T genealogical glossary terms

A glossary of genealogical terms.

Tabellion: A French term for scrivener, a person who prepares wills and other documents. A tabellion has less training than a notairs (notary) or avocat (lawyer).

Tables décennales: A French index that covers ten years of a particular set of records. French civil registration records have ten-year indexes. The English translation for these indexes is ten-year indexes.

Taufen: The German word for baptisms.

Tax: Money that a government collects from individuals, businesses, and other institutions under its jurisdiction.

Tax abatement record: A record that lists names of individuals seeking a tax deferment. It lists the reason for the request and may also list names of relatives or guardians.

Tax records: A general term referring to all documents created as a result of taxation.

Tax sale record: A record created when the property of a person who was delinquent in paying property taxes is sold to pay the taxes.

Tax, PERiodical Source Index: A record type used in the Locality and Research Methodologies sections of the PERiodical Source Index (PERSI) to identify articles that contain information about tax records.

Taxation, Family History Library Catalog™: A subject heading used in the Family History Library Catalog to categorize tax records.

Taxation, general: The process of a government gathering money from its citizens to meet its operating expenses.

Telephone directory: A list of the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of people in an area.

Tellico land grants: Grants for lands ceded in 1805 to the United States government by the Cherokee Native Americans.

Temple ordinance, Latter-day Saint: A religious ceremony performed in a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by one having priesthood authority.

Temple recommend, Latter-day Saint: A certificate given to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that certifies their worthiness to enter a temple.

Temple record, Latter-day Saint: A record of an ordinance performed in a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Temple Records Index Bureau: A card index to Latter-day Saint temple ordinances performed between 1842 and 1970 for living and deceased individuals. The information from these records is now available in the International Genealogical Index®.

Temple work, Latter-day Saint: A term used in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to refer to ordinances performed in the temple.

TempleReady™: A computer program that helps members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints prepare the names of their ancestors for temple ordinances.

Ten-year index, France: An index that covers ten years of a particular set of records. French civil registration records have ten-year indexes, called tables décennales.

Tente en el aire: A term used in Catholic Church registers to describe a person from Spanish-speaking Latin America whose ancestry is Indian, African, and Caucasian. Racial classifications were often based on physical appearance or social status; therefore, they were not always accurate.

Terminology: The terms (jargon) used in a field of study.

Territorial army, British: British forces marshaled in other countries.

Territorial census: A count and description of the population of a territory.

Territorial probate court: A court that had probate jurisdiction over the Nevada Territory. It was established in 1861 and abolished in 1864, when Nevada became a state.

Territorial records: Records, such as land records, kept by a territorial government.

Territory of Hawaii: A territory created in 1900 that consisted of all of the present-day state of Hawaii. At that time, all citizens of Hawaii became citizens of the United States. Hawaii was made a state in March 1959.

Territory of Orleans: A division of Louisiana created when the United States divided the Louisiana Purchase along the 33rd parallel. The District of Louisiana was the land to the north, and the Territory of Orleans was the area to the south.

Territory, United States: An area in the United States that is not within the limits of any state. The residents are citizens of the United States. A territory does not have equal power with states in the federal government. The first territory established was the Northwest Territory. This territory set the pattern for how all future territories would operate. Congress established a territory and appointed a governor, a secretary, and three judges to govern it. When the population reached 5,000 adult males, the territory could choose a legislature and send a delegate to Congress. This delegate could introduce bills and participate in debate but could not vote. A territory could apply for statehood when its total population grew to 60,000.

Testament: A legal document that describes how a person's real and personal property should be distributed after his or her death.

Under early English law, a will described how an individual’s real property (lands and buildings) would be distributed after death. Since the Crown technically owned all land and buildings, a specific set of laws applied to its distribution. A testament distributed the person's personal property, such as furniture, belongings, crops, debts, and so forth.

The term will eventually came to mean both a will and a testament.

Testament, French: The French word for will, which is a legal document that describes how an individual’s real and personal property should be distributed after his or her death.

Testamentary bond: A written statement wherein the executor of a will guarantees that he or she will faithfully perform the tasks assigned by the probate court.