Comments on: Using Ancestry: Miscellaneous Search Tips, by Juliana Smith

by: Jeannie Green

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 22:17:54 +0000

I’m jumping in with no. 13 comment above from Cheryl dated 9/17: it seems impossible to have three persons on the page with the unlikely name of “Jno”. Because this handwriting is similar to old German script in some ways, (where an internal lower case “e” is often seen as an indeterminiate ridge or lump), I too feel sure that all of those “Jno” names on the list are actually “Geo.” ( The period indicating it’s an abbreviated name is visible).

Re Mary’s age, I’m in the camp of those who read it as 43. The other ages involving a four (on this page) show four connected to the first number by a stroke. Here the four is the lead number, and thus has a bolder initial downstroke.

by: Steve Belin

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 16:51:45 +0000

W. Tobin 69, Mary 63, Jno 23, Peter 16. Going with 6 for the number that looks more like an h. There are two 24 on the page. Both of them have the base of the 2 connected to the top of the 4. There is a 26, where the 6 looks like an h, but the 2 does not connect to the top. This number 6 (the number that looks like an h) does not appear to be a four because of the above so six is the most likely.

by: Jen

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 18:51:01 +0000

Juliana,
I’d go with a 4 for the unknown numbers. It closely resembles an h, does not resemble the other definitive 4s on the page, but in comparing all the unknown numbers, they all appear to end on a downstroke, not a loop like a 6. I used to write 4s with a strong L and then a smaller l, so this looks to me like it’s much the same style, it’s just hard to see the bar connecting the two.

by: marge

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 13:54:41 +0000

I think your Mary Tobin’s age is 13.

Europeans often write the “1″ with an upstroke followed by a downstroke. This age jibes with her having no profession.

Good luck!

by: Cheryl

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 13:46:09 +0000

It is very hard to tell, but because there isn’t a curl for the six I’m thinking it’s a 4. But as far as the Jno - I think that is Geo. If you look at it closely, there is another one a few lines below. I’m going with Geo. and the 4. Good Luck Cheryl

by: Juliana

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 12:50:49 +0000

Sorry about the trouble with the link. It is working now.

And thanks to everyone who’s helping me to decipher Mary’s age!
Juliana

by: Ed Stoddard

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 09:45:56 +0000

They look like poorly written 6’s after the first very well defined 6. I blew the image up 400% to get a better look. Still, the numbers are terrible and look almost like someone entirely different wrote them, except that the rest of the writing appears to be from the same person.

When blown up, the poorly made 6’s look like one long line followed by a short one, though the one for Mary does appear to have a slight curl back to the first line. These do not resemble the two 4’s at the bottom at all. First there are no horizontal lines to complete a 4, and the first line is far too long when compared to the two bottom 4’s.

by: joan

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 05:39:45 +0000

Tobin shows age of 69-definitive 6 and 9.
Mary shows age of 43-the 4 is very different from the 6 above.
Jno shows age of 23-definitive 2 and 3.
Peter shows age of 14-definitive 1 and 4.
The 4 in Mary’s age and the 4 in Peter’s name are identical.
On the manifest page, enlarge or use the magnifier to clarify the image of the ages and compare them to ages on other pages by the same person.
Having transcribed physicians orders for a number of years, I can pretty well tell you about figuring out what been entered on a page….Thanks, Joan.

by: John Kline

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 05:33:59 +0000

Sure would like to print this - can anything be done to enable a printer-friendly version?

by: Sharon

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 02:36:31 +0000

I think it looks like the 4s seen below it, only skinnier. Same slanted skinny hand.