B:
(abbreviation) black (indicating race).
b:
(abbreviation) born.
BACSA :
(acronym) British Association for Cemeteries in South Asia : the primary organisation collating transcripts of inscriptions from churches and graveyards across Asia. Many BACSA publications can be purchased here.
bad blood:
sometimes used to describe syphilis
banns:
public announcement of an intended marriage, especially in a church. In many churches, banns were read out on three successive Sundays.
bapt. :
(abbreviation) baptised, baptized.
baptism:
a Christian sacrament in which one is anointed with or submerged in water and sometimes given a name, in ceremony admitting a person into Christianity or a specific Christian church.
baptizavi:
I baptized [Latin]
base-born:
illegitimate, see bastard.
bastard:
illegitimate, born of parents who were not married to each other at the time of birth.
bef. :
(abbreviation) before.
bequeath:
to give or leave by will after one's death. Strictly, "a bequest" is used of personal property, and "devise" of real property.
bet. :
(abbreviation) between.
bibliography:
a list of sources of information (articles, books, and other materials) on a specific topic. The citation for a book usually includes the author, title, publisher, and date. The citation for an article includes the author, title of the article, title of the periodical, volume, pages, and date. Some books are entirely made up of bibliographies. These are usually compilations of citations on a particular subject or by a particular author. See our guide to Genealogical Bibliographies.
biography:
an account of the series of events making up a person's life, written by another. Compiled biographies contain short biographies of a specific group of people; for example those that lived in a particular area or were involved in a particular profession.
birth certificate:
a copy of the official document giving details of an individual's birth, normally issued by the government body responsible for the registration of vital statistics within a particular jurisdiction. Usually includes date and county of birth, the name and sex of the baby, the mother's maiden name and (usually) the father's full name.
birth record:
details about an individuals birth. Birth records usually contain the name of the baby, the fathers name, the mothers name, the date of birth, and the county where born.
bond:
a written, signed and witnessed agreement or contract to carry out specific duties, which failure to perform may result in a penalty. Bonds appear in marriage, land and court records.
boniface:
an innkeeper.
bounds:
a term that relates to measuring man-made or natural features on the land.
bounty land:
land promised to military servicemen as an inducement for enlistment or payment for military services.
burial record:
any type of record or certificate that states the date and place an individual was buried. In the UK these records are available from 1538 onwards, and are recorded in Parish Registers.