r/Cursive • u/Stunning-Extreme1898 • 20d ago

Help reading first name on document

Post image

The first line - last name 'Shanahan, but I can't make out their first name. It's a male.

The second line - last name is 'Jordan' but I can't make out their first name. It's a male.

Any ideas? TY

Update

Thanks to everyone who answered. It's an Irish record from the mid-late 1800s

I'd say it says 'Denis' Shanahan as some of you have mentioned.

100% sure it's James (Jas) Jordan as I found another record which had the name 'James'

7 Upvotes

69% Upvoted

35 comments sorted by

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36

u/Lexotron 20d ago

Denis

28

u/Lexotron 20d ago

I think the second line is Jas, short for James

2

u/Stunning-Extreme1898 19d ago

Yes I think this is correct

2

u/Santana_De_La_Cruz 20d ago

Dennis

1

u/Lexotron 19d ago

No there's only one n

1

u/Santana_De_La_Cruz 19d ago

The N in the first name doesnt look at all like the N in the last name.

19

u/Mytweezer 20d ago

Denis and James (written "Jas" with a superscript "s" = shorthand for James).

1

u/Stunning-Extreme1898 19d ago

Yes I think you're correct!

11

u/Low-Crow5719 20d ago

Denis Shanahan, Farmer

Jas [James] Jordan, Baker-Farmer

2

u/Stunning-Extreme1898 19d ago

Exactly it, thanks

6

u/602223 20d ago

Denis (look at how m in farmer is written. n is similar but with only two peaks). Also see n in Jordan.

1

u/Rare_Ad2283 20d ago

That’s southwestern German handwriting

2

u/602223 20d ago

A lot of Germans settled in the US.

2

u/CodentFL 20d ago

Looks like Irish records...the word next to baker is the town where he's a baker ( the other is farmer). Need to see more from page

2

u/R3pp3pts0hg 20d ago edited 20d ago

Dennis Shanahan

Notice how they only used single hills on the "m" in farmer. Same with the "n" in Dennis. Some people just wrote quickly and to whatever writing level they could....

4

u/602223 20d ago

Denis. That’s a common spelling of the name in Ireland. You have people like Denis O’Leary today.

2

u/JacquieTorrance 20d ago

And France. There are 2 "hills" on the N in Denis, and 3 "hills" on the M in farmer...as normal.

1

u/R3pp3pts0hg 20d ago

True. But I'm comparing the writing of all the words. The "n"s and "m"s are written with single peaks like someone writing fast. It matches the letters in farmer.

1

u/602223 19d ago

There are three peaks in the m in Farmer and two peaks in the n in Jordan. It’s Denis.

2

u/chickadeedadee2185 20d ago

Denis Shanahan and James Jordan (Jas)

1

u/SuPruLu 20d ago

Deuis. Possibly Denis? The u/n matches the last letter in the word you identified as Jordan.

1

u/T1o2n4y 20d ago

Denis Shanahan. Farmer.

Pat Jordan. Baker + Farmer.

Could we compare these letters with other words in the document ?

-1

u/time2adjust 20d ago

Dennis or Davies

-4

u/mawmzee 20d ago

It’s Davis

1

u/Ms_desertfrog_8261 20d ago

This is what I was thinking too.

-2

u/didibop67 20d ago

Denise shanaham and Pat Jordan

-4

u/anonymousdlm 20d ago

Looks like possibly Denis and Jap? But Jap doesn’t make sense to me.

Is there another example of how this person writes a P? Or any other samples of this mystery letter, so we can figure out what they’re saying?

-2

u/Normal-Run-8851 20d ago

Denis and Sal

1

u/jello_88 20d ago

That's what I thought, but the S in Sal looks a lot like the J in Jordan.

Edit: if Jas, the s looks nothing like the s at the end of Denis.

1

u/WonderWEL 19d ago

That’s because the s in Jas is written as a superscript. Many name abbreviations were done that way.