V genealogical glossary terms

A glossary of genealogical terms.

Vadstena Krigsmanshus: The Swedish term for the Soldier's Home at Vadstena.

Valuation book, Ireland: A type of record the Irish government used to assess the value of land for property taxes. The first valuation, called Griffith's Primary Valuation, was taken between 1848 and 1864. Later valuations were taken every ten years. They note landowners, changes in ownership, acreage, and property value. These books are sometimes called "Cancel" books.

Valuation Office, Ireland: An office in Dublin, Ireland, that holds the Griffith's Primary Valuation records and accompanying maps.

Vencindarios, Philippines: A Spanish word used in the Philippines to mean census records. Beginning in the 1500s, the Spanish recorded several of these censuses.

Vestry minutes, Church of England: Records that detail the events and issues discussed at a vestry meeting.

Vestry, Church of England: The presiding council that handles the business of a parish in the Church of England.

Veteran: An individual who once served in the military.

Veteran society: An organization of people who once served in the military. These societies are involved in political, social, and financial activities

Veterans of Foreign Wars, USA: A large veterans organization in the United States. Officers and enlisted men or women can join if they participated in any military campaign that was fought outside of the United States. The organization seeks to develop comradeship, help needy veterans and their families, provide memorial services for deceased veterans, and promote patriotism. The Veterans of Foreign Wars began accepting women members in 1978..

Veterans’ burial list: A list of veterans and their burial sites.

Veterans’ Grave Registration File, Indiana: A partial index to the graves of veterans from Indiana who served in any conflict from the time of the Revolutionary War to World War I.

Veterans’ grave registrations: Lists of the locations of the graves of veterans.

Veterans’ organization: An organization created to meet the needs of men and women who served in an armed conflict.

Veterans’ schedule, USA: A portion of the 1890 United States federal census that listed living Union veterans or their widows.

Vice admiral: An officer in the navy or coast guard who ranks between an admiral and rear admiral.

Viceroyalty, Latin America: A system of colonial government in which a colony is headed by a governor, called a viceroy, who is a representative of the king or sovereign. Spain and Portugal instituted this form of government in their Latin American colonies.

Vicomte: The fourth highest ranking title in the French peers, ranking below a comte (earl). The British equivalent is viscount.

Vida Addenda, Scotland: An additional index at the end of the yearly index to Scottish civil registration records that contains names missed in the yearly index.

Viede: A Norwegian word for marriages.

Vietnam War (1957-1975): A war that occurred when Communist North Vietnam tried to take over non-Communist South Vietnam. The North wanted to unify Vietnam and free it from what they saw as foreign rule. The United States had a policy to support any country that was fighting Communism and sent troops to support South Vietnam.

Vigda: The Swedish word for marriages.

Village lineage book, Germany: A record kept in Germany containing the ancestry of each family in a parish. These books were compiled by German pastors or genealogists. Also called an Ortssippenbuch or Dorfsippenbuch.

Vínculos y mayorazgos: A type of land record in Latin America, translated as familial bonds. These are hereditary properties, including related land titles and family relationships.

Virginia Colonial Records Project: A project that contains 14,704 surveys of Virginia-related materials in archives in Great Britain, Ireland, and France and 963 reels of microfilm of original documents. The Library of Virginia has put the index to this collection on the Internet. They also send microfilms to other libraries as part of the interlibrary loan system.

Virginia Company of London: A company of merchants and others that was founded in 1606 when King James I chartered it to form a colony in the Americas. The company founded a colony in Jamestown. The company, convinced that the area contained precious metals, promised a share of the profits to the investors and to the settlers. No profits were made. The company reorganized in 1609 and again in 1612 but was still unprofitable. In 1624 King James dissolved the company because of poor management, and Virginia became a crown colony. Also called the London Company.

Virginia grants: Land grants issued for service in the French and Indian Wars and the Revolutionary War.

Virginia Military District: Land north of the Ohio River that Virginia reserved to use as bounty land for her Revolutionary War veterans. The land was situated between the Little Miami and the Scioto Rivers in Ohio.

Virginia Military District or Survey: A division of land located in southwestern Ohio. When Virginia ceded her western lands to the United States, she maintained her claim to the land between the Little Miami and Scioto Rivers to use as bounty land for troops from Virginia who had served in the Revolutionary War.

Virginia plantation records: Records kept by plantation owners in Virginia before the Civil War.

Viscount: The fourth highest ranking title in the British and French peerage, ranking above a baron and below an earl. The wife of the viscount is called a viscountess. The French term for a viscount is vicomte. In Britain the monarch gives the title to men he or she wishes to honor. In Spain, Portugal, and Latin America, vizconde (viscount) ranks below a conde (count) and above a baron (barón).

Visitation, heraldry: A pedigree prepared by the king's heralds to document a person's pedigree and right to use a coat of arms.

Visitations, Heraldic, Family History Library Catalog™: A subject heading used in the Family History Library Catalog to categorize records related to the pedigrees prepared by the kings' heralds to document a person's pedigree and right to use a coat of arms.

Vital information: Birth, marriage, divorce, and death information.

Vital Records, Family History Library Catalog™: A subject heading used in the Family History Library Catalog to categorize governmental birth, marriage, divorce, and death records from the United States and all Canadian provinces except Québec.

Vital records, general: A term that refers to birth, marriage, divorce, and death records created by governments.

Vital Records, 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 vital records.

Vizconde: The title of Spanish nobility ranking below a conde (count) and above a barón (baron). The British equivalent is viscount.

Volunteer soldiers: Soldiers who voluntarily enlist in the armed services, as differentiated from being conscripted.

Voter registration: The process by which citizens become eligible to vote.

Voters' list: A list of people eligible to vote.

Voting district: A subdivision of a town, city, or county organized for voting purposes.

Voting register: A list of people eligible to vote.

Voting Registers, Family History Library Catalog™: A subject heading used in the Family History Library Catalog to categorize voting registers (lists of people eligible to vote).

Voucher: A receipt or other type of proof documenting that a transaction occurred.