23/10/2021
GENEALOGICAL TERMS EXPLAINED:
Ancestor = a person from whom you descend.
Alien = a citizen from another country (this term is often found on immigration documents/passenger lists).
Banns = a public announcement of an intended marriage, generally made in a church.
Base-born/bastard = illegitimate child.
Bequeath = to leave property etc. to another person or organisation. This term is usually found in wills.
Birth record = a record containing information regarding somebody's birth.
Census = an official enumeration of the population in a particular area. Censuses often provide genealogists with vital information, such as names, approximate years of birth, places of birth, marital status, number of children born and died, etc. Censuses can vary in terms of how much detail they contain, depending upon the location or year in which they were taken, and the person who recorded it (some were more diligent than others!).
Common ancestor = person through whom two or more persons are descended. Sometimes referred to as 'shared ancestor'.
Descendent = someone who is at the bottom of a family tree, who descends from their ancestors.
Emigration = when somebody leaves the country that they were born in, to live in another country.
Freeman = man of legal age, who has the right to vote, own land or practice a trade.
Illegitimate = person born to unmarried parents.
For more genealogical terms, and their meanings, Ancestry has provided an excellent glossary (which I believe is free to access, even without a subscription!): https://support.ancestry.com/s/article/Glossary-of-genealogical-terms
InformationArticle Body Click on a letter to jump to words that start with that letter: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z For help with relationship terms (like "once removed" or "third cousin"), see Understanding Kinship Terms. A a.k.a.Also known as; ali...
