Q genealogical glossary terms

A glossary of genealogical terms.

Quadrangle: Sections of the United States for which the United States Geological Survey has created topographical maps.

Quakers: A name referring to members of the Society of Friends.

Quartarón: A term used in Catholic Church registers to describe a person from Spanish-speaking Latin America whose ancestry is a mix of African and Caucasian. Also spelled cuarterón. Racial classifications were often based on physical appearance or social status; therefore, they were not always accurate.

Quarter court, Massachusetts: A court in Massachusetts with jurisdiction over a county. Also called inferior quarter court or county court.

Quarter court, Virginia: A court in Virginia that first met quarterly in England and later at Jamestown, Virginia, in September, December, March, and June. Quarter courts handled major civil matters, capital crimes, and chancery and appellate matters. The name was changed to general court in 1661.

Quarterly abstracts of Baltimore City passenger lists: Copies of customs lists sent quarterly by the U.S. customs collectors to the U.S. secretary of state, who published the transcripts for Congress. Copies of abstracts from 1820 to 1869 (with some gaps) are available at the Family History Library™.

Quarterly court, Kentucky: A court in Kentucky with countywide jurisdiction over minor criminal cases.

Quartermaster: A navy officer charged with steering the ship and tending the binnacle and signals; also an army officer who distributes clothing and other supplies to the troops.

Québec Act, Canada: A law that the British Parliament passed in 1774 to end military government in French Canada. As a part of this act, the British government officially recognized French language, civil law, religion, and custom in the Province of Québec. Roman Catholics became eligible to hold public office, and the seigneurial system of land ownership was endorsed. The act also expanded Québec to the Ohio and Missouri Rivers.

Québec National Archives branch, Canada: One of nine branches of the Archives nationales du Québec. These archives have most of the original records kept for the Province of Québec before 1900.

Québec, Canada: A province of Canada. The capital is also named Québec, but it is often called Québec City. The largest city is Montréal. Most of the people speak French. At least 80 percent have French ancestry. Québec used to be called Lower Canada or Canada East. It was renamed Québec in 1867, when it became one of four original provinces in the Dominion of Canada.

Query, computer: A request for a computer to find information in a database.

Query, general: A request for information, such as information about a particular ancestor.

Questionnaire: A printed survey designed to gather information about a topic.

Quinta: In the Philippines, a lot (form for a drawing) used to conscript recruits into the military.

Quintas, Philippines: A Spanish term used in the Philippines to mean military records.

Quinterón, Peru: A term used in Peruvian Catholic Church registers to describe a person whose ancestry is a mixture of African and Caucasian. Racial classifications were often based on physical appearance or social status; therefore, they were not always accurate.

Quitrent or quit rent: As applied in America, an annual rent that individuals paid to the crown or the proprietor who granted them the land. This practice did not function in New England and was abolished in the Revolutionary War. The quitrent was a holdover from the feudal manor system.

Quoad sacra parish, Scotland: A Scottish parish set up to care for people who could not conveniently attend the parish church. Quoad sacra parishes did not keep records.

Quorum, Latter-day Saint: An ecclesiastical unit of the priesthood of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.