A note of some of the abbreviations you may be faced with in the course of your own genealogical research.

 

 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  

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  

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

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  

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

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 

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
 

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 
 

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

  

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

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

  

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

 

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

  

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 
 

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 
 

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

  

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

 

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

  

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 
 

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

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