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Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition => Topic started by: Gadget on Sunday 13 June 21 14:01 BST (UK)

Title: Ideas for first name of informant, please
Post by: Gadget on Sunday 13 June 21 14:01 BST (UK)

 I can't decipher the  first name of the son who was the informant on a Scottish death cert. Other information is in the hand of the Registrar, which is quite different.

Alexander Coutts had four sons that I have records for - James, Alexander, Robert and Samuel. Samuel would have been eight at the time so it's not him but I don't see it looking like any of the others either!

Any ideas, please.

Gadget

PS - could it be David??

Title: Re: Ideas for first name of informant, please
Post by: wivenhoe on Sunday 13 June 21 14:08 BST (UK)

Wm.  A  COUTTS?

Title: Re: Ideas for first name of informant, please
Post by: Gibel on Sunday 13 June 21 14:11 BST (UK)

I think it’s an abbreviated first name, then the initial A, then Coutts

My mother always wrote capital A as in this signature.

Title: Re: Ideas for first name of informant, please
Post by: Dundee on Sunday 13 June 21 14:13 BST (UK)

Quote from: wivenhoe on Sunday 13 June 21 14:08 BST (UK)

Wm.  A  COUTTS?

That is what it looks like to me too.  Parents might be Alexander COUTTS and Agnes Oswald WELSH?

Debra  :)

Title: Re: Ideas for first name of informant, please
Post by: brooksburns on Sunday 13 June 21 14:21 BST (UK)

William (Wm)

Title: Re: Ideas for first name of informant, please
Post by: Gadget on Sunday 13 June 21 14:35 BST (UK)

Thanks all. There's no record of him having a William A.   but that's quite possible, given the limits of the pre-1855 records.

I'll see if he had an earlier 3rd wife.

 

Title: Re: Ideas for first name of informant, please
Post by: Gadget on Sunday 13 June 21 15:02 BST (UK)

So far nothing of a William A, either forward or back for this family  :-\

Does this look like the same hand six years later.

Add - family were Kirkcudbrightshire and West Derby

Title: Re: Ideas for first name of informant, please
Post by: Shetland Sausage on Sunday 13 June 21 15:12 BST (UK)

My initial reaction was 'Arnold' - I can't see Wm or William in that personally.

Title: Re: Ideas for first name of informant, please
Post by: Gadget on Sunday 13 June 21 15:30 BST (UK)

I've found a son William bpt Oct 1839 to correct parents so a full sib to the Coutts in my tree.

Many thanks to all.

Gadget

Title: Re: Ideas for first name of informant, please
Post by: brooksburns on Sunday 13 June 21 16:32 BST (UK)

Congratulations!

Title: Re: Ideas for first name of informant, please
Post by: Gadget on Sunday 13 June 21 16:35 BST (UK)

He's the brother of my 4th cousin's husband  ;D ;D ;D

However, he only appears on the baptism record and as an abbreviation on his father's death cert. He's not on the censuses or MIs with his kin or anywhere else. 

Title: Re: Ideas for first name of informant, please
Post by: Colin Cruddace on Sunday 13 June 21 21:58 BST (UK)

I can make it out to be Mr A Coutts, with a loop to start the first letter.

Colin

Title: Re: Ideas for first name of informant, please
Post by: Gadget on Sunday 13 June 21 22:59 BST (UK)

Thanks, Colin  :)

I've now tracked him and he's a William Armstrong Coutts/Coats who spent time with his maternal grandparents in Irongray and married an Agnes Brown in Sorn in Jan 1865. He died in Newington (Longmore Hospital)  on Oct 17th 1904 and was a schoolmaster.
His son,(another one for abbreviating) Thos A Coutts, was the informant.

Gadget

Add - for completeness  :)