{"id":543,"date":"2014-06-17T09:20:21","date_gmt":"2014-06-17T14:20:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/?page_id=543"},"modified":"2026-10-01T17:31:17","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T22:31:17","slug":"the-genealogists-toolbox","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/genealogy\/the-genealogists-toolbox\/","title":{"rendered":"The Genealogist\u2019s Toolbox"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Genealogy often requires more than finding names and dates. Old handwriting, unfamiliar legal terms, changing calendars, foreign-language records, and historic naming practices can all make records difficult to interpret. This section collects some of the reference material, research aids, and practical tips I\u2019ve found useful while working with historical records.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"lcp_catlist\" id=\"lcp_instance_0\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/eighteenth-century-proverbial-sayings\/\">Eighteenth Century Proverbial Sayings<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/glossary-of-colonial-terms\/\">Glossary of Colonial Terms<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/how-to-care-for-old-photos-in-your-collection\/\">How to Care For Old Photos in Your Collection<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/reading-old-handwriting-a-genealogists-guide-to-colonial-script\/\">Reading Old Handwriting: A Genealogist\u2019s Guide to Colonial Script<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/useful-genealogy-links\/\">Useful Genealogy Links<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n<h2>Genealogy Terms<\/h2>\n<p>These are terms you often find in deeds, court records, indentures, wills, etc.<\/p>\n<dl class=\"table-display\">\n<dt>Agreeable to<\/dt>\n<dd>in accordance with.<\/dd>\n<dt>Assumsit<\/dt>\n<dd>An assumpsit is an undertaking either express or implied, to perform a parole agreement. Thus, a debt due by assumpsit is a debt due because of an implied or express agreement (not in contract form).<\/dd>\n<dt>Capias<\/dt>\n<dd>Literally, &#8216;that you take.\u2019 Several writs and processes commanding the sheriff to take the person of the defendant are known by the name of capias.<\/dd>\n<dt>Coparceners<\/dt>\n<dd>co-heirs<\/dd>\n<dt>de bene esse<\/dt>\n<dd>Literally, &#8220;good for the present.&#8221; A technical phrase applied to certain proceedings which are deemed to be well done for the present, or until an exception or other avoidance (i.e., &#8216;conditionally&#8217;).<\/dd>\n<dt>Demesne<\/dt>\n<dd>land of the manor that was retained by the lord of the manor<\/dd>\n<dt>Detinue<\/dt>\n<dd>an old common-law form of action to recover possession of personal property<br \/>\nwrongfully detained.<\/dd>\n<dt>Indenture<\/dt>\n<dd>a written agreement between two or more people, usually in two identical parts, each signed by one of the parties; a deed<\/dd>\n<dt>Moiety<\/dt>\n<dd>a half, usually a half-share of a deceased&#8217;s estate<\/dd>\n<dt>Next friend<\/dt>\n<dd>representative; someone who acts for the benefit of a person who is underage, or otherwise handicapped in the process of a legal cause. For example, a minor could not bring a suit to court, so a \u201cnext friend\u201d would bring suit on behalf of the minor.<\/dd>\n<dt>Quarter<\/dt>\n<dd>term used for an individual&#8217;s land or plantation&#8212;a region, district, or place associated with a landowner.<\/dd>\n<dt>Quitam (or Qui tam)<\/dt>\n<dd>Literally, \u201cwho as well.\u201d Latin abbreviation for &#8220;Who sues on behalf of the King as well as for himself.&#8221; An action under a statute that establishes penalties for certain acts or omissions that can be brought by an informer or and in which a portion of the penalties, fines, awards can be awarded the whistleblower. When a statute imposes a penalty, for the doing or not doing an act, and gives that penalty in part to whosoever will sue for the same, and the other part to the commonwealth, or some charitable, literary, or other institution, and makes it recoverable by action, such actions are called qui tam actions, the plaintiff describing himself as suing as well for the commonwealth, for example, as for himself.<\/dd>\n<dt>Replevin<\/dt>\n<dd>an action originating in common law by which a plaintiff, having a right in personal property claimed to be wrongfully taken or detained by the defendant, seeks to recover possession of the property and sometimes to obtain damages for the wrongful detention. It is also a procedure allowing the plaintiff a provisional remedy to take possession of the property prior to judgment on the action.<br \/>\nTo replevy is to regain possession of property by a writ or motion of Replevin.<br \/>\nA Replevin Bond is a bond given by a plaintiff in a replevin action to cover losses to the defendant or court officer seizing the property in the defendant&#8217;s possession which is put up to pay defendant&#8217;s or the court&#8217;s costs in the event that the plaintiff loses the case.<\/dd>\n<dt>Scire facias<\/dt>\n<dd>a writ commanding a person \u201cto cause it to be made known\u201d why the other person should not have the advantage or restitution he is claiming.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<h3>Latin Versions of words often found in records:<\/h3>\n<dl class=\"table-display\">\n<dt>bastard<\/dt>\n<dd> illegitimus<\/dd>\n<dt>born<\/dt>\n<dd>natus<\/dd>\n<dt>buried<\/dt>\n<dd>sepultat<\/dd>\n<dt>daughter<\/dt>\n<dd> filia<\/dd>\n<dt>day<\/dt>\n<dd>dies<\/dd>\n<dt>died<\/dt>\n<dd>mortuus<\/dd>\n<dt>father<\/dt>\n<dd>pater<\/dd>\n<dt>marriage<\/dt>\n<dd>matrimonium<\/dd>\n<dt>mother<\/dt>\n<dd>mater<\/dd>\n<dt>month<\/dt>\n<dd>mensis<\/dd>\n<dt>parish<\/dt>\n<dd> parochia<\/dd>\n<dt>son<\/dt>\n<dd>filius<\/dd>\n<dt>widow<\/dt>\n<dd>vidua<\/dd>\n<dt>wife<\/dt>\n<dd>uxor<\/dd>\n<dt>year<\/dt>\n<dd>annua<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<h2>Calendar<\/h2>\n<p>From 1190 to 1752, the Julian calendar was used in England. In 1751 England switched to the Gregorian calendar.<\/p>\n<h3>German Months<\/h3>\n<dl class=\"table-display\">\n<dt>Janner, Wintermonat <\/dt>\n<dd> Januar<\/dd>\n<dt>Hornung <\/dt>\n<dd> Februar<\/dd>\n<dt>Lenzmonat <\/dt>\n<dd> Marz<\/dd>\n<dt>Ostermonat <\/dt>\n<dd> April<\/dd>\n<dt>Weide &#8211; Wonnemonat <\/dt>\n<dd> Mai<\/dd>\n<dt>Brachmonat <\/dt>\n<dd> Juni<\/dd>\n<dt>Heumonat <\/dt>\n<dd> Juli<\/dd>\n<dt>Erntemonat <\/dt>\n<dd> August<\/dd>\n<dt>Herbatmonat <\/dt>\n<dd> September<\/dd>\n<dt>Weinmonat <\/dt>\n<dd> Oktober<\/dd>\n<dt>Winden &#8211; Wintermonat <\/dt>\n<dd> November<\/dd>\n<dt>Christ &#8211; Wintermonat <\/dt>\n<dd> Dezember<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<h2>Naming Practices<\/h2>\n<p>In England the practice of giving a child two Christian names started in the 18th century and became widespread in the 19th.<\/p>\n<p>In America a pattern for naming children, although not always followed, may help you identify relatives across generations.<\/p>\n<p>The first son was usually named after the father&#8217;s father.<br \/>\nThe second son was usually named after the mother&#8217;s father.<br \/>\nThe third son was usually named after the father.<br \/>\nThe fourth son was usually named after the father&#8217;s eldest brother.<br \/>\nThe fifth son was usually named after the mother&#8217;s eldest brother.<\/p>\n<p>The first daughter was usually named after the mother&#8217;s mother.<br \/>\nThe second daughter was usually named after the father&#8217;s mother.<br \/>\nThe third daughter was usually named after the mother.<br \/>\nThe fourth daughter was usually named after the mother&#8217;s eldest sister.<br \/>\nThe fifth daughter was usually named after the father&#8217;s eldest sister.<\/p>\n<p>Source: Mary Marshall, Upper Cumberland Genealogical Society.<\/p>\n<h3>Latin versions of Christian names<\/h3>\n<dl class=\"table-display\">\n<dt>Andrew<\/dt>\n<dd> Andreas<\/dd>\n<dt>Charles<\/dt>\n<dd> Carolus<\/dd>\n<dt>Henry<\/dt>\n<dd> Henricus<\/dd>\n<dt>James<\/dt>\n<dd> Jacobus<\/dd>\n<dt>John<\/dt>\n<dd> Johannes<\/dd>\n<dt>Mary<\/dt>\n<dd> Maria<\/dd>\n<dt>Ralph<\/dt>\n<dd> Radelphus<\/dd>\n<dt>William<\/dt>\n<dd> Gulielmus or Willelmus <\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Genealogy often requires more than finding names and dates. Old handwriting, unfamiliar legal terms, changing calendars, foreign-language records, and historic naming practices can all make records difficult to interpret. This section collects some of the reference material, research aids, and practical tips I\u2019ve found useful while working with historical records. Genealogy Terms These are terms&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9960,"parent":2691,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"default","_kad_post_title":"default","_kad_post_layout":"default","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"default","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"default","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-543","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P3viLY-8L","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2691,"url":"https:\/\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/genealogy\/","url_meta":{"origin":543,"position":0},"title":"Genealogy","author":"Karen","date":"March 27, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Genealogy is at the heart of this site. Here you\u2019ll find research on the families and surnames I\u2019ve been tracing for many years, along with records, photographs, biographies, local history, and historical background that help put those ancestors into context. I\u2019ve also gathered useful reference material here\u2014including genealogy terms, research\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Genealogy-ChatGPT-Image-Header.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Genealogy-ChatGPT-Image-Header.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Genealogy-ChatGPT-Image-Header.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Genealogy-ChatGPT-Image-Header.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Genealogy-ChatGPT-Image-Header.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Genealogy-ChatGPT-Image-Header.png?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1341,"url":"https:\/\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/families\/aitken\/robert-aitken\/","url_meta":{"origin":543,"position":1},"title":"Robert Aitken, Jr. (1767-1823)","author":"Karen","date":"June 30, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Robert Aitken, Jr. (1767\u20131823) was born in Paisley, Scotland, the son of Philadelphia printer and publisher Robert Aitken, Sr. He married Nancy Ann Pearson in Philadelphia in 1787 and became the father of Joseph Aitken, continuing the Aitken family line in Philadelphia into the nineteenth century. He is my husband's\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Page-Headers-Featured-Image-Aitken-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Page-Headers-Featured-Image-Aitken-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Page-Headers-Featured-Image-Aitken-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Page-Headers-Featured-Image-Aitken-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Page-Headers-Featured-Image-Aitken-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Page-Headers-Featured-Image-Aitken-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":468,"url":"https:\/\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/families\/blomberg\/frances-thora-blomberg-1865-1915\/","url_meta":{"origin":543,"position":2},"title":"Frances Thora Blomberg (1865-1915)","author":"Karen","date":"June 16, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Frances Thora \u201cFanny\u201d Blomberg (1865\u20131915) was the daughter of Wilhelm Clement Theodor Blomberg and Catherine Tandrop and the older sister of Ella Blomberg LeBlond, my direct ancestor. Fanny married Walter Palm and belonged to the Cincinnati generation of the Blomberg family whose lives are preserved not only in family records\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Page-Headers-Featured-Image-Blomberg-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Page-Headers-Featured-Image-Blomberg-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Page-Headers-Featured-Image-Blomberg-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Page-Headers-Featured-Image-Blomberg-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Page-Headers-Featured-Image-Blomberg-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Page-Headers-Featured-Image-Blomberg-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2868,"url":"https:\/\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/genealogy\/my-civil-war-ancestors\/","url_meta":{"origin":543,"position":3},"title":"My Civil War Ancestors","author":"Karen","date":"May 17, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The Civil War touched several branches of my family, with relatives serving in both Union and Confederate units. This page brings together the ancestors and close family members I have identified in military records, along with links to their individual stories, regimental histories, diaries, and related research. Their service ranged\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 2 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 2 comments","link":"https:\/\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/genealogy\/my-civil-war-ancestors\/#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Group-of-soldiers-relax-in-front-of-a-tent-service-pnp-ppmsca-34100-34192v-LOC-cropped.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Group-of-soldiers-relax-in-front-of-a-tent-service-pnp-ppmsca-34100-34192v-LOC-cropped.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Group-of-soldiers-relax-in-front-of-a-tent-service-pnp-ppmsca-34100-34192v-LOC-cropped.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Group-of-soldiers-relax-in-front-of-a-tent-service-pnp-ppmsca-34100-34192v-LOC-cropped.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1108,"url":"https:\/\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/families\/hurt\/","url_meta":{"origin":543,"position":4},"title":"Hurt","author":"Karen","date":"June 27, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"It seems that my line of Hurts (there are several branches) emigrated (at different times to the colonies from England (many from the Bristol area) and settled in Virginia in the 1600's. After the Revolutionary War, many families of Hurts moved out of Virginia, settling in North Carolina, Tennessee, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 3 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 3 comments","link":"https:\/\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/families\/hurt\/#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9926,"url":"https:\/\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/places\/","url_meta":{"origin":543,"position":5},"title":"Places","author":"Karen","date":"October 1, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Genealogy is tied to place. The towns, churches, cemeteries, farms, neighborhoods, and regions where people lived often provide the context that makes family records meaningful. This section brings together places I\u2019ve researched in connection with my own families, along with local history, maps, photographs, postcards, and other material about communities\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/vecteezy_a-pile-of-old-maps-on-a-table_73301861-header.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/vecteezy_a-pile-of-old-maps-on-a-table_73301861-header.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/vecteezy_a-pile-of-old-maps-on-a-table_73301861-header.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/vecteezy_a-pile-of-old-maps-on-a-table_73301861-header.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/vecteezy_a-pile-of-old-maps-on-a-table_73301861-header.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/vecteezy_a-pile-of-old-maps-on-a-table_73301861-header.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/543","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=543"}],"version-history":[{"count":42,"href":"https:\/\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/543\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9964,"href":"https:\/\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/543\/revisions\/9964"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2691"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9960"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.karenfurst.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=543"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}