in legal documents]

scatt. - scattering; scattered

SDA - Seventh Day Adventists

S.E. - southeast

sec. - second; secretary; section; sector; security

serg. - sergeant

serv. - service; servant

sett. - settlers; settler

sev. - several

sh. - share; ship

sil - son-in-law

sin. - [Latin] sine; without

sis. - sister

sn. - [Latin] sine; without

s/o - son of

SO - Survivors' Originals

soc. - society; societies

s.p. - [Latin] sine prole; without offspring

s.p.l. - [Latin] sine prole legitima; without legitimate offspring

s.p.m. - [Latin] sine prole mascula; without male offspring

spell. - spelling; spelled

spr. - sponsor

sr. - senior

srnms. - surnames

st. - saint; street

sup. - supply; superior

supt. - superintendent

surg. - surgeon

SUV - Sons of Union Veterans

sw. - swear; sworn

syl.- syllable

T. - Township

tak. - taken

terr. - territory

test. - testament

tho. - though

thot. - thought

thro. - through

TIB - Temple (Records) Index Bureau

tn. - town; township

top. - topographical

Tp. - Township

t.p. - title page

t.p.m. - title page mutilated

t.p.w. - title page wanting

tr. - troop; translated; translation

transcr. - transcribed

transl. - translation

treas. - treasurer

TRIB - Temple Records Index Bureau

TVA - Tennessee Valley Authority

twn. - town

twp. - township

ty. - territory

UDC - United Daughters of the Confederacy

U.K. - United Kingdom

unasgd. - unassigned

unc. - uncle

unit. - uniting; united

unk. - unknown

unm. - unmarried

unorg. - unorganized

USCG - United States Coast Guard

USCT - United States Colored Troops

USMC - United States Marine Corps

USN - United States Navy

USWPA - United States Works Progress Administration

v.a. - [Latin] vixit annos; (s)he lived (a certain number) years

var. - various; variation; variant

VFW - Veterans of Foreign Wars

VIP - Very Important Person

Vis. or Visc. - Viscount; Viscountess

vit. - vital

viz. - [Latin] videlicet; namely

V.L. - Vulgar Latin

vols. - volunteers; volumes

v.r. - vital records

vs. - versus

v.s. - vital statistics

w. - wife; will; west; widow

wag. - wagoner

W.B. - Will Book

W.D. - War Department

w.d. - will dated

wd. - widow; ward

wf/o - wife of

wh. - who; which

wit. - witness

wk(s). - week(s)

wnt. - wants

W.O. - Widow's Originals

w/o - wife of

W.O. - Warrant Officer

w.p. - will probated; will proved

WPA - Works Progress Administration

WRHS - Western Reserve Historical Society

W.S. - Writer to the Signet

wtn. - witness

ww. - widow

ww/o - widow of

wwr. - widower

X - a mark made by a person instead of a signature; Christ; Christian

x ch. - exchange

Xn. - Christian

Xnty. - Christianity

Xped. - Christened

Xr. - Christian

Xt. - Christ

Xtian. - Christian

Xty. - Christianity

y. - year

yd. - graveyard

yr. - year; younger; your