There are quite a few terms of measurement that once were commonly used, but no longer are. Genealogists might come across some of these mysterious words or phrases while looking at old documents that regard the purchase of, or sale of, land. Other terms relate to the money that was paid for property. Do you know what an “arpent” is? There are two definitions for this word that can be found in the ROOTS Genealogical Dictionary. The first one is “a unit of land measure, sometimes used in parts of French North America, such as Quebec and Louisiana, and in … Continue reading →

It can be interesting to find out the meanings of obscure, rarely used, genealogy terms, words, and phrases. If you are someone who likes to play with language, or who loves doing crossword puzzles, then you probably find it fun to learn new words. I thought that every genealogy dictionary would hold pretty much the same words. To my surprise, this assumption is not true at all! So far I have wandered through the Genealogy Glossary on the Family Tree Magazine website, the ROOTS Genealogical Dictionary, and the Glossary of Terminology at Genealogy Quest. This time, I decided to see … Continue reading →

Every once in a while, it can be fun to play around with words. One great thing about genealogy is that there seems to be a nearly endless supply of genealogy jargon, phrases, terminology, or words that you might have never seen before. Each genealogy dictionary is slightly different from the rest. There is a good chance that you will find at least a few words that are unfamiliar to you. Personally, I think it is fun to find out the meanings of these words and phrases now, when I don’t necessarily “need” them. I imagine it might be frustrating … Continue reading →

Genealogy is the study of family. It also involves learning how to research well. One of the more fun aspects of genealogy involves the discovery of the meanings of words, terms, and phrases that you did not know before you started doing your research. There is always something new to learn and discover! It is a good idea to have access to more than one genealogy dictionary. Not every mysterious word that you come across is going to be found in every dictionary. Some of these glossaries are quite small, and somewhat limited in their scope. In a previous blog, … Continue reading →

One of my favorite things about genealogy is the language. I am a self-professed lover of words, and I’m always looking to increase my vocabulary. Today I came across some fun words that come from occupations that our ancestors may have had back in the day. You just don’t run into many chiffoniers these days, and even those people who do make wigs for a living may not call themselves that anymore. Do you work in an office that employs an amanuensis? If the secretary greets you as you walk in the door, then you most certainly do. Just today, … Continue reading →