Use this genealogical dictionary to understand some confusing research terms

If you're confused by all the strange sounding terms used in genealogy research, don't worry! The following genealogical dictionary of commonly used relationship terms can help out.

Allied Family

An allied family is one connected by marriage to another which is of primary interest. A published genealogy focusing on one surname may include extensive information on one or more allied families, especially if those families are connected by marriage to significant bearers of the surname. Thus, a genealogy of the Lincoln family may include information on the Todd family as well.

Matrilineal

A matrilineal line of ascent is through one's mother and the female ancestors who preceded her. In some parts of the world and in some historical periods, matrilineal descent was considered primary, and determined the inheritance of property, the accession of rulers, etc.

Patrilineal

A patrilineal line of ascent is through one's father and the male ancestors who preceded him. The primacy of patrilineal descent in Western society is reflected in the customary adoption of the husband's surname at marriage, and the father's surname at birth.

CG

CG is an abbreviation for Certified Genealogist, a Board for Certification of Genealogists credential.

Collateral ancestor is a legal term referring to a person not in the direct line of ascent, but is of an ancestral family. This is generally taken to mean a brother or sister of an ancestor (hence a "collateral ancestor" is never an ancestor of the subject).

Codicil

A codicil is an addition to a will to change, explain, revoke or add provisions which overrule the provisions in the original will.

Collateral Ancestor

Collateral descendant is used to refer to a descendant of the brother or sister of an ancestor.

The general way of referring to a blood relative who is not an ancestor or descendant is as a collateral relative.

Collateral Relative

A collateral relative (or collateral kinsman) is someone who is descended from an ancestor of the subject (but is not an ancestor or descendant of the subject). Your blood relatives consist of your ancestors, descendants, and collateral relatives. The sister of your father is a collateral relative, but her husband isn't.

Consanguinity

Relationship by blood. That is, two consanguineous individuals are related because they share one or more common ancestors.

Cousin

n modern usage, a cousin shares a grandparent with another person, AKA a first cousin. The term is also used for a person who shares any common ancestor though it would not usually be used in place of aunt, uncle, nephew, niece and other terms for close familial relationships.

In colonial America, a cousin could be a nephew, a niece, the spouse of a nephew or niece, or any person who shares a common ancestor.

Second cousins are related through common great-grandparents. Third cousins are related through common great-great-grandparents, etc.

Once removed, twice removed, etc., are used to indicate that the cousins are not the same number of generations from the common ancestor. If the common ancestor is a grandparent of one cousin, but the great-grandparent of the other, then there is a one-generation difference and the two people are 1st cousins once removed.

Issue

In a genealogical context, issue often refers to an individual's children. For example, "She died without issue," meaning she died without having had children.

Née

Née literally means "born." It is usually used to refer to a woman's maiden name. For example, "Mary Lincoln, née Todd."

Pedigree

Pedigree refers to a person's direct ancestors.

The word is derived from the old French name for a genealogical chart which, in turn, comes from pied de grue, literally "foot of a crane." That's because of what the chart looked like. Most early genealogists were French. Standard practice back in the 1400s was to indicate lines of descent with three prongs. The clawlike, three-branched marks used to show succession.

A modern pedigree chart shows a person's pedigree in a graphical format and typically uses lines and/or the relative position of names to make the relationships clear.

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