Shorthand Notations

Last revised: 04/05/01 08:51 PM

The use of periods and capitalization will not be consistent in all sources.

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

A

a.		about, age, acre, ante, aunt
a.a.r		against all risks
a.c.		attested copy; account current
a.l.s.		autographed letter signed
a.o.		account of
a.w.c.		admon. (letters of administration) with will and codicil annexed
ab.		about; abbey
abd.		abdicated
Abp.		Archbishop
abr.		abridged; abridgment
abs.		abstract
abstr.		abstract
abt.		About
AC		Ante Christum; ancestor chart
acad.		academy
acc.		according to; account; accompanied
acco.		account
accu.		accurate
ackd.		acknowledged
actg.		acting
AD		[Latin] Anno Domino
Ad		Adopted; AdCl - Adopted Child; AdD - Adopted Daughter, etc.
ADC		Aide-de-Camp
adj.		adjoining; adjutant; adjourned
adm.		administration, administrator, admitted
admin.		administration, administrator
admon.		letters of administration
ae		age, aged
af.		affidavit
aff.		affidavit
afft.		affidavit
aft.		after
AG		Accredited Genealogist
aka		also known as, alias
ald.		alderman
alleg.		allegiance
als		alias
anc.		ancestry; ancestor; ancient
annot.		annotated
ano.		another
anon.		anonymous
ant.		antiquary; antonym
antiq.		antiquary; antiquities; antiquity; antiquarian
Ap		apprentice
app		apprentice; approximately; appendix; appointed
appl.		applied, application
appr.		appraisement
apprd.		apprised; appeared
approx.		approximately
apptd.		appointed
appx.		appendix
ar. co.		artillery company
arr.		arrived
ascert.		ascertain(ed)
asgd.		assigned
asr.		assessor
assgn.		assign, assignee
assn.		association
asso.		associated; associate
assoc.		association
Asst		assistant
At		attendant
atba		able to bear arms
atty.		attorney
au.		gold
aud.		auditor
AWOL		absent without leave
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B

b.		born; bondsman; banns; book; birth; bachelor; brother
B.B.		Bail Bond
b.d.		birth date
b.i.l.		brother-in-law
B.M.		Bench Mark; British Museum
b.o.t.p.	both of this parish
B.S.		in court records, Bill of Sale
B.T.		Bishop's Transcripts
b/o		brother of
ba.		bachelor; baptized
bach.		bachelor
bap.		baptized
bapt.		baptized
Bboy		bound boy
Bcer		birth certificate
bd.		bound; buried
bdt.		birth date
bec.		because; became
bef.		before
beh.		beheaded
beq.		bequest, bequeathed
bet.		between
betw.		between
Bgirl		bound girl
biog.		biography
bish.		bishop
bks.		books; barracks
Bl		brother-in-law
bl.		Bibliography
BLW		Bounty Land Warrant
bndsmn.		bondsman
bo		boarder
bo		bought; bottom
bot.		bought; bottom
bp.		baptized; birthplace
bpl.		birthplace
bpt.		baptized
Br.		British
br.		brother
bro.		brother
bro-i-l		brother-in-law
btwn.		between
bur.		Buried
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C

C of A		Coat of Arms
c.		cousin; circa; codicil
c.r.		church report
c.s.		copy signed
ca.		circa (about)
Capt.		captain
capt.		captured, captive
catal.		catalogue
cath.		cathedral
CC		County Clerk; county court, county commissioner; company commander
CCP		Court of Common Pleas
CDIB		Certified Degree of Indian Blood
cem.		cemetery
cen.		census
cens.		census
cent.		century
cert.		certificate, certified, certain
cf.		comfier
CG		Certified Genealogist
ch.		child; children; church; chief, chaplain
ch/o		child of
Cha		chamber maid
chan.		chancery
chh.		church
chldn.		children
chn		children
chr.		christened
chris.		christened
chur.		church
cir.		circa
cit.		citation (the work cited
civ. 		civil
CL		continental line
clk.		clerk
CO		commanding officer; Colonial Office
Co.		county, company
coh.		co-heir
Col.		Colonel, colony
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.		counselor
cous.		cousin
coven.		covenant
CRA		Church Records Archives
crn.		corner
crspd.		correspond; correspondence
CS		Civil Service
CSA		Confederate States of America
csn.		cousin; cousins
Ct.		Court, citation; county
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D

d.		died; days; death; daughter
d. & coh.	daughter and coheirs
d. & h.		daughter and heiress
d. um.		died unmarried
d.c.e.		Writ of diem clausit extremum (he has closed his last day)
d.s.		document signed; died single: deaths; daughters
d.s.p.		decessit sine prole (died without issue)
d.s.p. legit	died without legitimate issue
d.s.p.m.	died without male issue
d.v.p.		decessit vitae patre (died in father's lifetime)
d.y.		died young
d/o		daughter of
DA		District Attorney
da.		daughter; day
dau.		daughter
dau-I-l		daughter-in-law
daus.		daughters
DB		Doomsday Book
DC		District of Columbia; Deputy Clerk; Deputy County Clerk
DCG		Descendants of Colonial Governors
d'd.		deceased
Dea.		Deacon
deac.		deacon
dec.		deceased
dec'd		deceased
decd.		deceased
decis.		decision
degr.		degree
dep.		deputy, deposed
depos.		deposed, deposition
dept.		department
desc.		descendant
devis.		devised
dil.		daughter-in-law
dio.		diocese
dis.		discharge
discip.		discipline
dist.		district
div.		divorce(d); divinity, division; divided;
do.		ditto
doc		document
docum.		document
dom.		domestic
dpl		death place
DR		Death Record; Diocesan Registry
Dr.		doctor; dram
dsct.		descendant
dst.		district
dt.		date
dto.		ditto
dtr.		daughter
dt's.		delirium tremens
dum.		died unmarried Buried
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E

E.		East or Eastern
E.D.		Enumeration District
e.g.		exempli gratia (for example)
easi.		easily
ecux.		executrix; a female executor
ed.		edited; edition; editor
educ.		education; educated
Emp		employee
En		engineer
Eng.		England, English
Engl.		England, English
enl.		enlisted
eno.		enough
Ens.		ensign
ensu.		ensuing
est.		estate, estimate; ;established
estd.		estimated
et al		and others
et. vir.	and husband
etc.		[Latin] etceteras; and so forth
exec.		executor, executed
exox.		executrix
exs.		executors
exx.		executrix Buried
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F

f.		father; female; folio; feast; feet; farm; following
F.A.		field artillery
f.e.		for example
f.inl		father-in-law
f.m.		free mulatto
f.n.		free Negro
f/o		father of
fa.		father
FaH		farm hand
fam.		family
father-in-l	father-in-law
FaW		farm worker
fB		family Bible
ff.		following  (pages), foster father
FF's		First Families
FGS		Family Group Sheets
Fi		fireman
fidel.		fidelity
f-i-l		father-in-law
fil.		father-in-law
FL		father-in-law
FM		foster mother
foll.		following; followed
FPC		Free Person of Color
freem.		oath of freeman; freeman; freemen
frm.		oath of freeman
Ft.		fort; foot Buried
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G

g.		grand; great
G.B.		Great Britain
g.r.		grave record
GA		great aunt
GAR		Grand Army of the Republic
gch.		grandchildren
gcl		grandchildren
GD		granddaughter
gdn.		guardian
GEDCOM		GEnealogical Data COMmunication
Gen.		General (military)
gen.		generation, genealogy, general
Gent.		Gentleman (a title, not an adjective)
gf.		grandfather
ggf.		great grandfather
ggm		great grandmother
GH		Genealogical Helper
giv.		given; giving
gm.		grandmother
Go		governess
godf.		godfather
godm.		godmother
Gov.		Governor
Govt		Government
GR		Grave, gravestone
gr.		grant (as in land), granted; grand; great; graduate
grf.		grandfather
grmo.		grandmother
grs.		grandson
GS		gravestone; grandson Buried
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H

h.		husband ; heir; heiress
H.C.		Harvard College
h/o		husband of
hdgrs.		headquarters
her.		heraldry
hers.		herself
Hh		hired hand
Hist.		History, historical, historian
Hon.		Honorable (title, not an adjective)
hon. dis.	honorably discharged
honor.		honorary
honora.		honorably
hund.		hundred
hus.		husband
husb.		husband 
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I

I		inmate
i.e.		id est (that is)
i.p.m.		Inquisition post mortem
Ibid		[Latin] ibidem; same (reference)
Ibid.		the same
ign.		ignorant
illus.		illustrated
imp.		importation
inc.		incorporated; incomplete
incl.		included; inclusive
Ind.		Indian, indictment
Ind.		Indians
Ind. T.		Indian Territory
Ind. Ter	Indian Territory
Ind. W.C.	Indian Widow's Certificate
IND.S.C.	Indian Survivors' Certificates
inf.		infant, information
Inf.		Infantry
info.		information
inh.		inherited
inhab.		inhabitant
inq.		inquiry
ins.		insert
inst.		instant; institute; institution
int.		interned, interest, marriage intention, interred
inv.		inventory 
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J

J.P.		Justice of the Peace
j.u.		jure uxoris (right of wife)
JA		Judge Advocate
Jr.		junior (younger of two)
jud		judicial; judicious
judic.		judicial; judicious
jun.		Junior
junr.		junior
jur.		Latin] jurat; certification that a document was written by the person who signed it 
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K

k.		killed
K.		King
K.B.		Knight of the Bath
K.G.		Knight of the Garter
K.T.		Knight of the Thistle (Scotland)
kn.		Known
knt.		knight
kt.		knight 
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L

l.		license; law, or lodger
l.e.		local elder in a church
l.p.		local preacher
la		Laborer
labr.		laborer
Lat.		Latin
Lau		launderer
lb.		pound
LBC		Letter Book Copy
ld.		land
ldr.		leader
li.		lived; living
lib.		library
lic.		license
Lieut.		Lieutenant
liv.		living (alive), livery
liv. abt.	lived about
ll.		lines
lnd.		land
loc. cit.	loco citato (in the place cited)
Lt.		Lieutenant
ltd.		limited 
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M

m.		married; marriage; month; male; mother
M.G.		Minister of the Gospel
m.h.		meeting house
m.i.		monument inscription
m.o.		mustered out
M.P.		Member of Parliament, Military Police
m/1		married first
m/2		married second
mag.		magistrate
Maj.		Major
mak.		making
mat.		maternal
matric		matriculated (entered and recorded at college or university)
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.	Mexican Survivor's Originals
Mex. W.C.	Mexican Widows' Certificate
MHG		Middle High German
mi.		mile; miles
MIA		Missing in Action
mil		military
m-i-l		mother-in-law
milit.		military
min.		minister
m-in-l		mother-in-law
ML		mother-in-law
MLG		Middle Low German
MLW		Military Land Warrant
mo.		month,  mother
mors.		death; corpse
mov.		moved
MR		marriage record
Mr.		Mister
Mrs.		Mistress
ms.		manuscript
mss.		Manuscripts
mtg.		meeting; mortgage
mvd.		moved
my/d		my daughter 
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N

N.		Negro; North
n.		nephew; name
N.A.		Native American, North America
N.E.		New England; North East
N.N.		not named (name unknown)
n.p.		no place
N.S.		New Style date (Gregorian calendar)
N.W.		North West
n.x.n.		no Christian name
na.		Naturalized
nam.		named
nat.		[Latin] natus; birth; son; offspring
nd		no date
neph.		nephew
neph-i-l	nephew-in-law
nfi		no further information
nfk		nothing further known
Ni		niece
nm.		name
nmed.		named
not.		noted
NP		Notary Public
nr.		near; none recorded; not recorded; naturalized
Nu 		nurse
nunc.		nuncupative (oral, as opposed to written)
NW. Terr.	North West Territory
NWC		Navy Widow's Certificate 
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O

o.		oath, officer
O.B.		Order Book
o.c.		only child
O.E.		Old England; Old English
O.S.		Old Style date (Julian calendar, used until 1752 in US)
o.t.p.		of this parish
ob.		obit
obit.		obituary
occ.		occupation, occuring
offic.		official
offor.		official
oft.		often
OM		Organized Militia
op. cit.	opere citato (the work cited above)
ord.		ordained; ordinance; order; ordinary
org.		organization
orig.		origin; original 
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P

p.		page; per; populous; parentage; parents; pence, patient
p.a.		power of attorney
P.C.		Privy Council
P.M.		Post Meridian; afternoon; Post Mortem; after death; Police magistrate
P.O.		Post Office
p.r.		parish record
Pa 		partner
pam.		pamphlet
par.		parent, parish
pat.		paternal, patriot (Revolutionary War service); patent; patented
pchd.		purchased
PE		Presiding Elder
peo.		people
perh.		perhaps
petitn.		petition
petn.		petition
petr.		petitioner
pg.		page
ph.		parish, physician
PI		Preliminary Inventories
pion.		pioneer
PJP		Probate Judge of the Peace
PLB		Poor Law Board
plt.		plaintiff
POA		Power of Attorney
POE		Port of Entry
Por		porter
poss.		possibly, possession
pp.		page, pages
PPA		per power of Attorney
pr.		proved; probated, prisoner
preced.		preceding
pres.		presumed, present
PRO		Public Record Office
pro.		probated or proved (as in a will)
prob.		probably, probate
prop.		property
propr.		proprietor (land owner)
provis.		provision
PS		patriotic service
pt.		point; port; petition; pint
ptf.		plaintiff
Pu		pupil
pub.		public; published (intent to marry made public); publisher; publication
publ.		published (intent to marry made public)
pvt.		private
pymt.		payment 
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Q

q.		[Latin] quarto; oversize book
q.y.		query 
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R

R.		Range; Rabbi; River; Road
r.		rector; rex; rejected; river; road
R.C.		Roman Catholic
rat.		rated
rcdr.		recorder
rcpt.		receipt
RD		release of dower rights
re.		regarding
rec.		record, recorded
ref.		refer, reference
reg.		register
Reg. Gen.	Registrar General
Regt.		regiment
rel.		relative
reld.		relieved
relecta		widow
relectus	widower
rel-i-l		relative-in-law
rem.		removed (moved, left the area)
ren.		renunciation
rep.		report; representative; reprint; reprinted
repl.		replaced; replacement
repud.		repudiated
res.		resides, resided; residence; research
ret.		retired, returned
Rev.		Reverend, Revolutionary
RG 		Registered Genealogist
rgstr.		registrar
rinq.		relinquished
RIP		[Latin] requiescat in pace; rest in peace
Rom.		Roman
Rot.		rotalus (Roll, Rolls)
RR		railroad 
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S

s.		son(s)/ soldier; survivor; spinster; successor; shilling
s. and h.	son and heir
s.a.		sine anno (without year)
s.d.		sine die (without date), step-daughter
S.E.		South East
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
s.s.		step-son
s/o		son of, sister 
Sa		sailor
Sal		saleslady
say		used with a date indicating a great degree of uncertainty (adverb)
Sb		stepbrother
scatt.		scattering; scattered
Scl		step child
s'd		said [found in legal documents]
Se		servant
sec.		second; secretary; section; sector; security
sen.		senior (elder of two)
serg.		sergeant
Sergt.		sergeant
serv.		served, servant
sett.		settled, settler
sev.		several
Sf		stepfather
Sgt.		sergeant
sh.		Shortly; ship; share
Si		sister
sib.		Sibling
s-i-l		son-in-law, sister-in-law
sin.		[Latin] sine; without
sis.		Sister
Sl		son-in-law
Sm		stepmother
sn.		[Latin] sine; without
SO		Survivors' Originals
soc.		society; societies of
sol.		soldier
spell.		spelling; spelled
spr.		sponsor
Sr.		senior
sr.		senior
src.		source
srnms.		surnames
st.		saint; street
Su		superintendent
suc.		succeeded (followed)
succ.		successively, succession
summ.		summoned
suo juris	in his (her) right
sup.		supply; superior
supt.		superintendent
surg.		surgeon
surv.		survived
sw.		swear; sworn
syl,		syllable 
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T

t.p.		title page
t.p.m.		title page mutilated
t.p.w.		title page wanting
tak.		taken
Ten		tenant
terr.		territory
test.		testament
tho.		though
thot.		thought
thro.		through
tn.		town; township
top.		topographical
Tp.		township
tr.		troop; translated; translation
transcr.	transcribed
transl.		translation
treas.		treasurer
twn.		town
twp.		township
twp.		township
ty.		territory 
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U

ult.		ultimo (last month, as in on the 5th ult.
unasgd.		unassigned
unc.		uncle
unit.		uniting; united
unk.		unknown
unkn.		unknown
unm.		unmarried
unorg.		unorganized
ux.		uxor or uxoris, wife 
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V

v.a.		[Latin] vixit annos; (s)he lived (a certain number) years
V.L.		Vulgar Latin
v.m.		Vita matris (during mother's life)
v.p.		Vita patris (during father's life)
v.r.		vital records
v.s.		vital statistics
var.		various; variation; variant
Vi		visitor
vide		see
VIP		Very Important Person
Vis.		Viscount; Viscountess
Visc.		Viscount; Viscountess
vit.		vital
viz.		[Latin] videlicet; namely
vol.		volume, volunteer (military)
VR		vital records
vs.		versus
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W

w.		wife; will; west; widow
W.B.		Will Book
W.D.		War Department
W.O.		Widow's Originals; Warrant Officer
w.p.		will probated; will proved
W.S.		Writer to the Signet
w/o		wife of, never widow of
Wa		warden
wag.		wagoner
Wai		waitress
wd.		widow; ward; warranty deed
wf.		wife
wf/o		wife of
wh.		who; which
wid.		widow
wit.		witness
wk(s).		week(s)
Wkm		workman
wnt.		wants
Wt		waiter
wtn.		witness
ww.		widow
ww/o		widow of
wwr.		widower versus
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X

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 versus
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Y

y.		young, year(s)
yd.		graveyard
yeo		yeoman
yr.		year
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