Can anyone make out what this surname is?

Question

on this census record I can not for the life of me figure out what the heck it says.......

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YBF-9WH5?i=8&cc=1473181

on line 13 William ......?

Answer 1

Looks like Priveth.

Comments

That is what I read also.  I looked down the page and came across' farm laborer" on line 36, and the" r "is written the same as in Priveth, so I think the transcription is correct.

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That would make his first girl "Provy A".  Does that chime in with your records?

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This looks like the same family in 1850, except all the names are McCool.  The girl is listed as Frova A, but the handwriting could easily say Prova.  The gender column has plenty of 'F' examples, which look different than the first letter of her name.

"United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M67W-2WB : 12 April 2016), Elias Mccool, Saline county, Saline, Arkansas, United States; citing family 421, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).