Genealogy Code

A couple of young neighborhood boys from up the road and a school buddy of theirs who came over to play, stopped by to say howdy to our little chihuahua and give her doggie treats to see her perform her tricks. She can beg, dance, roll over, say "please," shake paws, sit, sneeze, and stay on command and it never fails to amuse them. While here, their little friend had a problem with his britches and he learned a new code word (xyz), which led me to think of other code words we used when I was growing up.

Back in my day, when girls wore modest dresses pretty much all of the time to school and church, the unmentionables were not allowed to show. I would have died of mortification if straps slid down my arm or a slip hung below my dress hem. We used code words like "it's snowing down south" to mean one's underskirt was showing and to hitch it up, gal!

I've heard said that abbreviations or acronyms are the new code words in the English language and may take over correctly spelled words when texting on mobile devices such as cell telephones and book tablet readers. I don't know how true that may be, but it certainly is easier to use acronyms providing everyone knows what they mean. Those new to researching family history may not know the abbreviations/acronyms used by most genealogists, so I'm going to give a few common ones here.

AGS = The Association for Gravestone Studies
aka = also known as

b. = born, usually used before a date
bp = birthplace
bro = brother
bur = buried
c = circa or close to; around or about, mostly used with dates
CA = common ancestor
cem = cemetery
Co. = County
d = death date
DAR = Daughters of the American Revolution
dau. = daughter
d/o = daughter of
doc. = documentation
DNA = the hereditary code making up our bods
Dr. = a title of a physician
Eld. = Elder, a title of a Primitive Baptist preacher.
F = Female
FAN = Friends, Associates, and Neighbors

FDR - A first degree relative is a person's parent (father or mother), full sibling (brother or sister) or child. A member of a nuclear family, but without the spouse. A 2nd degree relative is a blood relative which includes the person's grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces or half-siblings. A 3rd degree relative is defined as a blood relative which includes the individual's first cousins, great-grandparents or great-grandchildren. And so forth.

FIL = father-in-law
Fr. = father

FS = for sale

FT = for trade (only) 
GAR = Grand Army of the Republic
GMa = grandmother
GP = Grand-parent or grandpa
1stGP = Great-grandparent or great-grandpa
2ndGP = Great-great grandparent or great-great grandpa
3rdGP = great-great-great grandparent or great-great-great grandpa
hh. = head of household
Hwy = highway, found on maps

ISO = in search of
J.P. = Justice of the Peace
M = Male
m. = married
m/2 = second marriage
M.G. = Minister of God
MIL = mother-in-law
MOLLUS = Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States; a veteran's organization for officers
Mos. = age in months
MOSGA = Missouri State Genealogical Association
Mr. = Mister; a title for a man (single or married)
Mrs. = Missus, title of a married woman
Ms.= Miz (the title for a liberated woman who may or may not be married), sometimes used if there is a question as to her status
no. or # = number
nee = birth or maiden surname or last name of a woman
NGS = National Genealogical Society
occ. = occupation
p. = page

PCA = DNA matches: Possible Common Ancestor(s)
PERSI = PERiodical Source Index

primary records = handwritten or oral records such as a census, marriage or death certificate
obit = obituary, a death notice found in a newspaper or other periodical
R. = range, usually found in land records
Rev. = Reverend; a title of ministers outside of the Primitive Baptists.
S = Section or south; usually found in land records
SAR = Sons of the American Revolution

secondary records -- those printed in a book or newspaper 
sis = sister
s/o = son of
sp. = spouse
Sr. = sister
St. = street, found on maps
Twp. = township
USA = United States of America
Vol. = Volume or edition
woi = without issue or children

WTB = want to buy
WWI = World War 1
WWII = World War 2
Yrs. = age in years

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Definitions:

1. A shirt-tail cousin = The phrase is used to describe a person who is related by marriage, or is a distant cousin, say a fourth cousin or beyond, or who is someone that is close to the family but not actually related by blood. It is meant as an honorary title when the relationship takes awhile to explain to a stranger.