Educational genealogy definitions and explanations designed to help beginners and experienced researchers better understand common family history terminology, records, DNA concepts, and research methods.
Genealogy Definition What Are Land and Property Records? Land and property records help place ancestors in real physical locations, often revealing where they lived, worked, inherited, rented, farmed, or built their lives. Short Definition Land and property records are documents created to track ownership, occupancy, transfer, taxation, leasing, and inheritance of land or buildings. Put … Read more
Genealogy Definition What Are Military Records? Military records help document how ancestors experienced war, migration, military service, community life, and some of history’s largest historical events. Short Definition Military records are documents created to track a person’s service in the armed forces. In genealogy, military records are extremely valuable because they can reveal personal details, … Read more
Genealogy Definition What Are Immigration and Naturalization Papers? Immigration and naturalization papers help document how ancestors moved between countries, crossed borders, built new lives, and in many cases became citizens of entirely new homelands. Short Definition Immigration and naturalization papers are records created when people moved to a new country and, in some cases, later … Read more
Genealogy Definition What Are Voter Lists? Voter lists help genealogists track where ancestors lived, how communities changed, and who was considered eligible to participate in public life during different periods of history. Short Definition Voter lists, also called electoral rolls or voters’ lists, are records of people eligible to vote in elections within a specific … Read more
Genealogy Definition What Are Passenger Lists? Passenger lists help genealogists trace migration journeys, immigration stories, and the moments ancestors crossed oceans and borders to begin entirely new chapters of life. Short Definition Passenger lists are records created to document people travelling on ships, and later airplanes, between countries or ports. In genealogy, passenger lists are … Read more
Genealogy Definition What Is an Obituary? Obituaries help genealogists understand not only when someone died, but how they were remembered by their family, community, and the people around them. Short Definition An obituary is a published notice announcing a person’s death, often including details about their life, family, occupation, community involvement, and funeral arrangements. In … Read more
Genealogy Definition What Is a Gravestone? Gravestones help preserve the memory of people, families, and communities while physically connecting genealogy research to real places across generations. Short Definition A gravestone is a stone marker placed at a burial site to identify and memorialize a deceased person. In genealogy, gravestones and related burial markers can provide … Read more
Genealogy Definition What Is a Witness or Sponsor? Witnesses and sponsors help genealogists uncover the wider family, friendship, and community networks surrounding ancestors in historical records. Short Definition In genealogy records, a witness or sponsor was a person who officially observed, supported, or participated in an important life event such as a baptism, marriage, burial, … Read more
Genealogy Definition What Is a Civil Parish? Civil parishes help genealogists understand how historical communities, land records, taxation systems, and local government boundaries shaped the organization of family history records. Short Definition A civil parish is a geographic administrative area used for local government and record-keeping purposes rather than religious worship. In genealogy, civil parishes … Read more
Genealogy Definition What Are Tithe Applotment Books? The Tithe Applotment Books help place Irish farming families in specific townlands and parishes before Griffith’s Valuation and before the Great Famine transformed Ireland’s population. Short Definition The Tithe Applotment Books were Irish land and agricultural taxation records created between 1823 and 1837. In genealogy, they are extremely … Read more