Bill asked: >In many IGI birth records, the place of birth is often preceded by the two letters "Of". Can anyone tell me what they mean? Bill O'Neil. Yes, Bill, It means the residence of the person at the time of the event being reported, usually the place of residence of the bride or groom in records of marriages or marriage intentions. It is often mistakenly presumed to mean the place of birth of the individual, but most often it is not. And in New England, at least, it is never used in records of birth. It is often found in deeds and other land transactions to indicate the residences of the principals named in the document at the time of the transaction. Dean Scribner