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Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition => Topic started by: bugbear on Wednesday 08 September 21 12:23 BST (UK)

Title: A nephew's name?
Post by: bugbear on Wednesday 08 September 21 12:23 BST (UK)
I am attempting to transcribe the 1848 will of Thoephilus John Humphrey. He had no children, and is (so far) leaving his estate to his nieces and nephews, working through them in descending order of age.

They are the children of his Sister Susanna Humphrey and her husband Charles Bailey.

I have worked through the local FreeReg entries and censuses, and their children are:

Charles Humphrey Bailey, b1814
Susan Maria Bailey, b1816
Samuel Humphrey Bailey, b1820
William John Bailey, b1824
Henry Frederic Bailey, b1830

And the will's bequest have followed this list. So far, so good.

But now I've hit another bequest, to another nephew "My Nephew Maizy Szcozir Bailey", who I haven't got any records of. I doubt he's really called Maizy Szcozir either, but that's the best I can make of it.

For context, the whole will is:

Probate date:23 Apr 1849

The National Archives; Kew, Surrey, England; Records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, Series PROB 11; Class: PROB 11; Piece: 2091

If anyone can decode the name, I'd be very grateful.

    BugBear
Title: Re: A nephew's name?
Post by: JenB on Wednesday 08 September 21 12:24 BST (UK)
The name is Henry Frederic Bailey  :)
Title: Re: A nephew's name?
Post by: bugbear on Wednesday 08 September 21 14:54 BST (UK)
The name is Henry Frederic Bailey  :)
Oh, COME ON!

I stared at this for ages, typed a load of detail into a post, and you have the answer in under 60 seconds?!

Are trying to make me feel dumber than a rock?

'cos I kinda do, now  :'(

(thanks!  ;) )

  BugBear
Title: Re: A nephew's name?
Post by: softly softly on Wednesday 08 September 21 15:26 BST (UK)
I too know that feeling, it's a good job we should have a sense of humour when researching and that rootschat is such a great community.

John
Title: Re: A nephew's name?
Post by: goldie61 on Wednesday 08 September 21 22:56 BST (UK)
The name is Henry Frederic Bailey  :)
Oh, COME ON!

I stared at this for ages, typed a load of detail into a post, and you have the answer in under 60 seconds?!

Are trying to make me feel dumber than a rock?

'cos I kinda do, now  :'(

(thanks!  ;) )

  BugBear

Not dumb at all Bugbear.
It's just a matter of forgetting what we've always known about the letters written, and look on it as a new form of code. Like anything else, the more you see different styles of writing, the better you get at cracking the code. (You should see some of the old Scots writing!).

A couple of letters that are different in this form of script are 'r', and 'c'.
What our eyes and brain decipher as an 'r' in this script, is actually a 'c'.
For example, the letter at the end of 'Frederic', which have you transcribed as an 'r', is a 'c'.
And there are lots of other examples.
On the line below, there is a sentence with a word that looks like 'ralled' in it.
In context, this has to be 'called', so you can work out that all the other letters that look like an 'r', are in fact a 'c'.
The same goes for the letter 'r'.
This looks like a 'z' in this piece - and you have transcribed it as such.
In the line above is a word that look like 'whenevez'. This can only be 'whenever', so you know that all the letters that look like a 'z' are in fact an 'r'.

And you already had Henry Frederic in your list of children.

Keep at it!  :)
Title: Re: A nephew's name?
Post by: bugbear on Thursday 09 September 21 16:35 BST (UK)
Another one from the same will. He wants his grave somewhere a long way from his home village.

I appears to say "my grave in the Minehead Cemetery in the County of Surry"

Which makes no sense. So where is his grave really? (I've wrapped the line for convenience)


    BugBear
Title: Re: A nephew's name?
Post by: JenB on Thursday 09 September 21 16:47 BST (UK)
The Cemetery is Nunhead  :)
https://www.fonc.org.uk/

(and no, I'm not trying to make you feel dumber than a rock  :) )