Why do we abbreviate words?  The logical answer: to save time, space, or effort.

However if you're a conspiracy-theory genealogist, you might consider that prior generations used abbreviations -- along with repetitive naming conventions and bad penmanship -- to obscure the trail. (Happy April Fool's day!)

We generally don't have a problem with abbreviations like Jan. or Sept., or even outdated place abbreviations like Penna. or Calif. Names, on the other hand, can be a problem.

While browsing articles at the online GenealogyInTime (GIT) Magazine, I ran across a handy-dandy list of abbreviations for first names. Most everyone knows the most common abbreviations (e.g., Chas for Charles), but GenealogyInTime has compiled an exhaustive list which could get you around a brick wall: www.genealogyintime.com/dictionary/list-of-first-name-abbreviations.html.

While you're visiting the GIT website, you may also want to look at their listing of "Top 100 Genealogy Websites of 2016." No big surprises among the top 10 but scan the list to make sure you're not missing an up-and-coming resource, especially if it's free. On that note, I do see one minor error on the list; the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) website, which moved from #48 to #27 in GIT's rating, has LOTS of free information. You can read more about their database, the DAR Genealogical Research System on our July 2015 blog posting: http://blog.irishgenealogical.org/?p=4304.