<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=US-ASCII"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.6058" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY id=role_body style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: Arial" bottomMargin=7 leftMargin=7 topMargin=7 rightMargin=7><FONT id=role_document face=Arial color=#000000 size=2> <DIV>Dear List,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I posted this question this morning on the APG-members list.  I've received some helpful responses, including one that referenced an interesting article at <A href="http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~wmeacham/abbrjo.htm">http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~wmeacham/abbrjo.htm</A></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The article deals with 17th Century English sources; I am working in an 1830s Kentucky estate record.  I am hoping someone can add more information about given name abbreviations in Kentucky/Viriginia records from this period.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> Here is my original post: <DIV><EM>I ordinarily expect to find the name "John" abbreviated as "Jno," but I have seen lists of abbreviations that indicate "Jo" is an abbreviation of "John" -- for example at: </EM><A title=http://www.british-genealogy.com/parish-registers/first-names-a-abbreviations.html href="http://www.british-genealogy.com/parish-registers/first-names-a-abbreviations.html"><EM>http://www.british-genealogy.com/parish-registers/first-names-a-abbreviations.html</EM></A></DIV> <DIV><EM></EM> </DIV> <DIV><EM>I need a more scholarly opinion.  Can anyone point me to an authoritative source on the matter?  Thanks.</EM></DIV></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT lang=2 face=Arial size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10">Jay Fonkert, CG<BR><A href="http://fourgenerationsgenealogy.blogspot.com/">http://fourgenerationsgenealogy.blogspot.com/</A><BR>Saint Paul, MN<BR><BR>Director, Association of Professional Genealogists<BR>(</FONT><FONT lang=2 face=Arial color=#000000 size=1 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="8">professional profile at <A href="http://www.apgen.org)/">www.apgen.org)</A></FONT><FONT lang=2 face=Arial color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10"><BR>Member, Genealogical Speakers Guild<BR></FONT><FONT lang=2 face=Arial color=#000000 size=1 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="8">(professional profile at <A href="http://www.genealogicalspeakersguild.org/)">http://www.genealogicalspeakersguild.org/)</A><U><BR></FONT><FONT lang=2 face=Arial color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10"></U>Member, International Society of Family History Writers and Editors <BR><BR></FONT><FONT lang=2 face=Arial color=#000000 size=1 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="8">CG (Certified Genealogist) is a service mark of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, used under license by Board-certified associates after periodic competency evaluations.</FONT><FONT lang=2 face=Arial color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10"><BR></FONT></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>