When you are doing genealogy research, there are so many different types of records that you can use. Some, like vital records, will provide the nuts and bolts that can help you document your family’s history on a pedigree chart. Others provide the details that fill in the story of who your ancestors were and how they lived. Some records, like wills and probate records, can provide genealogists with a bit of both kinds of information.
Probate records can tell you about the date and location of the death of an ancestor as well as what the relationships were between that ancestor and the other people that are named in the will. The description of the estate can give you a glimpse into what kinds of things your ancestor had, and how they wanted them distributed after they died. Depending upon the age and the location of a will or probate record, there may be some words in there that leave even those with well established vocabularies scratching their heads.
Here are just a few new words that you might encounter when your genealogy research takes you into the realm of wills and probate.
If you see a relationship where a person is referred to as a “Cousin German”, that is another way of saying “first cousin”.
A deforciant is a person who prevents another person from inheriting under a will. This term will most likely be found in probate records where there has been a will contest.
If someone was bequeathed the husslements in one of your ancestor’s wills, you may be wondering what exactly it is that they got. That lucky person got what we would now refer to as odds and ends, a collection of small household items with little value.
Other items that were bequeathed in wills were a little more substantial than the husslements. If someone received an ambry, that is a large cupboard. Garnish is a set of pewter tableware. Gearing is a harness for work horses that pulled a wagon or plough. Porringers are bowls for soup or porridge, and they usually had one or two handles.
Researching in wills and probate records can really take you on a journey back to the lives and times of your ancestors. Enjoy finding those important names and dates as well as learning about the bits and pieces that make up the story of your family’s history.
Photo by kconnors on morguefile.com.