Abbreviations and Acronyms in Métis Research

A

abt. – about (approximate date)

adm. – admission (singular; used in mission, school, or hospital records)

app. – apprentice (fur trade records)

aka – also known as (alternate name or "dit" name)

appl. – application (often in scrip documents)

adms. – admissions (found in mission or school records)

Aff. – affidavit (legal or land records)

B

b. – born / birth

bap. – baptized / baptism

bans – banns (public announcement of intended marriage)

bur. – buried / burial

bapt. – baptême (French for baptism; often seen as "bapt." or "bte." in French records)

C

c. – circa (approximate date, e.g., c.1842)

ca. – circa (same as above)

ch. – child / children

chr. – christened / christening

Co. – County / Company (context-dependent)

conf. – confirmed / confirmation

cert. – certificate (general, often for scrip or land)

coll. – collection (archival reference)

D

d. – died / death

dau. – daughter

dec. – deceased

dom. – domicile / domestic

dit – "called" or "known as" (French, for alternate surnames/dit names)

E

est. – estate

et al. – and others (Latin: et alii)

exec. – executor (of an estate)

et ux. – and wife (Latin: et uxor, sometimes in land records)

et vir – and husband (Latin; less common, but sometimes seen in land or probate records)

F

f. – father

FHC – Family History Center (LDS/FamilySearch facility)

FHL – Family History Library

fn. – footnote

fils – son (French, sometimes abbreviated as "f." in French records)

fonds – archival collection or record group (used in Canadian archives)

G

g. – grand / grandchild / grandson / granddaughter

gp. – godparents

gs. – grandson

gdau. – granddaughter

gson – grandson

g.m. – grandmother

g.f. – grandfather

H

HBC – Hudson's Bay Company

hr. – heir

husb. – husband

HBCo – Hudson's Bay Company (alternate abbreviation in some records)

I

IL – illegitimate (sometimes used in older records)

inf. – infant / informant

int. – intestate (died without a will)

iss. – issue (children or descendants in legal/probate records)

J

Jr. – Junior (typically used to distinguish son from father)

J.P. – Justice of the Peace (sometimes a witness or official in documents)

L

LAC – Library and Archives Canada

loc. cit. – in the place cited (Latin; used in footnotes)

Lt. – Lieutenant (fur trade or militia records)

l.s. – legitimate son (sometimes seen in French records)

l.d. – legitimate daughter

lot – lot (land record)

M

m. – married / marriage

MNBC – Métis Nation British Columbia

MN–S – Métis Nation – Saskatchewan

MRP – Manitoba Real Property (used in scrip files)

mnu. – maiden name unknown

M.S. – Money Scrip

MNO – Métis Nation of Ontario

MNC – Métis National Council

Mgr. – Monseigneur (title for bishop in French records)

N

N/A – not available / not applicable

NWC – North West Company (fur trade)

née – born as (used to indicate maiden names)

nr. – near (occasionally in land or parish records)

NWT – North-West Territories (historical region; may appear in censuses or land records)

P

pg. – page

prob. – probate / probably

pt. – part

p. – parish / page (context-dependent)

parr. – parrain (godfather, French)

par. – parish

pr. – prêtre (priest, French)

Q

qu. – quarter (as in quarterly or quarter section of land)

q.v. – which see (Latin: quod vide, used in footnotes or indexes)

R

RC – Roman Catholic

RRS – Red River Settlement

RG – Record Group (used at LAC and provincial archives)

res. – residence / resident

rel. – relative / relationship

reg. – register / registration

rev. – Reverend (clergy title)

S

s. – son

sep. – separated (marital status)

scrip cert. – scrip certificate

Sr. – Senior (used to distinguish father from son)

St. – Saint (in place or parish names, e.g., St. Laurent)

sur. – surety (in legal or marriage records)

sp. – spouse (sometimes in parish or census records)

sig. – signature

sib. – sibling

stat. – statute / statutory (legal or land records)

T

test. – testament (will)

trans. – transcription / translated

twp. – township

tém. – témoin (French for witness, often in parish records)

V

v. – versus (legal context)

vol. – volume

vic. – vicar (clergy title, sometimes in parish registers)

W

w. – wife / widow / widower (context-dependent)

wit. – witness(es)

w/o – wife of

wk. – week

wd. – widowed / widow / widower (alternate to "w." in some records)

Common Church Record Abbreviations

P. – père (father, priest, or parish depending on context)

M. – mère (mother)

f. – fils (son)

fille – daughter

parr. – parrain (godfather)

mar. – marraine (godmother)

époux/épouse – spouse

pr. – prêtre (priest)

Mgr. – Monseigneur (bishop)

abbé – abbé (priest, French)

sép. – sépulture (burial, French)

Scrip and Land Record Abbreviations

Cert. No. – Certificate Number

Dom. – Domicile

Aff. – Affidavit

App. – Application

Ack. – Acknowledgement

L.S. – Land Scrip

M.S. – Money Scrip

Pat. – Patent (homestead or land patent)

No. – Number

Archival Reference Abbreviations

MG – Manuscript Group (Library and Archives Canada collections)

RG – Record Group (Library and Archives Canada collections)

MFM – Microfilm

Box/Vol./File – Box, Volume, File references for physical archives

Fonds – archival collection or record group (Canadian usage)

Acc. – Accession (archive intake number)