Familar Record Practices
Use of abreviations in early documents:
accomptant=accomptt
According=accordg
account or accompt= accot, acct
adminstration= amminion, admon., admon:
administrator= adminr
adminstratrix= aminx
aforesaid=aforsd, forsd, afors., afsd.
and = &
and so forth = &c, etc.
captain = captn, capt:.
church = chh
daughter = dau, daur
deceased=decd, desc'd
ditto = do, do
Esquire = Esq:, Esqr, Esq.
executor = execr, exr, exor, exor:
executrix = execx, exx, exix, extrix
honorable = honble, hon:
improvement = improvemt, improvt
inventory = inventy, inv:
Junior = Junr, Jr, Jun:
Messieurs= Messrs, Messrs
namely = viz, vis:, vist, [videlicet]
paid = pd
per = pd
personal = personl, p'sonl
probate = probt
probate register = p. registt
received =recd\
register = regr, regisr
said = sd
Senior = Senr,, Sr, Sen:
testament = testamt, testa:
the = ye, ye,
Most of the abbreviations are merely a shortening of the word much as we might do it today, another form of abbreviationis the use of an apostophe, shortening the word or name, such as B'jamin for Benjamin or a word like presents to "p'sents". Occasionally, the deletion of one of double letters wil be found with the symbol ~ over the lette to show that is doubled.
Frequently, there will be captialization used for no apparent purpose other than the writer of the document did so.
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