Transcription help: What is this name?

Question

This image is clipped from an estate inventory in Massachusetts in 1748. In the line that says "Due from the Estate of his Father," I'd like opinions on the given name of the father. I think the name looks like "Mr. Saml Dunsmore" (meaning given name of Samuel), but there may be other interpretations of the given name. What do you think?See https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9YY-F3X4-S for the rest of the page.

Comments

Thanks to everyone who expressed an opinion. I'm going with "Saml" (short for Samuel), but when I edit the profile I'll include a discussion of the uncertainty in interpreting the record.

Answer 1

Saml Dunsmore?  An short form of Samuel.

Or it may be Sa**d.

Comments

Thanks!

Answer 2

I think, it is not Saml.

It seem to be Sa##d or Sa#d. There are to different d writings. You can compare with "the good" and "and Land" in the first two rows.

Comments

Thanks for your analysis. That last letter does look like a "d."  

I rule out the possibility of a name in the form Sa##d because this man's family were Scottish Presbyterians who tended to choose their sons' names from a fairly traditional list (e.g., James, John, William, Robert, Thomas, Hugh, Samuel) and I can't think of any name they might use that would look like (or be abbreviated as) S###d. (Siegfried was not among the names they used.)

(I didn't point out the cultural context in my question above because I didn't want other people's analysis of the handwriting to be overly constrained by assumptions about possible names.)

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I'm so sad, that "Siegfried was not among the names they used." 

Answer 3

I believe you are correct with Saml.  Take a look at Samuel Lock on line three.  "Sam" looks almost exactly the same.  The "l" just looks like sloppy writing.

Comments

Thanks for your analysis, and for pointing out the comparable entry.

Answer 4

Hi Ellen,

you are right with "Sam[uel]" ~ it's neither a "d" nor a "sloppy l" but an "abbreviation l".

Steven already pointed out Samuel Lock, just don't look at line three, but at the clearly written abbreviation of Samuel in the line following the 2nd "Total": "Sam.(l)" and compare it to "Edm:(d)" on the right hand page.

The minor abbreviation letter sits above the abbreviation sign, that's why it may look a little sloppy or like part of a "d".

regards, Vanessa

Comments

Thanks for your thorough analysis, Vanessa.