When you are reading old documents you will come across words that you don’t know – archaic words, legal terms, Latin words and old abbreviations. It will make your research less frustrating if you keep a few reference books handy. In the blog post, My Union Soldier, I wrote that Irvin Helpman was listed as a “drummer” on the 1900 census. I really didn’t think he was a musical drummer so I thought I would look it up and see if maybe it had another meaning (it did).
Here are the resources that I use:
- What Did They Mean By That? A Dictionary of Historical and Genealogical Terms Old and New by Paul Drake, J.D.
- More What Did They Mean By That? A Dictionary of Historical and Genealogical Terms Old and New by Paul Drake, J.D.
- A to Zax, A Comprehensive Dictionary for Genealogists & Historians by Barbara Jean Evans
- Ancestry’s Concise Genealogical Dictionary by Maurine and Glen Harris
- A Medical Miscellany for Genealogists by Dr. Jeanette L. Jerger
- English Glossary of Archaic Medical Terms, Diseases and Causes of Death by Rudy Schmidt
- Latin Genealogical Word List by FamilySearch
- Abbreviations Found in Genealogy by Sam Behling
- Genealogical Dictionary of Legal Terms by FamilySearch
Copyright © 2013 Michele Simmons Lewis
These are very helpful, Michele! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the kind comment, Cheryle :)
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