Note:  The use of periods and capitalization may not be consistent in all sources.
 

• a. - about, age, acre, ante, aunt
• a.a.r. - against all risks
• AASP - American Antiquarian Society Proceedings
• ab. - about; abbey
• abbr. - abbreviation
• abd. - abdicated
• Abp. - Archbishop
• abr. - abridged; abridgment
• abs. or abstr. - abstract
• abt. - about
• AC - Ante Christum; ancestor chart
• a.c. - attested copy; account current
• acad. - academy
• acc. - according to; account; accompanied
• acco. - account
• accu. - accurate
• ackd. - acknowledged
• actg. - acting
• Ad - adopted; AdCl - adopted child; AdD - adopted daughter, etc.
• AD - [Latin] Anno Domin
• adj. - adjoining; adjutant; adjourned
• adm. - admission; admitted
• admin. - administration; administrator
• Admon. - letters of administration
• admr. - administration
• af. or afft. - affidavit
• aft. - after
• a.k.a. - also known as
• AL - American Legion
• ald. - alderman
• alleg. - allegiance
• a.l.s. - autographed letter signed
• als. - alias
• anc. - ancestry; ancestor; ancient
• annot. - annotated
• ano. - another
• anon. - anonymous
• ant. - antiquary; antonym
• antiq. - antiquary; antiquities; antiquity; antiquarian
• a.o. - account of
• AOP - American Order of Pioneers
• Ap - apprentice
• APG - Association of Professional Genealogists
• APJI - Association for Protection of Jewish Immigrants
• app. - apprentice; aprpoximately; appendix; appointed
• App. Div. - Appelate division
• appr. - appraisment
• apprd. - apprised; appeared
• approx. - approximately
• apptd. - appointed
• appx. - appendix
• ar. co. - artillery company
• arr. - arrived
• ascert. - ascertain(ed)
• ASG - American Society of Genealogists
• asgd. - assigned
• asr. - assessor
• assn. or assoc. - association
• asso. - associated; associate
• Asst - assistant
• At - Attendant
• atty. - attorney
• au. - gold
• aud. - auditor
• a.w.c. - admon. (letters of administration) with will and codicil annexed
• AWOL - absent without leave

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• b. - born; bondsman; banns; book; birth; bachelor; brother
• ba. - bachelor; baptized
• bach. or batch. - bachelor
• bap or bapt. - baptized; baptism
• B.B. - Bail Bond
• BBoy - bound boy
• bcer - birth certificate
• BCG - Board for Certification of Genealogists
• b.d. or bdt. - birth date
• bd. - bound; buried
• bec. - because; became
• bef.- before
• bet. - between
• BGirl - bound girl
• BIA - Bureau of Indian Affairs
• b.i.l. or Bl - brother-in-law
• biog. - biography
• bish. - bishop
• bks. - books; barracks
• bl. - bibliography
• BLM - Bureau of Land Management
• BLW - Bount Land Warrant
• B.M. - Bench Mark; British Museum
• bndsmn. - bondsman
• Bo - boarder
• bo or bot. - bought; bottom
• b.o.t.p. - both of this parish
• bp. - baptized; birthplace
• bpl. - birthplace
• bpt. - baptized
• Br. - British
• br. or bro - brother
• bro-i-l - brother-in-law
• B.S. - in court records, Bill of Sale
• B.T. - Bishop's Transcripts
• bur. or bu - buried

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• c. - cousin; circa; codicil
• ca. - circa
• Cap or capt. - captain; captured; captivity
• CAR - National Society, Children of the American Revolution
• catal. - catalogue
• cath. - cathedral
• CC - County Clerk; county court, county commissioner; company commander
• CCP - Court of Common Pleas
• CDA - Colonial Dames of America
• CDIB - Certified Degree of Indian Blood
• cem. - cemetery
• cen. or cens. - census
• cent. - century
• cer. or cert. - certificate
• cf. - confer
• CG - Certified Genealogist
• CH - Court House
• ch. - child; children; church; chief, chaplain
• Cha - chamber maid
• chan. - chancery
• chldn. or chn. - children
• ch/o - child of
• chr. or chris.- christened
• cir. - circa
• civ. - civil
• CJ - County Judge
• Cl - child
• clk. - clerk
• cod. - codicil
• CO - commanding officer; Colonial Office
• co. - county; company
• C of A - Coat of Arms
• col. - colony; colonel
• coll. - college; collections
• com. - commissioner; commander; commentary; committee; common; commoner; communicate, companion
• comm. - commissioners
• comp. - company
• confer. - conferred
• conject. - conjecture
• cont. - continued
• contr. - contract
• corp. - corporal
• couns. - counsellor
• cous. - cousin
• coven. - covenant
• c.r. - church report
• CRA - Church Records Archives
• crspd. - correspond; correspondence
• c.s. - copy signed
• CSA - Confederate States of America
• csn. - cousin; cousins
• ct. - court; citation; county
• CW - Civil War; church warden

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• d. - died; death; daughter
• DA - District Attorney
• da. - daughter; day
• DAB - Dictionary of American Biography
• DAC - National Society of the Daughters of the American Colonists
• DAR - Daughters of the American Revolution
• dau. or daugr - daughter
• dau-i-l - daughter-in-law
• daus. - daughters
• DAV - Disabled American Veterans
• DB - Domesday Book
• DC - District of Columbia; Deputy Clerk; Deputy County Clerk
• DCG - Descendants of Colonial Governors
• d. & coh. - daughter and coheiress
• d'd. - deceased
• dea or deac. - deacon
• dec. or dec'd - deceased
• decis. - decision
• degr. - degree
• dep. - deputy; depot
• dept. - department
• desc. - descendant
• DFPA - Daughters of Founders and Patriots of America
• devis. - devised
• d. & h. - daughter and heiress
• dil. - daughter-in-law
• dio. - diocese
• dis. - discharge
• discip. - discipline
• dist. - district
• div. - division; divided; divorced; divinity
• d/o - daughter of
• do. - ditto
• doc or docum. - document
• dom. - domestic
• dpl. - death place
• DR - Daughter of the Revolution; Diocesan Registry
• dr. - doctor; dram
• d.s. - document signed; died single
• ds. - deaths; daughters
• dsct. - descendant
• d.s.p. - [Latin] descessit sine prole; died without issue
• d.s.p.m. - [Latin] descessit sine prole mascula; died without male issue
• dt. - date
• dto. - ditto
• dtr. - daughter
• dt's. - delirium tremens
• dum. or d. um. - died unmarried
• DVF - Society of the Descendants of Washington's Army at Valley Forge
• d.y. - died young

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• E. - East or eastern
• easi. - easily
• ecux. - executrix; a female executor
• E.D. - Enumeration District
• ed. - edited; edition; editor
• educ. - education; educated
• Emp - employee
• En - engineer
• Eng. - England
• eno. - enough
• ens. - ensign
• ensu. - ensuing
• est. - estate;established
• establ. - establishment
• estd. - estimated
• etc. - [Latin] etcetera; and so forth
• et. vir. - and husband
• exc. - except; excellency; excepted; exchange
• exec. or exor. or exr. - executor
• exox. - executrix
• exs. - executors
• exx. - executrix

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• f. - father; female; folio; feast; feet; farm; following
• fa. - father
• F.A. - Field Artillery
• FaH - farm hand; FaW - farm worker
• fam. - family; families
• FARC - Federal Archives and Records Centers (branches of the National Archives
• FASG - Fellow American Society of Genealogists
• father-in-l - father-in-law
• F.B. - Family Bible
• f.e. - for example
• ff. - following (pages), foster father
• FF's - First Families
• FFV - First Families of Virginia
• FGRA - Family Group Record Archives
• FGS - Federation of Genealogical Societies
• FHC - Family History Center
• FHL - Family History Library
• Fi - fireman
• fidel. - fidelity
• fil. or f.inl or FL - father-in-law
• f.m. - free mulatto
• FM - foster mother
• f.n. - free negro
• foll. - following; followed
• FR - Family Registry
• freem. - freeman; freemen

• ft. - foot; fort

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• g. - grand; great
• GA - great aunt
• GAR - Grand Army of the Republic
• G.B. - Great Britain
• gch. or gcl - grandchildren
• GD - granddaughter
• gdn. - guardian
• GEDCOM - GEnealogical Data COMmunication
• GF - grandfather
• GGF - great-grandfather; GGGF - great-great-grandfather, etc.
• GH - Genelaogical Helper
• giv. - given; giving
• GLC - Genealogical Library Catalog
• GLO - General Land Office
• gm. - grandmother
• GGM - great-grandmother; GGGM - great-great-grandmother, etc.
• Go - governess
• godf. - godfather
• godm. - godmother
• gp. - grandparents
• GPAI - Genealogical Periodical Annual Index
• gr. - grand; great; grant; graduate
• g.r. - grave record
• grf. - grandfather
• grmo. - grandmother
• grs. or GS - grandson
• g.s. - grave stone
• GSW 1812 - General Society of the War of 1812
• Gt. Br. - Great Britain
• gt. gr. - great grand
• GTT - Gone to Texas
• GU - great uncle
• Gua - guardian

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• h. - husband; heir; heiress
• hdgrs. - headquarters
• HEIC - Honourable East India Comapny
• her. - heraldry
• hers. - herself
• Hh - hired hand
• Hk - housekeeper
• HM - His or Her Majesty, or hired man
• HMS - Her (or His) Majesty's Service or Ship
• hims. - himself
• Hist. - History
• hist. - historian
• hon. - honorable
• hon. dis. - honorably discharged
• honor. - honorary
• honora. - honorably
• HSA - Huguenot Society of America
• hund. - hundred
• hus. - husband

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• I - inmate
• ibid. - [Latin] ibidem; same (reference)
• IGI - International Genealogical Index
• ign. - ignorant
• illus. - illustrated
• imp. - importation
• inc. - incorporated; incomplete
• incl. - included; inclusive
• Ind. - Indians
• IND.S.C. - Indian Survivors' Certificates
• Ind. T. or Ind. Ter.- Indian Territory
• Ind. W.C. - Indian Widow's Certificate
• inf. - infant; infantry; informed
• info. - information
• inh. - inherited
• inhab. - inhabitant
• inq. - inquiry
• ins. - insert
• inst. - institute; institution
• int. - intentions; interested; interred
• inv. orinvt. - inventory

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• JA - Judge Advocate
• JNH - Journal of Negro History
• JP - Justice of the Peace
• Jr. - Junior
• jud or judic. - judicial; judicious
• junr. - junior
• jur. - [Latin] jurat; certification that a document was written by the person who signed it
• k. - killed; king
• kn. - known
• knt. or kt. - knight

• l. - license; law, or lodger
• la or labr. - laborer
• Lat. - Latin
• Lau - launderer
• lb. - pound
• LBC - Letter Book Copy
• LC - Library of Congress
• ld. - land
• ldr. - leader
• LDS - Chuch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• l.e. - local elder in a church
• lib. - library
• lic. - license
• lieut. - lieutenant
• li. or liv. - lived; living
• liv. abt. - lived about
• ll. - lines
• lnd. - land
• l.p. - local preacher
• ltd. - limited

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• m. - month; male; mother; married; marriage
• m/1, m/2 - married first, married second, etc.
• mag. - magistrate
• maj. - major
• mak. - making
• mat. - maternal
• m.bn. - marriage banns
• MCA - Microfilm Corporation of America
• MCC - Microfilm Card Catalog
• MCD - Municipal Civil District
• MD - Doctor of Medicine; Middle Dutch
• md. - married
• mem. - member; membership; memorials; memoir
• ment. - mentioned
• messrs. - plural of mister
• Mex. S.C. - Mexican Survivors' Certificates
• Mex. S.O. - Mexcian Survivorr's Originals
• Mex. W.C. - Mexican Widows' Certificate
• MG - Minister of the Gospel
• m.h. - meeting house
• MGH - Middle High German
• m.i. - monument inscription
• mi. - mile; miles
• MIA - Missing in Action
• mil or milit. - military
• min. - minister
• m-in-l or ML - mother-in-law
• MLG - Middle Low German
• MLW - Military Land Warrant
• MM - abbreviation for Monthly Meeting of Society of Friends (Quakers)
• m.o. - mustered out
• mo. - mother; month
• mors. - death; corpse
• mov. - moved
• MQ - Mayflower Quarterly
• Mr. - Mister
• Mrs. - Mistress
• ms. - manuscript
• mss. - manuscripts
• mtg. - meeting; mortgage
• mvd. - moved
• my/d - my daughter

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• N. - Negro; North
• n. - nephew; name
• NA - National Archives in Washington, D.C.; Native American
• na. - naturalized
• NARA - National Archives and Records Administration
• NARS - National Archives and Record Service
• nam. - named
• nat. - [Latin] natus; birth; son; offspring
• n.d. - no date
• N.E. - New England; North Eeast
• NEH - National Endowment for the Humanities
• NEHGR - New England Historic Genealogical Register [publication of NEHGS]
• NEHGS - New England Historic Genealogical Society
• neph. - nephew
• neph-i-l - nephew-in-law
• nfi - no further information
• nfk - nothing further known
• NGS - National Genealogical Society
• NHPRC - National Historical Publications and Records Commission
• Ni - niece
• nm. - name
• nmed. - named
• not. - noted
• NP - Notary Public
• n.p. - no place
• nr. - none recorded; not recorded; naturalized
• NS - New Style calendar; Nova Scotia
• NSCDA - National Society of the Colonial Dames of America
• NSDAR - National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution
• Nu - nurse
• NUCMC - National Union Catalog of Manuscript Colletions
• nunc. - nuncupative
• N.W. - North West
• NWC - Navy Widow's Certificate
• NW. Terr. - North West Territory
• n.x.n. - no christian name

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• o. - oath, officer
• O.B. - Order Book
• ob. - obiit
• obit. - obituary
• o.c. - only child
• O.E. - Old England; Old English
• offor offic. - official
• oft. - often
• OM - Organized Militia
• o.p. - out of print
• ord. - ordained; ordinance; order; ordinary
• org. - organization
• orig. - origin; original
• OS - Old Style calendar
• o.t.p. - of this parish

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• p. - page; per; populus; parentage; parents; pence, patient
• Pa - partner
• p.a. - power of attorney
• pam. - pamphlet
• par. - parish; parent; parents
• pat. - patent; patented; paternal
• pchd. - purchased
• PE - Presiding Elder
• peo. - people
• perh. - perhaps
• petitn. or petn. - petition
• petr. - petitioner
• ph. - parish, physician
• PI - Preliminary Inventories
• pion. - pioneer
• PJP - Probate Judge of the Peace
• PLB - Poor Law Board
• plt. - plantiff
• P.M. - Post Meridiem; afternoon; Post Mortem; after death; Police magistrate
• P.O. - Post Office
• POA - Power of Attorney
• POE - Port of Entry
• Por - porter
• pp. - pages
• PPA - per power of Attorney
• pr. - proved; probated, prisoner
• p.r. - parish record
• preced. - preceding
• PRO - Public Record Office
• pro. - probate; proved
• prob. - probable; probably
• prop. - property
• propr. - proprietor(s)
• provis. - provision
• pt. - point; port; petition; pint
• ptf. - plaintiff
• Pu - pupil
• pub. - public; published; publisher; publication
• pvt. - private
• pymt. - payment

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• q. - [Latin] quarto; oversize book
• q.y. - query
• r. - rector; rex; rejected; river; road
• R. - Range; Rabbi; River; Road
• rat. - rated
• R.C. - Roman Catholic
• rcdr. - recorder
• rcpt. - receipt
• RD - release of dower rights
• re. - regarding
• rec. - record
• reg. - register
• Reg. Gen. - Registrar General
• rel. - relative
• reld. - relieved
• rel-i-l - relative-in-law
• ren. - renunciation
• rep. - report; representative; reprint; reprinted
• repl. - replaced; replacement
• repud. - repudiated
• res. - research; residence; resides
• respectiv. - respectively
• ret. - retired
• Rev. - Reverend; Revolutionary War
• Rev. War - Revolutionary War
• RG - Registered Genealogist
• rgstr. - registrar
• RIP - [Latin] requiescat in pace; rest in peace
• rinq. - relinquished
• Rom. - Roman
• RR - railroad

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• s. - son(s)/ soldier; survivor; spinster; successor; shilling
• s. and h. - son and heir
• Sa - sailor
• Sal - saleslady
• SAR - Sons of the American Revolution
• SASE - self-addressed stamped envelope
• Sb - stepbrother
• Scl - step child
• SCV - Sons of Confederate Veterans
• s'd - said [found in legal documents]
• scatt. - scattering; scattered
• SDA - Seventh Day Adventists
• Se - servant
• S.E. - southeast
• sec. - second; secretary; section; sector; security
• serg. - sergeant
• serv. - service; servant
• sett. - settlers; settler
• sev. - several
• Sf - stepfather
• sh. - share; ship
• Si - sister
• sil or Sl - son-in-law
• sin. - [Latin] sine; without
• sis. - sister
• Sm - stepmother
• sn. - [Latin] sine; without
• s/o - son of
• SO - Survivors' Originals
• soc. - society; societies
• s.p. - [Latin] sine prole; without offspring
• s.p.l. - [Latin] sine prole legitima; without legitimate offspring
• s.p.m. - [Latin] sine prole mascula; without male offspring
• spell. - spelling; spelled
• spr. - sponsor
• sr. - senior
• srnms. - surnames
• Ss - stepson
• st. - saint; street
• sup. - supply; superior
• supt. or Su - superintendant
• surg. - surgeon
• SUV - Sons of Union Veterans
• sw. - swear; sworn
• syl.- syllable

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• T. - Township
• tak. - taken
• Ten - tenant
• terr. - territory
• test. - testament
• tho. - though
• thot. - thought
• thro. - through
• TIB - Temple (Records) Index Bureau
• tn. - town; township
• top. - topographical
• Tp. - Township
• t.p. - title page
• t.p.m. - title page mutilated
• t.p.w. - title page wanting
• tr. - troop; translated; translation
• transcr. - transcribed
• transl. - translation
• treas. - treasurer
• TRIB - Temple Records Index Bureau
• TVA - Tennessee Valley Authority
• twn. - town
• twp. - township
• ty. - territory

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• U - uncle
• UDC - United Daughters of the Confederacy
• U.K. - United Kingdom
• unasgd. - unassigned
• unc. - uncle
• unit. - uniting; united
• unk. - unknown
• unm. - unmarried
• unorg. - unorganized
• USCG - United States Coast Guard
• USCT - United States Colored Troops
• USMC - United States Marine Corps
• USN - United States Navy
• USWPA - United States Works Progress Administration

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• v.a. - [Latin] vixit annos; (s)he lived (a certain number) years
• var. - various; variation; variant
• VFW - Veterans of Foreign Wars
• Vi - visitor
• VIP - Very Important Person
• Vis. or Visc. - Viscount; Viscountess
• vit. - vital
• viz. - [Latin] videlicet; namely
• V.L. - Vulgar Latin
• vols. - volunteers; volumes
• v.r. - vital records
• vs. - versus
• v.s. - vital statistics

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• w. - wife; will; west; widow
• Wa - warden
• wag. - wagoner
• Wai - waitress
• W.B. - Will Book
• W.D. - War Department
• w.d. - will dated
• wd. - widow; ward
• wf/o - wife of
• wh. - who; which
• wit. - witness
• wk(s). - week(s)
• Wkm - workman
• wnt. - wants
• W.O. - Widow's Originals
• w/o - wife of
• W.O. - Warrant Officer
• w.p. - will probated; will proved
• WPA - Works Progress Administration
• WRHS - Western Reserve Historical Society
• W.S. - Writer to the Signet
• Wt - waiter
• wtn. - witness
• ww. - widow
• ww/o - widow of
• wwr. - widower

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• X - a mark made by a person instead of a signature; Christ; Christian
• x ch. - exchange
• Xn. - Christian
• Xnty. - Christianity
• Xped. - Christened
• Xr. - Christian
• Xt. - Christ
• Xtian. - Christian
• Xty. - Christianity
• y. - year
• yd. - graveyard
• yr. - year; younger; your

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Thanks to Sam Behling [do visit her great web site] for sharing her list. Sources for this document include: Concise Genealogical Dictionary, by Maurine & Glen Harris, and 1900 Federal Population Census, by the National Archives Trust Fund Board.

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