Legal Abbreviations, Historical 2 in Europe

Affidavits, etc.

• The characters N. P. and J. P. indicate respectively the offices of Notary Public and Justice of the Peace, and their use does not vitiate a jurat.
• “Ex. A ” means ” exhibit A” ; and ” C. P. C. C,” annexed to the name of a person before whom an affidavit was sworn to, may be construed in the Circuit Court of Porter County, where said affidavitwas filed, to mean ” Clerk of Porter Circuit Court,” courts taking judicial notice of the signatures of their officers.
• A bond for costs, entitled in the cause, giving the names of the parties and of the court in which the cause was pending, only abbreviating the christian names of the plaintiffs and defendants, was held to be a good bond.
• The abbreviation ” Octb.” in a writ of scire facias, held not to be mistaken for October.”

Ballots

• A ballot for J. A. Dyer cannot be counted for James A. Dyer, nor is evidence admissible to show that it was intended for James A. Dyer ; but where the designation of an individual ona ballot is an abbreviation sanctioned by common usage, the ballotmay be counted for t he person for whom it was evidently intended.
• So a vote for Jas. A. Dyer will be counted for James A.Dyer.s (See Elections, Historical.)

Deeds, Assessments for Taxes, etc.

• Well-known abbreviations maybe used in conveyances and are sufficient ; but such as do not permit that degree of certainty which admits of no reasonable doubt as to their meaning upon which persons of ordinary intelligence or courts can differ are not allowable.
• A deed is not invalid because of the descriptions of the lands being in figures and well-understood abbreviations.
• Words and figures, or abbreviations thereof, maybe used to designate lands against which a judgment is asked for taxes, provided a definite locality can be given.
• The usual signs or symbols used in mathematics, chemistry and other sciences, characters used for denoting certain weights and measures, the marks of punctuation, and the ordinary abbreviations used in written composition may be used in proper cases without invalidating the instruments in which they are used.
• It is the duty of courts to give effect to instruments of writing so as to carry out the intentions of parties when it can be done consistently with the rules of law. Such abbreviations as the following have been held not to be misleading and not objectionable in the description of premises in various tax-title proceedings: c, cts., $, m. (mills), Lt. (lot), Bk. (block), Tx. (tax), VI (valuation), T. (township), R. (range), Sec. (section), Qr. Sec. (quarter section), Pt. (part), Frm (from). Ft. (foot or feet).
• Federal money may be indicated by the use of the dollar-mark ($) and the decimal-point with Arabic figures.
• As the description would be good in a deed or mortgage, the abbreviations being as well understood in the State (Indiana) as the words for which they stood, it was good in the present case.
• The description of lands assessed or sold for taxes by the use of initial letters, abbreviations, and figures is sufficient.
• Where lands are described in an assessment and tax roll, the description is insufficient.
• Where a mechanic’s lien is claimed for material furnished, and there is a sufficient general designation or description of each article, the addition by way of more particular description of letters or abbreviations not commonly understood by persons not inthe business of furnishing such material does not vitiate the account.

See Also

• Legal Abbreviations, Historical
• Legal Abbreviations, Historical 3
• Common legal abbreviations
• Ambiguity, Historical
• Legal Abbreviations and Acronyms
• Florida: Abbreviations for law journals
• Law Journals Abbreviations and Acronyms
• Legal Citation
• Name, Historical
• Elections, Historical
• Acknowlegments, Historical

Further Reading

• Prince, Mary Miles. Bieber’s Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations. 6th ed. Buffalo, NY: Hein, 2009.
• Trinxet, Salvador. Template:Trinxet Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations and Acronyms Series. A Law Reference Collection, 2011
• Trinxet, Salvador. Trinxet Reverse Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations and Acronyms, 2011
• Raistrick, Donald. Index to Legal Citations and Abbreviations. 3rd ed. London: Sweet & Maxwell, 2008. This book focuses more on British and other foreign/international abbreviations.
• Kavass, World Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations