Genealogy Terms

A

Ancestor: A person from whom one is descended, usually more distant than a grandparent.

Ancestry: The lineage or descent from ancestors; a person’s family history.

C

Census: An official count or survey of a population, often used to track families over time.

Collateral Line: Relatives not in your direct line of ancestry, such as aunts, uncles, and cousins.

D

Descendant: An individual who comes from a particular ancestor or group of ancestors.

DNA Testing: Analysis of genetic material to determine familial relationships, ancestral origins, and ethnicity.

E

Emigration: Leaving one’s country to settle in another.

Enumeration District: A specific area assigned to a census worker for data collection.

F

Family Tree: A diagram showing relationships among people from several generations of a family.

G

Genealogy: The study and tracing of lines of descent or development of a family.

GEDCOM: Genealogical Data Communication; a file format for exchanging information between genealogy software.

Generation: All people born and living around the same time, usually considered a single group in family history.

Grantee: The person who receives land or property in a deed or grant.

Grantor: The person transferring land or property in a deed or grant.

I

Immigration: The act of entering and settling in a country other than one’s native country.

L

Lineage: Direct descent from an ancestor; one’s ancestral line.

M

Matronymic: A surname derived from the mother’s given name.

N

Naturalization: The process by which a non-citizen becomes a citizen.

P

Patronymic: A surname derived from the father’s given name.

Pedigree Chart: A chart showing a person’s ancestors, typically in a tree format.

Primary Source: An original document or record created at the time of an event, such as a birth certificate.

Probate: The legal process of administering a deceased person’s estate.

R

Record Repository: A place where genealogical records are stored, like libraries or archives.

S

Secondary Source: A document created after an event, based on primary sources (e.g., family histories).

Soundex: A phonetic coding system for indexing names by their pronunciation in English.

Surname: A family name passed down through generations.

V

Vital Records: Official government records of significant life events such as births, marriages, and deaths.

W

Will: A legal document expressing a person’s wishes about the distribution of their property after death.