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Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition => Topic started by: firefly74 on Thursday 20 December 12 21:27 GMT (UK)

Title: Help with initial please
Post by: firefly74 on Thursday 20 December 12 21:27 GMT (UK)

Can anyone decipher what the first initial is of McEwan (5th line)? It looks like an M to me, but isn't quite the same as the other M's on the page.

For comparison with other writing on the page, I think the rest are:

Infant
Mrs Cotton (Eliza
Mrs Wright (Elizabeth
Mary Ann A???y
? McEwan
J St John
D Patterson
Wm St John
Wm McLean
Jno Smeaton

I am sure of J St John and Wm St John as I am related to those two. Unfortunately the quality of that census page is very poor.

Thanks very much
Helen

Title: Re: Help with initial please
Post by: shanghaipanda on Thursday 20 December 12 21:36 GMT (UK)

Could it be an H McEwan??

Title: Re: Help with initial please
Post by: estiman on Thursday 20 December 12 21:42 GMT (UK)

Could it be H McEwan? I think the M is obscured by the 'y' of Mary. Does the profession 'Steward' correspond?

Title: Re: Help with initial please
Post by: firefly74 on Thursday 20 December 12 22:16 GMT (UK)

Thanks very much

I think you're right - it could be an H. Yes - he's the steward.

Cheers
Helen

Title: Re: Help with initial please
Post by: johannah1 on Friday 21 December 12 00:47 GMT (UK)

yes i think it could be an H as well but it is hard to tell

Title: Re: Help with initial please
Post by: firefly74 on Friday 21 December 12 18:52 GMT (UK)

I just realised that because he was the steward, McEwan was the person who signed the second page. Does it still look like an H?

Thanks
Helen

Title: Re: Help with initial please
Post by: rod123 on Friday 21 December 12 21:06 GMT (UK)

Quote from: firefly74 on Thursday 20 December 12 21:27 GMT (UK)

Can anyone decipher what the first initial is of McEwan (5th line)? It looks like an M to me, but isn't quite the same as the other M's on the page.

For comparison with other writing on the page, I think the rest are:

Infant
Mrs Cotton (Eliza
Mrs Wright (Elizabeth
Mary Ann A???y
? McEwan to me it looks like jm
J St John
D Patterson
Wm St John
Wm McLean
Jno Smeaton

I am sure of J St John and Wm St John as I am related to those two. Unfortunately the quality of that census page is very poor.

Thanks very much
Helen

Title: Re: Help with initial please
Post by: PrueM on Friday 21 December 12 21:24 GMT (UK)

I'm pretty sure it's two letters, and now that I've seen the second entry of his name I'm certain.  I can see the first initial is "A", not sure on the second one but it could be an "S" or an "I".

Title: Re: Help with initial please
Post by: firefly74 on Saturday 22 December 12 04:20 GMT (UK)

Thanks, you're all awesome!

After Prue's suggestion that his first initial was an A, I found his death on the Libindx Morayshire site. The info was taken from a death notice in the newspaper and he was listed as Alexander McEwan, house steward to the Earl of Elgin. The census entry that we were deciphering his name from was the household of the Earl of Elgin :)

Helen

Title: Re: Help with initial please
Post by: PrueM on Saturday 22 December 12 08:10 GMT (UK)

Excellent, Helen  :D