Some of the words in the memoirs and old documents are not in common use today. This page contains definitions of these words as I come across them!
appurtenance - A right, privilege, or property that is considered incident to the principal property for purposes such as passage of title, conveyance, or inheritance.
arable - Fit for cultivation, as by plowing.
assignee - Law. A party to which a transfer of property, rights, or interest is made.
chattels - One's portable property
demesne - Possession and use of one's own land.
demise - Law. Transfer of an estate by lease or will.
dower - The part or interest of a deceased man's real estate allotted by law to his widow for her lifetime.
emolument - Payment for an office or employment; compensation.
hereditament - Property that can be inherited.
moiety - A part, portion, or share.
nainsook - A soft, light cotton material, often with a woven stripe.
neuralgia - Sharp, severe paroxysmal (i.e., caused by a sudden attack, recurrence, or intensification of a disease) pain extending along a nerve or group of nerves.
overplus - An amount in excess of need; a surplus.
Parian - a type of white, semitranslucent marble quarried at Páros and highly valued in ancient times for making sculptures; a fine white porcelain.
Puerperal Fever - An illness resulting from infection of the endometrium following childbirth, marked by fever and septicemia and usually caused by unsterile technique. Also called: childbed fever
smilax - A slender vine (Asparagus asparagoides) that has glossy foliage and is popular as a floral decoration.
valenciennes - A city of northern France near the Belgian border southeast of Lille. An important medieval town, it became noted for its lace industry in the 15th century.
venter - The uterus of a woman as the source of offspring.
vicissitudes - One of the sudden or unexpected changes or shifts often encountered in one's life, activities, or surroundings.
yeoman - A farmer who cultivates his own land