Genealogy Terms Starting with S
Genealogy Glossary: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z - Latin Terms
s. (abbreviation) son.
s. and h. (abbreviation) son and heir.
secondary evidence evidence that is inferior to primary evidence or the best evidence.
secondary source a secondary source is a record that was created a significant amount of time after an event occurred. For example, a marriage certificate would be a secondary source for a birth date, because the birth took place several years before the time of the marriage. However, that same marriage certificate would be a primary source for a marriage date, because it was created at the time of the marriage.
self-addressed stamped envelope (sase) when you request records or other information from people and institutions, you should include a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) in your letter. Of course, a SASE with U.S. postage stamps on it is only good in the United States. If you are expecting return mail from overseas, you should include an International Reply Coupon with your self-addressed envelope. This coupon serves as payment for any international postage you may need to pay. They can be purchased at your local post office.
serv. (abbreviation) servant.
sibling a brother or sister, persons who share the same parents in common.
sic latin term signifying a copy reads exactly as the original; indicates a possible mistake in the original.
s/o son of.
soc. (abbreviation) society
social security death index the Social Security Death Index is an index of Social Security Death records. Generally this includes names of deceased Social Security recipients whose relatives applied for Social Security Death Benefits after their passing. Also included in the millions of records are approximately 400,000 railroad retirement records from the early 1900s to 1950s.
soundex phonetic indexing system.
source the document, record, publication, manuscript, etc. used to prove a fact.
sponsor a sponsor is an individual other than the parents of a child that takes responsibility for the child's religious education. Sponsors are usually present at a child's baptism. Sponsors are often referred to as godparents.
srnm. (abbreviation) surname, last name.
St. (abbreviation) saint; street.
statute a law.
step used in conjunction with a degree of kinship.
stepchild child of one of the spouses by a former marriage who has not been adopted by the step-parent.
stepfather husband of a child's mother by a later marriage.
stepmother wife of a child's father by a later marriage.
surg. (abbreviation) surgeon
surname last name, family name.
Genealogy Glossary: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z - Latin Terms