Abbreviations in Old Records
What "inst.," "ult.," "et ux.," "d.s.p.," "Jno." and other abbreviations in deeds, wills, newspapers and church records mean.
Clerks saved time and ink with abbreviations, and many of them are confusing today. Search or scroll.
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ae., aet. | aged (from Latin aetatis) |
| admr. / admx. | administrator / administratrix |
| b., bp. or bapt., bur. | born, baptized, buried |
| c. or ca. | about (circa) |
| Chas., Geo., Jas., Jno., Saml., Thos., Wm. | Charles, George, James, John, Samuel, Thomas, William |
| Benj., Danl., Edw., Richd., Robt., Eliz., Margt. | Benjamin, Daniel, Edward, Richard, Robert, Elizabeth, Margaret |
| d.s.p. | died without children (decessit sine prole) |
| d.v.p. | died before his or her father (decessit vita patris) |
| dau., d. | daughter |
| decd., dec'd | deceased |
| do | ditto, the same as above |
| Esq. | Esquire; a gentleman, or a lawyer or justice |
| et al. | and others |
| et ux. / et vir | and wife / and husband |
| exr. / exx. | executor / executrix |
| fo., fol. | folio (a page or leaf) |
| inst., ult., prox. | this month, last month, next month |
| J.P. | justice of the peace |
| liber | book, as in a deed book |
| L.S. | place of the seal (locus sigilli) |
| M.G. | minister of the gospel |
| his X mark | the person couldn't sign, and made a mark |
| O.S. / N.S. | Old Style / New Style dates (before and after the 1752 calendar change) |
| relict | widow or widower |
| s.p. | without children (sine prole) |
| viz. | namely |
| y m d | years, months, days, as in an exact age at death |
| C.S.A., U.S.C.T., G.A.R. | Confederate States of America; U.S. Colored Troops; Grand Army of the Republic (Union veterans) |