The writer of any document can abbreviate however they please. While most people do tend to follow standard abbreviations, it’s possible for someone to occasionally use an atypical abbreviation. While reviewing a court case from the early 19th century in Virginia, I was almost convinced I had discovered a new relative: Eli Tinsley. The “Eli” abbreviations were used in a summary list of court depositions and it was clear that “Eli” was a reference to Elizabeth and not a separate person named Eli. The clerk also used “E” as an abbreviation for Elizabeth in the same summary list.
A tip about court records yesterday included part of the handwritten image that illustrated the point I was making. On the surface the 1820-era record may have appeared difficult to read. It’s a relatively easy read for a record from the time period (with the occasional one-word exception). But it takes practice and experience to read material like this. I don’t mean to sound like your piano teacher or basketball coach, but it’s true. You need to practice to be able to read things of this type. I usually suggest to people that they go and read more recent handwritten documents to slowly build their skills. Start with things that are easy and go from there. Late 19th or early 20th century handwritten record copies of deeds are […]
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