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Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition => Topic started by: BevL on Saturday 18 April 09 08:19 BST (UK)
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The attached piece of the death certificate of my grandmother has the name of the Friend who attested to her death in 1919 aged 43 in Western Australia.
My grandparents separated and no-one knows the name of the gentleman she lived with 'The Scandal!'
I cannot read it, but would love to know the name and see if I can find anything about him, so can anyone read his name in the first column for me please?
Kind regards
Bev
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Hi Bev :)
I changed the image to a jpg so people can view it without having to download it :)
Is there any chance you could scan it a big bigger? It's very small and enlarging it in a graphics program just makes it blurry. For the moment I think the first name of the person might be "Boniface"; can't read the surname at all but the first name suggests something Italian ;)
Prue
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And Prue, perhaps you could leave the original scan as well as your transfer to a jpeg ...
The original may be easier for some of us to read.
Given name looks like somewhat like Boniface ...
JAP
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Thanks Prue & Jap,
Yes, I think the word 'Italian' was mentioned behind their hands!
However, I have also put another copy up to see if the surname can be deciphered, otherwise a long and dreary look through cemeteries around Collie (if he didn't move!
Kind regards
Bev
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And Prue, perhaps you could leave the original scan as well as your transfer to a jpeg ...
The original may be easier for some of us to read.
Original tif added to first message - I'll be very interested to know whether it's any easier to read than the jpg.
Bev - afraid I still can't make head or tail of the surname...although I keep thinking it ends in something like "tiare" ??? :-\
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I do hate to be a cold water pourer - but it looks like Boniface Johnstone to me :)
Mike
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... could those last 5 letters be liano ... :-\ my imagination doesn't help with the rest though sorry
:) mare
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If he was Italian, his first name would more likely be "Bonifacio", which looks possible, from the document. Am still working on the second name....!
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Hi All,
Sorry to be so late answering - someone had the cheek to come and visit when I was trying to decipher this name ;D ;D ;D
I agree (now that it has been mentioned) that the first name seems to be Bonifacio to me as well. The surname I think starts with Iso?.... and I agree with the liano at the end. Just a thought it wouldn't be Italiano would it? It seems to be written smaller than everything, perhaps to fit it into the space, because for a 1919 certificate it is very smudged isn't it?
Kind regards
Rae
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Hi,
On going through the names of people buried in the same cemetery as my grandmother, I came across the name Bonniffacia Massimiliano - could this by any stretch of the imagination be the same name on the death certificate - taking into account how difficult it would be for those doing the death notices in those days to spell italian names?
Just hoping for the impossible here!
Kind regards
Bev
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Hello Bev,
Excellent find!
If I were you, I'd grab him with both hands!
mare saw the final letters as 'liano' - congratulations mare!
JAP
PS: From
http://www.ozburials.com/CemsWA/Collie/c_mike.htm
"MASSIMILIANO, Bonniffacia. 23 Nov 1947. Aged 75 years. Brother of Florindo, friend of Fred Piavanini. Roman Catholic C.60 "
So the age fits well. You said that your grandmother was 43 when she died in 1919 - the chap above would have been 47 in 1919.
Added: There are a couple of fairly recent references on the Web to Fred PIAVANINI in Collie.
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Thank you!, Thank you!, Thank you!
I will take him!. Al I have to do now is to remember how to put 'completed' on these posts.
Kind regards
Bev
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Great result there Bev with the cemetery info...my imagination is improving the more I look at it too ;)
doesn't look like the cert version has quite enough letters in the first name but you must be very happy to have curiosity satisfied.
See you've mastered the modified title too... :) mare
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Oh fantastic! What a great find - well done all! :D :D