A
Ancestor – any person you descend from or come from. Example: your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents are your ancestors.
B
C
Census – the official state or federal government listing of its inhabitants. One of the most valuable tools in family history research.
CentiMorgan (cM) – a unit of measurement in genealogy, used to predict relationships between two DNA testers. Example: A parent and child share approx. 3500 cMs of DNA. A grandparent and grandchild share approx. 1700 cMs of DNA. DNA companies predict relationships between two testtakers based on amount of shared cMs.
Church Records – records kept by churches or parishes, usu. consisting of births, baptisms, marriages, deaths, and burials of church members.
Collateral Ancestor – someone who is not a direct ancestor, but who shares a common ancestor with you. Example: you and your aunt/uncle come from your grandparents. However, you do not come directly from your aunt/uncle. So, they are your collateral ancestors.
Collateral Descendant – someone who is not a direct descendant, but who shares a common ancestor with you. Example: you and your niece/nephew come from your parents. But your niece/nephew do not come directly from you. They are your collateral descendants.
Common Ancestor – a person from whom two people both descend. Example: your parents are common ancestors for you and your siblings.
D
Degree of Separation – how many generations separate a person and their cousin. The degree is calculated based on their common ancestor. Example: 1st cousins share grandparents, so they are four degrees of separation apart. One generation up to your parent, one up to your grandparents, one down to your cousin’s parent, and one down to your cousin. Four degrees.
Descendant – the children, grandchildren, etc. of a person. A person who comes directly from the line of an ancestor. Example: I am a descendant of my grandparents.
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) – the genetic material inside an organism’s cells that contains the blueprint for building and maintaining the organism.
DNA Testing – genetic lab test of a person’s genes. Can be used for various medical purposes, e.g., diagnosing inherited diseases. Also, used commercially/recreationally to determine a person’s ethnicity, look for birth family (esp. for adoptees), look for an absent/unknown father, or learn more about one’s family history. Additionally, used by law enforcement in crime investigations.
E
Estate – the property, real and personal, as well as debts, a person leaves behind upon their death.
F
Family Tree – does this really need explaining? (Sorry. Kadijah wrote this one. 😳)
Find a Grave – a website dedicated to creating online memorials for the deceased. Search the site by name of deceased, cemetery, or location. Find your ancestor’s resting place. If you are directly descended from a deceased, you may request to become manager of the online memorial.
Freedmen’s Bureau – a federal agency established to assist freed Blacks and impoverished whites after the Civil War. The Bureau provided essentials: food, clothing, shelter, medical care, and education. It also oversaw contracts between formerly enslaved and their employers. Free access to these records available here: Search Freedmen’s Bureau Records
G
Genealogy – the study and tracing of one’s family history.
Generation – the period of time (29-33 yrs) it normally takes for a person to be born, grow up, and have children. Generations are counted from the most recent person (person with no children yet), who is called the proband. The proband is the 1st generation, their parents the 2nd generation, the grandparents the 3rd generation.
GU272 – refers to a group of 272 enslaved people (“owned’ by the Catholic order of Jesuits in Maryland) who were sold in 1838 to elimnate the debts of Georgtown University. The descendants of this group have formed an association. The GU272 Memory Project seeks to illuminate and preserve their story.
H
Haplogroup – a classification, based on genetic markers, that leads back to a common ancestor.
Every male carries paternal Y-DNA, which through the ages, has been passed down almost unchanged from father to son. The genetic markers in Y-DNA have been classified into haplogroups, which indicate the genetic origin of a person’s first male ancestor.
Every female AND male carries maternal mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which through the ages, has been passed down almost unchanged mother to daughter and sons. While males carry mtDNA, only females pass it down. The genetic markers in mtDNA have been classified into haplogroups, which indicate the genetic origin of a person’s first female ancestor.
DNA-testing companies offer Y-DNA and mtDNA tests to interested persons.
Heir – a person legally entitled to the property of someone who had died.
Heritage – 1. valuable or cherished objects passed down from generation to generation. 2. a person’s racial, ethnic, religious, or cultural history (URL).
I
Intestate – the legal state of dying without having made a will. (S/he died intestate.)
J
K
L
Legacy – 1. property or money left to a person in a will. 2. enduring effects of an action taken or an event on the future. Also, the effects of a person’s life on the future.
Lineage – the ancestral line of someone or the history of something.
M
Manumission – to manumit means to free from enslavement. Deeds, wills, and chattel records were normally used to free enslaved.
Manumission Papers – also called freedom papers, these were documents evidencing the freeing of an enslaved person. Freedome papers usu. included enslaver’s name and residence, the enslaved person’s first name, age, and date of freedom.
Maternal – of or referring to the female ancestral line.
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) – genetic material passed down from mother to child through her eggs. Male children possess mtDNA, but cannot pass it down to their children. It is only passed down through the female line.
Because the genetic material passes down relative unchanged through the ages, testing the mtDNA reveals the geographic/ethnic origins of a person’s original female ancestor.
Most Recent Common Ancestor (MRCA) – see Nearest Common Ancestor below
Mulatto – a person with both Black and white ancestors. This term is antiquated language that is found in early U.S. censuses to designate a person’s race.
N
Nearest Common Ancestor – a common ancestor is a person from whom two people directly descend or come from. The most recent common ancestor that two people come from is also called the nearest common ancestor. Example: the nearest common ancestor for siblings are their parents. For 1st cousins, their grandparents.
Non-paternity Event (NPE) – refers to a situation in genetic genealogy where the DNA of a person does not match his/her expected father. In other words, the father listed on birth certificate or other records is not the biological father.
O
P
Paternal – of or referring to the male ancestral line.
Pedigree – the origin of something or someone. In genealogy, a person’s ancestral line.
Probate – legal proceeding to determine a will’s validity.
Proband – a person of the most recent generation (has no children yet) from whom generations are counted. Proband is the 1st generation, parents the 2nd generation , grandparents the 3rd generation, etc.
Q
R
S
Slave Schedules – in 1850 and 1860, the federal census also included supplementary Slave Schedules, which enumerated how many people an enslaver held, along with each enslaved person’s age, color, and gender, but not their names. These listings are found under the enslaver’s name. Free access to these records available on Family Search. Click for access: 1850 Slave Schedule and 1860 Slave Schedule.
Surname – a person’s last name.
T
U
V
Vital Records – birth, death, and marriage records maintained by states and counties. Invaluable source of information for family history research.
W
WikiTree – a free, shared family tree website dedicated to creating a single, global family tree for all.
X
Y
Y-DNA –
Z
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