>> >>>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. >>> >>> >>> >>> >> >