> >>ABSTRACT - Summary of important points of a given text, >>especially deeds and wills. >>ACRE - See measurements. >>ADMINISTRATION (of estate) - The collection, management and >>distribution of an estate by proper legal process. >>ADMINISTRATOR (of estate) - Person appointed to manage or divide >>the estate of a deceased person. >>ADMINISTRATRIX - A female administrator. >>AFFIDAVIT - A statement in writing, sworn to before proper >>authority. >>ALIEN - Foreigner. >>AMERICAN REVOLUTION - U.S. war for independence from Great >>Britain 1775 - >>1783. >>ANCESTOR - A person from whom you are descended; a forefather. >>ANTE - Latin prefix meaning before, such as in ante-bellum South, >>"The South before the war" >>APPRENTICE - One who is bound by indentures or by legal agreement >>or by >>any means to serve another person for a certain time, with a view >>of learning an art or trade. >>APPURTENANCE - That which belongs to something else such as a >>building, >>orchard, right of way, etc. >>ARCHIVES - Records of a government, organization, institution; >>the place >>where records are stored. >>ATTEST - To affirm; to certify by signature or oath. >>BANNS - Public announcement of intended marriage. >>BENEFICIARY - One who receives benefit of trust or property. >>BEQUEATH - To give personal property to a person in a will. Noun >>-- >>bequest. >>BOND - Written, signed, witnessed agreement requiring payment of >>a >>specified amount of money on or before a given date. >>BOUNTY LAND WARRANT - A right to obtain land, specific number of >>acres of >>unallocated public land, granted for military service. >>CENSUS - Official enumeration, listing or counting of citizens. >>CERTIFIED COPY - A copy made and attested to by officers having >>charge of >>the original and authorized to give copies. >>CHAIN - See measurements. >>CHATTEL - Personal property which can include animate as well as >>inanimate properties. >>CHRISTEN - To receive or initiate into the visible church by >>baptism; to >>name at baptism; to give a name to. >>CIRCA - About, near, or approximate -- usually referring to a >>date. >>CIVIL WAR - War between the States; war between North and South, >>1861 - >>65. >>CODICIL - Addition to a will. >>COLLATERAL ANCESTOR - Belong to the same ancestral stock but not >>in >>direct line of descent; opposed to lineal such as aunts, uncles & >> >>cousins. >>COMMON ANCESTOR - Ancestor shared by any two people. >>CONFEDERATE - Pertaining to the Southern states which seceded >>from the >>U.S. in 1860 - 1, their government and their citizens. >>CONSANGUINITY - Blood relationship. >>CONSORT - Usually, a wife whose husband is living >>CONVEYANCE - See deed. >>COUSIN - Relative descended from a common ancestor, but not a >>brother or >>sister. >>DAUGHTER-IN-LAW - Wife of one's son. >>DECEASED - Dead. >>DECEDENT - A deceased person. >>DECLARATION OF INTENTION - First paper, sworn to and filed in >>court, by >>an alien stating that he wants to be come a citizen. >>DEED - A document by which title in real property is transferred >>from one >>party to another. >>DEPOSITION - A testifying or testimony taken down in writing >>under oath >>of affirmation in reply to interrogatories, before a competent >>officer to >>replace to oral testimony of a witness. >>DEVISE - Gift of real property by will. >>DEVISEE - One to whom real property (land) is given in a will. >>DEVISOR - One who gives real property in a will. >>DISSENTER - One who did not belong to the established church, >>especially >>the Church of England in the American colonies. >>DISTRICT LAND OFFICE PLAT BOOK - Books or rather maps which show >>the >>location of the land patentee. >>DISTRICT LAND OFFICE TRACT BOOK - Books which list individual >>entries by >>range and township. >>DOUBLE DATING - A system of double dating used in England and >>America >>from 1582-1752 because it was not clear as to whether the year >>commenced >>January 1 or March 25 >>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 >>lifetime. >>EMIGRANT - One leaving a country and moving to another. >>ENUMERATION - Listing or counting , such as a census. >>EPITAPH - An inscription on or at a tomb or grave in memory of >>the one >>buried there. >>ESCHEAT - The reversion of property to the state when there are >>no >>qualified heirs. >>ESTATE - All property and debts belonging to a person. >>ET AL - Latin for "and others". >>ET UX - Latin for "and wife". >>ET UXOR - And his wife. Sometimes written simply Et Ux. >>EXECUTOR - One appointed in a will to carry out its provisions. >>Female = >>Executrix >>FATHER-IN-LAW - Father of one's spouse. >>FEE - An estate of inheritance in land, being either fee simple >>or fee >>tail. An estate in land held of a feudal lord on condition of the >> >>performing of certain services. >>FEE SIMPLE - An absolute ownership without restriction. >>FEE TAIL - An estate of inheritance limited to lineal descendant >>heirs of >>a person to whom it was granted. >>FRANKLIN, STATE OF - An area once known but never officially >>recognized >>and was under consideration from 1784 - 1788 from the western >>part of >>North Carolina. >>FRATERNITY - Group of men (or women) sharing a common purpose or >>interest. >>FREE HOLD - An estate in fee simple, in fee tail, or for life. >>FRIEND - Member of the Religious Society of Friends; a Quaker. >>FURLONG - See measurements. >>GAZETTEER - A geographical dictionary; a book giving names and >>descriptions of places usually in alphabetical order. >>GENEALOGY - Study of family history and descent. >>GENTLEMAN - A man well born. >>GIVEN NAME - Name given to a person at birth or baptism, one's >>first and >>middle names. >>GLEBE - Land belonging to a parish church. >>GRANTEE - One who buys property or receives a grant. >>GRANTOR - One who sells property or makes a grant. >>GREAT-AUNT - Sister of one's grandparent >>GREAT-UNCLE - Brother of one's grandparent. >>GUARDIAN - Person appointed to care for and manage property of a >>minor >>orphan or an adult incompetent of managing his own affairs. >>HALF BROTHER/HALF SISTER - Child by another marriage of one's >>mother or >>father; the relationship of two people who have only one parent >>in >>common. >>HEIRS - Those entitled by law or by the terms of a will to >>inherit >>property from another. >>HOLOGRAPHIC WILL - One written entirely in the testator's own >>handwriting. >>HOMESTEAD ACT - Law passed by Congress in 1862 allowing a head of >>a >>family to obtain title to 160 acres of public land after clearing >>and >>improving it for 5 years. >>HUGUENOT - A French Protestant in the 16th and 17th centuries. >>One of the >>reformed or calvinistic communion who were driven by the >>thousands into >>exile in England, Holland, Germany and America. >>ILLEGITIMATE - Born to a mother who was not married to the >>child's >>father. >>IMMIGRANT - One moving into a country from another. >>INDENTURE - Today it means a contract in 2 or more copies. >>Originally >>made in 2 parts by cutting or tearing a single sheet across the >>middle in >>a jagged line so the two parts may later be matched. >>INDENTURED SERVANT - One who bound himself into service of >>another person >>for a specified number of years, often in return for >>transportation to >>this country. >>INFANT - Any person not of full age; a minor. >>INSTANT - Of or pertaining to the current month. (Abbreviated >>inst.) >>INTESTATE - One who dies without a will or dying without a will. >>INVENTORY - An account, catalog or schedule, made by an executor >>or >>administrator of all the goods and chattels and sometimes of the >>real >>estate of a deceased person. >>ISSUE - Offspring; children; lineal descendants of a common >>ancestor. >>LATE - Recently deceased. >>LEASE - An agreement which creates a landlord - tenant situation. >> >>LEGACY - Property or money left to someone in a will >>LEGISLATURE - Lawmaking branch of state or national government; >>elected >>group of lawmakers. >>LIEN - A claim against property as security for payment of a >>debt. >>LINEAGE - Ancestry; direct descent from a specific ancestor. >>LINEAL - Consisting of or being in as direct line of ancestry or >>descendants; descended in a direct line. >>LINK - See measurements. >>LIS PENDENS - Pending court action; usually applies to land title >>claims. >>LODGE - A chapter or meeting hall of a fraternal organization. >>LOYALIST - Tory, an American colonist who supported the British >>side >>during the American Revolution. >> >> >> >> >