Dictionary

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T

terr.

Territory.

test.

Testament.

testament

The disposition of one's personal property by will.

testate

Having made or left a valid will.

testis

Witness.

testator

A man who writes a valid will.

testatrix

A woman who writes a valid will.

timeline

A chronologically arranged listing of events in the life of a particular person or a span of time in the existence of a family. A timeline is usually organized from the present to the past. Historical events, not directly related to the person or family, can also be helpful to show what things were happening that the person or family knew about. Regional events in history are particularly helpful in a timeline.

tiny tafel

A standard file format used to exchange surnames of interest between computers. Tiny Tafel files are brief "shorthand" of what the originator has searched and includes the surname, soundex code, beginning and ending dates, beginning and ending locations.

tithable

A person taxable by law.

tithe

In English law, one-tenth of a person's annual earnings.

tomahawk grant

The process of marking trees around a desired tract of land with a tomahawk or hatchet with the intent of obtaining a deed from the nearest land office. Once the perimeter was marked he would go to the land office and file a petition (claim), get official authorization (a warrant) to have the land surveyed to produce an acceptable legal description of the land. Once the survey was completed, the land office could grant title to the land.

tombstone

See Gravestone.

Tory

A resident of the American colonies who remained loyal to England during the U.S. Revolutionary War. See Also: Loyalist.

township

Generally, a square tract of six miles on a side containing thirty-six square miles of land. A name given to a civil and political subdivision of a county in the U.S.

twp.

Abbreviation for Township.

typhoid

A serious infectious disease caused by a type of salmonella bacteria. The main sources of this infection are unclean water and milk. The disease can also be spread when people do not wash their hands after using the toilet. Symptoms include high fever, spots on the chest and abdomen, and intestinal problems. Typhoid can be deadly, but it can be prevented by vaccination and avoided with good public sanitation and personal hygiene.

typhus

An acute, infectious disease transmitted by lice and fleas. Symptoms include headache, fever, rash, and a seroes of other complications if not treated.

Also called:
malignant fever, jail fever, hospital fever, ship fever, putrid fever, brain fever, bilious fever, spotted fever, and camp fever (get the idea?)