Help deciphering a couple of names in old book

[silverbar]

I acquired an old book recently and I have been having some issues trying to figure out the two names written at the top of the page.  I assume that they were both relatives of John written below.
The book is from the late 1820's and was printed in the United States.  Thank in advance for any help!

[ShaunJ]

P** Beaman and Jno Beaman ?

[ShaunJ]

Or are they both "Jno Beaman" - is he practicing his signature perhaps?

[silverbar]

Thanks for the help! I believe that you are correct.  I didn't realize that Jno is also short for John until you suggested it.  All three may be the same person with the third signature maybe signed a few years later when he was older and had better penmanship. 

[GR2]

I agree that they are both Ino Beaman, Ino being an abbreviation of John. He signs again as John further down the page.

[jnomad]

Not Ino, GR2. It’s Jno. The J is the same as in John.

I don’t know why Jno was an abbreviation for John, but I know it was.

[GR2]

Not Ino, GR2. It’s Jno. The J is the same as in John.

I don’t know why Jno was an abbreviation for John, but I know it was.

I wrote Ino rather than Jno because that's how it appears in the two signatures. You tend to see the J in Jno written without a tail, as here. When he signs his name John in full, he does give the initial letter a tail.

The ultimate origin of the abbreviation Ino/Jno is the Latin for John which can be written Iohannes or, in later texts, Johannes.

[ShaunJ]

In the third signature, it looks like "John" has been added later, with a different pen and in a different hand.

[jnomad]

But it does have a tail! Maybe not as lavish as in the full name (and that may indeed be a different hand), but it’s there.