Abstract- Summary of documents, esp. deeds and wills.
Administrator- Person appointed to manage or divide the estate of a deceased person. Feminine administratrix.
Ancestor- A person from whom one is descended; forefather.
Ancestry- 1. Descent or lineage. 2. Ancestors collectively.
Archives- Records of a government, organization, institution, the place where such records are stored.
Attest- To affirm; to certify by signature or oath.
Aunt- 1. The sister of one's father or mother. 2. The wife of one's uncle.

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Bequeath- To give personal property to a person in a will.
Bond- A binding agreement to perform certain actions or duties or be required to pay a specified sum of money as a penality.
Bounty land- Land promised as reward or inducement for enlisting in military service.

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Census- A periodic offical count of population.
Common Ancestor- One shared by any two or more people.
Conveyances- deeds.
Cousin- 1. A child of one's aunt or uncle. 2. A relative descended from a common ancestor.

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Deceased- Dead.
Deed- A document sealed as an instrument of bond, contract, or conveyance, esp. pertaining to property.
Descendancy- A persons offspring, children, grandchildren, and succeeding generations.
Descendant- Offspring of a person, even into remote generations.
Devise- To give property, usually land, in a will.
Devisee- One to whom property is given in a will.
Devisor- One who gives property in a will.
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.

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Enumeration- Listing or counting, such as a census.
Estate- All property and debts belonging to a person.
Executor- One appointed in a will to carry out the provisions. Feminine: executrix

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Genealogy- 1. A record or table of ancestory. 2. Direct descent from an ancestor. 3. The study of ancestory.
Given name- Name given to a person at birth or baptism; one's first and middle name.
Grantee- One's who buys property or receives a grant.
Grantor- One who sells property or makes a grant.
Great Aunt- 1. The sister of one's grandparents. 2. The spouse of one's great uncle or great aunt.
Great Uncle- 1. The brother of one's grandparents. 2. The spouse of one's great uncle or great aunt.

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Heir- One entitled by law or by terms of a will to inherit property from another.

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Illegitimate- Born to a mother who was not married to the child's father.
Indentured servant- One bound into the service of another person for a specified number of years, often in return for transportation to this country.
Intestate- One who dies without a will; One dying without a will.
Issue- Offspring; children; descendants.

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Late- Recently deceased; now deceased.
Legacy- Property or money left to someone in a will.
Legatee- One who inherits money or property through a will.
Lineage- Ancestry; direct descent from a specific ancestor.

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Maiden name- A girl's surname before marriage.
Maternal- Related through one's mother. Maternal grandmother is the mother's mother.
Microfiche- A sheet of microfilm containing rows of pages in reduced form.
Microfilm- 1. A film on which documents are photographed greatly reduced in size. 2. A reproductioon on microfilm.
Mortality- Death; death rate.

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Namesake- Person named after another person.

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Patent- Grant of land from a government to an individual.
Paternal- Related through one's father. Paternal grandmother is the father's mother.
Pedigree- Family tree; ancestry; lineage.
Pension- Money paid regularly to an individual. especially by a government as reward for military service during wartime or upon retirement from government service.
Pensioner- One who receives a pension.
Poll- List or record or persons, esp. for taxing or voting; one head or taxable person.
Probate- Legal process of determining that a will is valid before authorizing distributin of the estate, appointing someone to administer an intestate estate, and overseeing the settlements of estates.
Progenitor- 1. A direct ancestor. 2. An originator of a line of descent.

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Relict- Widow.

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Sic- Latin. thus; copied exactly as the orginial reads.
Surname- One's last name.

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Territory- Area of land owned by the United States, not a state, but having its own legislature and governor.
Testator- Person who makes a valid will before death.
Tithable- Taxable; a person who owes tax to a specified jurisdiction.

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Uncle- 1. The brother of one's father or mother. 2. The husband of one's aunt.

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Vital records- Records of birth, death, marriage, divorce.
Vital statistics- Data dealing with birth, death, marriage, divorce.

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Warranty deed- Deed in which the settler of the property guarantees a clear title to the buyer.
Will- A legal declaration of how a person wishes one's posessions to be disposed of after one's death.