The Reference Shelf
Quick answers for the words, names, dates and relationships you'll meet in old records. Every library has a reference shelf; this is ours.
Genealogy Glossary
Plain-English definitions of the legal, land, probate and research terms you'll meet in old records and genealogy books.
Old Medical Terms
What dropsy, consumption, apoplexy, flux and dozens of other old causes of death on death records and mortality schedules usually meant.
Old Occupations
What a cordwainer, chandler, cooper, drover or puddler did, and other occupations you'll find on censuses and in directories.
Latin Word List
The Latin words, months and given names you'll need to read Catholic and early Protestant baptism, marriage and burial registers.
Abbreviations
What "inst.," "ult.," "et ux.," "d.s.p.," "Jno." and other abbreviations in deeds, wills, newspapers and church records mean.
Nickname Finder
Why Polly was Mary, Patsy was Martha and Jack was John. Look up the formal name behind common historical nicknames.
Relationship Calculator
Work out second cousins, first cousins once removed and every other relationship, with the average amount of DNA you'd share.
Census by Year
Every federal census at a glance: the official census day and the most useful questions asked each year.
Record Timeline
A timeline of when major American genealogy records begin, from colonial church registers to the 1950 census.