Welcome to Transcription Challenge!
Occasionally, we encounter some handwriting that leaves us stumped. Here, you can help us decipher some of this curlicue cursive and scratchy scrawl so that our databases are as accurate as possible! Our current challenges are boxed in red in the images below.
- To enlarge the challenge, simply move the cursor over the image and it will be magnified.
- Use the comment field at the bottom of the screen to offer your transcription suggestions.
- If there are multiple challenges listed, please include the image number.
- If there are multiple red boxes within an image, please label your suggestions a, b, c, etc., from top to bottom/left to right.
Comments will be approved between the hours of 9am-5pm EST and new challenges will be posted as soon as we find them!
We are looking for the names boxed in red. Please label your suggestions as 1, 2, 3
#1
From Massachusetts: Vital Records, 1916-1920
#2
From St. Mary (Charlestown) Marriages, 1830-1868
#3
From United States 1920 Federal Census, NARA Roll 704 (Mass., V.26)
#1 Touhey
#1 Fouley
1. Name is Torchey
2. Name is Mchenry
3. Name is Solivowo
1. Toukey
2. Holmes
3. Solivowo
#1 Toukey
#2 Hoburegh
#3 Solivowo
#1 is Covey
#2 Holmes
#3 Soliynowo?
#1 Touleey or Toubey — capital looked like capital “F” in “fractured” without the cross. “u” could be “n” but thought other examples on the page of “n” had sharper points???
#2 best bet “Holmes”
#3 “Solivowo” ? best bet at spelling of a Polish name? no tale on final letter so thought more likely an “o” than an “a” ?
1. Touhey
2. Holburt
3. Solidrowa
#1 Touhey – suggestion: look up Martin Phillips of Fall River (Anna’s brother) death cert of 18 Jul 1909. Mother’s m.n. of Honora Touhey is clear on this record.
Suggestion # 1: name Honora Fonbey
1. Toukey
2. Holland
3. Solivowo
#1 Touhey
1. Touhey
2. Holmes
3. Solivowo
#1 Toulrey
#2 Hohner
#3 Misspelling of Solivoda (There is a Charles M. Solivoda who was born 1933 in Bridgeport)
1 – Touhey
1- Touhy
3 – Solivowo
1. Touhey – a known Irish surname.
2. Holmes
3. Soli vowo – middle letter X’ed out?
#1 – Touhey
#2 – Holman
#3 – Soliwoda
1. Toubey
2. H Lurey
3. Solivowo Solivono
1 Touhey (Irish spelling Tuohy)
2 Holmes
3 Solivowo (Slovakian spelling Solyovo)
1. Touhey
2. Hohnus
3. Solivowo
#1 Honora Touhey – good Irish name & confirmed on Ancestry
#2 Holmes
#3 Soliwoda – based on her arrival record in NY in 1913
#1 Foukey
#2 Hehung
#3 Selixvous
I think the names are: Touhey, Holmes, and Solivows
#1 is Touhey
I think the name in the first document, the death certificate from Fall River, MA, is Honora Touhey.
#1. Honora Tuohy
#2 Hobart
#3 Solivowo
Number #1 Looks like Turkey
Number#2 Cannot make out
Number #3 Looks like Solivowo….Looks like they put an “X” after the I..to cross it out
Just commented on what they looked like to me
1 – Toubey
2- Hohnes
3- Solivowo
1. Touley
2. hitows
3 Colidinows
1. Toubey
1. Touhey
2. Couldn’t say!
3. Don’t know!
Item #1 Vital Records is definately “Touhey”
#1 Toubey -a, Towbey – b, Torchey – c
#2 Hobaney
#3 – no red box
1. Toubey
2. Hohnas
3. Solivowo
#2 Isabella Hurlburt appears on the 1880 US Census, age 24 living at home at 66 East Chester Park, Boston, Suffolk, Cty.
1. Touhey
2. Hobins
3.Solivows
1. Touhey
2. ?
3. Solivowo
1. Touhey
2. Hotuns
3. Solivowo .. looks like second i was x-ed out
#1 Goulcey
#2 Hohnag
#3 Slivowo ?
# 1: Toukey
# 2: Hoburst
# 3: Solivowo
#3 looks like Solivowo
#1 looks like Toukey
#1 Touhey
#2 Holmes
1. Fouley
2. Hofure
3. Solidvowo
1. Touhey
2. H. Gurst
3. Solivowo or Solinivowo
# 1 Either Toukey or Touhey
#2 Holmes
#3 Solinowo or Solivowo
1. Touhey
2. Hobuth
3. Solidrowo
1Touhey
2 Hohuy, Hotuny, Hobuy
.3. Solisvowo, Solivowo, Solicivowo
#1 Touhey
#2. ??
#3 Solidvowo
# 1 Touhey
# 2 Looks like Holmes
#e3 Looks like Solivowo
#1 Foley
#2Hoffman
#3 Sokolowski
#1 Fouley
1. Touhey
2. Holmes
3. Solivowo
1. Touhey – see Cynthia Brown’s explanation which proves it.
2. Hol…
3. Solivowo
#1 Touhey
#2 Holmes
#3 Solivowo
1. Touhey
2. Holmes
3. Solidvows