m. (abbreviation) married. md. (abbreviation) married. maiden name a woman's last name prior to marriage. major person who has reached legal age. majores ancestors. majority legal age. manse parsonage; enough land to support a family. manumission manumission is the act of being released from slavery or servitude. manuscript manuscripts are usually unpublished family histories or collections of family papers. Depending on what the manuscript contains, you may be able to find all kinds of family information. Generally, you will find more than just names, birth dates, and death dates. marita married woman, wife. maritus bridgroom, married man. marriage bond a marriage bond is document obtained by an engaged couple prior to their marriage. It affirmed that there was no moral or legal reason why the couple could not be married. In addition, the man affirmed that he would be able to support himself and his new bride. marriage contract legal agreement between prospective spouses made before marriage to determine their property rights and those of their children. marriage records a marriage record contains information about a marriage between two individuals. On a marriage record, you can at least find the bride's and groom's full names, the date of the marriage, and county where the marriage took place. Many marriage records include other information, such as the names and birthplaces of the bride's and groom's parents, the addresses of the bride and groom, information about previous marriages, and the names of the witnesses to the marriage. maternal line line of descent traced through the mother's ancestry. matron older married woman with children. mensis month. metes measurements of distance in feet, rods, poles, chains, etc.; pertains to measuring direction and distance. metes and bounds method of surveying property by using physical and topographical features in conjunction with measurements. mil. (abbreviation) military. military records the US government has always kept records on all military and civilian workers. Most of these files have very detailed information, such as the individual's name, their spouse's name, date of birth, place of residence, which wars the individual served in, their military organization (Navy, Marines, or Army), when the individual's service began and ended, where and when the individual died, and where the individual was buried. militia a citizen army; a military organization formed by local citizens to serve in emergencies. minor a person under legal age; historically, the legal age differed from place to place and over time. (Check prevailing law to determine the legal age requirement at a specific time.) mo. (abbreviation) month. mortality schedule a section of the federal census listing information about persons who died during the census year. mulatto a mulatto is legally considered to be an individual with mixed black and white heritage. However, some individuals who were designated mulattos may have a slightly more mixed parentage, perhaps including Native American blood.