Daily AncestorOn or about
On or about before a date in a legal record means approximately; the event happened near that date, not necessarily on it.
On or about is a legal phrase that marks a date as approximate. Lawyers used it when the exact day was not known or did not matter to the case, and courts allowed a reasonable margin.
In pension applications, depositions and court papers, treat an on or about date as a close estimate. Look for another record to fix the exact day.
As seen in a recordLine in a pension deposition
that on or about the 10th of May 1862 he enlisted
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "On or about." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/dates-calendar/on-or-about. Last checked 2026-10-01.