Daily AncestorCapt.
Capt. is short for captain, the officer who commanded a company of soldiers or militia, or the master of a ship.
Capt. is the usual abbreviation of captain in muster rolls, pension files, service records and gravestones.
In militia and Civil War records a captain led a company of about one hundred men, and companies were often named after him (Capt. Lee's company). In port records and newspapers Capt. can mean a ship's master instead, so read the context.
As seen in a recordHeading of a Revolutionary War payroll
Capt. Thos. Lee's company of the 2d Battalion
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Capt.." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/abbreviations/capt. Last checked 2026-10-01.