Anyone up for a bad handwriting deciphering session?? [closed]

Question

https://www.americanancestors.org/databases/middlesex-county-ma-probate-file-papers-1648-1871/image?volumeId=14461&pageName=5259:3&rId=38216004

Probate record that mentions Elizabeth Cowdry-51

getting eyestrain trying to read this thing - now after a few times zooming in and out I think they are saying she is a minor child and someone is to be the guardian - whether that is to be Hannamiah Parker, Nathan Parker or Jamey Nickoby I can not tell - how far off am I?

Comments

thanks again everyone!

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While closed, just wanted to mention that reading old handwriting got easier after I took a calligraphy class on Spencerian Script.

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well if I see any of that I will sure sign up - wait I know a guy, he probably has some book I could look at to practice looking at the old timey handwriting - lots of swoops and loops in there, good tip - hell we hardly ever even have to read contemporary handwriting any more - no wonder I am rusty - seems now I must read this - with the sources on my further back folks are a lot of times just hand written

Answer 1

Pretty sure that’s Hannaniah Parker, Nathan with a middle initial Parker, and James whose last name definitely starts with Nick and ends with a y. It looks like Nicoby, but I’ve never seen a name like that. Nicholsby?  Nicklesby? But I don’t see an “L” in there. When James’ name shows up again it looks the same.

Down further, there is a James Russell esq. Judge of Probate, so it looks like Jamey in your query is actually James. 

What do you think?

Comments

ok that is making sense I think - I wrote out the first half and some of it fell into place - some is so clear - now I thought Cowdry WAS her maiden name - but maybe not - she later is wed to John Swan who is the son of Gershom Swan and Sarah Holden - now Greshoms mom died shortly after he was born, so his dad John re-married and I have to merge him and fix all the kids as to which mom they go with - not too bad a mess but wish I would have had the dates right and I would not have accidentally made a duplicate - not sure if it was someones typo or just a bad date that got passed on - fixing as we speak

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if people back then did not keep naming kids after themselves and the rest of the previous generation these mess ups would not be so common - jeeze

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New retroactive rule for ancestors (an earlier discussion); Ancestors are now required to use no name that has been used in the previous three generations. As someone said in that discussion, I’m texting my ancestors right now to get this straightened out! :)

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Well either I am getting better at this or it is my lucky day, one merge, a tiny bit of editing and the kids all fell into place like dominoes!  I had four pieces of paper with notes to help me and I did not need to fix much - yay ok now if I can find a better source I will sure put it in, so far this is not too bad for this woman - some sources

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Great job, Navarro. What really makes me glad for you is to see all the help you got right away. I congratulate you on your stick-to-it-ivness (I had no idea how to spell that, so....) and your hard work.

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go Pip!  So frustrating!  I think my French ones are the worst for this - but these New England people did it too - and the Dutch with the patronymic thing lead to it there as well - makes tired genealogists jump generations and feel insane regularly - me at least

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thanks - and yes I spent three minutes looking up how to spell patronymics

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Ha! I think genealogists who work lines before middle names came into favor have to be just a little on the insane side. Of course, that may be the very thing that keeps us at it!

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thanks people with better eyes for this than I have - I knew some of the legaleaze stuff - that I could read but still not sure about name spelling - of course we have that a lot and it looks like Cowdry was here before I found her so until I find a better indicator I will write it that way - Hannaniah is an interesting name - and being her grandad - next search is all set up for me to attempt!

thanks again to all - I think maybe we re ready for this to be closed

Answer 2

Hannaniah Parker appointed guardian of Elizabeth Cowdry his grandchild.  Daughter of Nathan and Elizabeth Cowdry.  Hannaniah, Nathan, and James put up a bond of 150 pounds.  That's the gist.  It would take a while to work out a complete transcript.

I'm guessing Elizabeth (mother of Elizabeth) Cowdry's maiden name was Parker?

Answer 3

Oddly enough (and maybe I'm fooling myself!), I find most of this page reasonably readable.

Much of the page is essentially boilerplate about financial obligations associated with guardianship. It appears to me that a man named Hannamiah Parker (possibly Dr Hannamiah Parker) is being appointed guardian to his granddaughter Elizabeth Cowdedy or Cowdrey (speling of her name isn't clear to me), "his grand child and the daughter of Nathan and Elizabeth Cowdrdy of Redding Doud(?), being a minor of abt eight years of age." The man's first name looks like Hannamiah in two places and Hamamiah in his signature, although that name is one I've never seen. The name of the place and the spelling of the girl's last name are also difficult bits...

Comments

The spelling of Hannaniah is a variant of the Biblical name Hananiah. It’s definitely not an “m”, though it does look like it. Seems like a Massachusettsan that early would certainly have a Biblical name. What thinkest ye?

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Also pretty sure that it’s Redding Town. Check out https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reading,_Massachusetts as a possibility.