Questions tagged [terminology]
Use the terminology tag for questions related to the meaning of words within the context of genealogy/family history. Be careful not to ask questions that can answered with a simple dictionary search.
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Definition of profession: coasterman
In the 1930 census appears the profession coasterman (see image below). The person worked in a restaurant but I have not been able to find a definition. (other workers in restaurants could be waiters, ...
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Looking for a resource about the poor system in early 19th century Denmark
Is there a good resource for learning terminology used in the 1840 Denmark poor system, and how that system functioned? I have already read the FHL wiki about poor in Denmark.
I am looking in then-...
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Term for researching one's own life in detail?
I'm a bit obsessed about recording my own life in detail. I have pretty much all the dates of the main events and eras of my life since I was 7yo. I have also preserved documents, messages, people etc....
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What does "care of" mean in the 18th century with respect to letters?
In The Virginia Genealogist. Washington, DC: J. F. Dorman, 1957 - 2006. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009.) Name: Col. Abraham TRIGG; Record: ...
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Renaming Family when people have not thought of others as part of their Family?
Some (most) Family Tree software uses the term Family regularly in reports and display. An example is Family Historian with Family Work Sheet and Family of Individual.
I have people who are not happy ...
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How to interpret "in descent from"
An article in NEXUS: New England Across the United States (volume XVI, no. 5), published by the New England Historic Genealogical Society, contains genealogical entries such as (p. 157):
William ...
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Understanding BWD Acronym in genealogy diagrams?
What does the acronym 'BWD' mean when it follows a name in a genealogy diagram?
I can't seem to find this explanation anywhere.
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Could "Our Mother" be a term of endearment on 1855 headstone?
In researching my great great grandmother, Elizabeth Cowan Short, I have located her death record in Franklin County, Ohio, USA (1896), as well as her burial record. They record her birth as 29 ...
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What does 'DD' mean in a name on GEDmatch.com?
On GEDmatch.com I've seen numerous matches that include a DD prefix on a name like:
DD Mary Brown
What is this convention and what does DD stand for?
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What is difference between city, town, village, and township in Wisconsin?
I am doing research on my ancestors from Wisconsin, I would like to know what the difference is between a town, a township, a city, and a village. The place name is often different on different ...
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How do we properly use née for given names?
I know after checking various sites that née is often used after the current family name and before the maiden family name for a woman.
But how is it properly used before a person's original given ...
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1882 Local News Item -- What Does "in the shade" Mean?
I have a local news item from the Belle Plaine News, Belle Plaine, Sumner County, Kansas, USA, 4 February 1882 in which it is stated:
J. P. Martin has laid several young men "in the shade." For ...
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Seeking Notation for common ancestors across different family branches?
You have first cousins, second cousins, cousins thrice removed that share a common ancestor through one family line. You can even be a first cousin, as well as a second cousin, to the same person ...
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Meaning of term "died leaving with other issue"?
What does the phrase "died leaving with other issue" mean when it is used in genealogy sources like Burke's Land Gentry?
The entry reads:
Walter Huntar, of Polmood, m. 26 Nov. 1525, Helen, dau. ...
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Is Xmas 24th a common way to refer to 24th December (Christmas Eve)?
I recently received an image from the inside cover of a book ("The Poetical Works of Lord Byron") that I believe belonged to my great grandmother Mary Ellen Nettell (1869-1932) who was known as "...
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Meaning of term "Alias" in 1861 Lincolnshire parish baptism record?
In the 1861 parish baptism record for a probable distant ancestor of mine it gives the parent surname for the baptism of Mary as "NORWOOD alias DOBBS". What precisely does this mean? I guess someone ...
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What does the Anglican church terminology in this document mean?
There are terms in this document (Parish/Parish Church, Banns/Licence, Established Church, Rect.[or]) that aren't familiar to everyone in a genealogical context (even in the English speaking world)
...
user104
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What is the English equivalent to the German term “Spitzenahn”?
In German, Spitzenahn (plural Spitzenahnen) describes an ancestor (male or female) without parents that are known to you. It is not necessarily a brick wall (or an orphan with never known parents), ...
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What is sibling of son-in-law or daughter-in-law called? [duplicate]
Is there a term for the sibling of ones son-in-law or daughter-in-law?
Real-life example: The composer Dohnanyi had a son who married a sister of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. So Dohnanyi was the father of ...
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What does “linear forms” mean in this context? [closed]
Spanish heraldry is chiefly remarkable for the manner in which the different bearings are connected in the shield, and for the frequent divisions of it "per saltire"; while Italian heraldry is simpler ...
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What is the meaning of "Bound To" in this 18th Century US (Virginia) Will?
A 1771 document from Sussex Co, Virginia states "Robert Sammons, orphan of John Sammons, dec'd, aged about 6, bound to John Hicks". What does "bound to" mean in that context?
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What does the word "née" mean when following a woman's name?
For the first time today I have seen the word née following a woman's name. It's often in parenthesis and precedes what appears to be another surname. I'm guessing it's a way of signifying a woman's ...
user47
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What is the difference between 'genealogy' and 'family history'?
The name of this StackExchange site is 'Genealogy and Family History". That is two things instead of one. Why? What is the difference between those two things.
I want to know, because the definitions ...
user104
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What is the difference between evidence and information?
What is evidence?
I have piles and piles of historical records, old letters, e-mails, all of which provide details about my family.
Is all of the information contained in these documents evidence?...
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