Sr.

Sr. after a man's name marks him as the older of two men with the same name, so the records could tell them apart. Today it implies father and son, but do not take that for granted in older records: confirm the relationship with a will, deed or other record that states it.

There was no fixed rule for what happened to the labels when the older man died: the younger man might keep Jr., drop it, or later appear as Sr. himself. In church records Sr. before a woman's name can also mean Sister.