Transcribing this record.

Cursive penmanship was taught in all schools at one time. My personal exposure to the fine art of penmanship came from Mrs. Johnson in the 7^th grade. That's 5 hours a week for 9 months. On my report card, she was a "Spelling" teacher and I usually got a B or C in her class. Mrs. Johnson tested on spelling, definitions, word usage, and penmanship. She allowed NO pencils and all test were taken using staff, nib/point, and ink.

Homework could be in ball point or fountain pen ink. Neatness and capitalization counted too. Of the rules branded in my head –Numbers like 7, and 9 had rules:

Stem portion was to be slanted and extend below the line.

A short hash mark was placed on the stem of 7 and 9. This distinguished as 7 from 4 and 9 from 6 (she had a firm rule and rationale for this, but I will spare you that explanation)

Abbreviations: first was written as 1^st with hash mark under st. Mrs. Johnson taught using a dot after abbreviations, but I don't recall this rule including numbers. In this church record, a comma is often used and sometimes a dot. Names abbreviations: William could be Wm. - Mrs. Johnson's taught W – is capital letter m – lower case, and raised above ½ mark on the line. hash mark – under lower case m period/dot – follows m.

Rules for double letters:

a lower case/backward f  is substituted for 1^st letter of double letters Mississippi – would be Mifsifsifpi Tennessee – would be Tefnefsfe

Mrs. Johnson had other rules too. Learn early to judge the amount of ink on your nib held after you gently swiped the nib on the rim of the ink bottle. If your ink ran out in a glob from pressing nib too hard – she subtracted points. NEVER lift the nib from the paper mid-word. NEVER. The ink might fade while writing but continue. Stopping in mid word seemed to indicate lack of confidence in spelling and she was adamant the nib was to only leave paper only after a word was completed.

You could argue with Mrs. Johnson on this point, but always lost. She kept a magnifying glass on her desk and a lighted magnifying glass in the top drawer. While I think there were rumors of the occasional A in her class, an A+ was never reported.

The FBI or major library will never contact me for an interpretation or rules of handwriting. It would NOT surprise me if J. Edgar Hoover had Mrs. Johnson on a list for local experts in southern region.

Mrs. Johnson also practiced calligraphy. She had one framed example of her work in the classroom that had won an award. She had the notion ALL her students could script and pen nearly all their own formal and informal invitations, and R.S.V.P.'s; thus, professional engravers were reserved for wedding invitations only (because of the volume).

= = =

Names to research - really there are many, many more

Gleghorn : Eliza Jane Gleghorn

 Birth: FEB 1865 in Izard County, Arkansas

 Death: NOV 1939 in Day, Izard County, Arkansas

m. Jesse Smith Robinson 12 MAR 1890 Fulton Co., AR

= = =

Rev. G.W. Hanna

Rev. J.C. Holemon a Baptist minister

Rev. M.T. Ellis & Clerk

Rev. J.A. Smith

Rev. J.W. McCain

Rev. G.W. Hanna

Rev. J.C. McDonald

Rev. J.W. McLean

Rev. M.L. Moffatt OR Rev. W.L. Moffat  Rev. W.T. Moffatt (1 or 2 f or t's)

Rev. T.P. Presley

Rev. Y. R. Presley

Rev. J.A. Smith

Rev William A. Wilson

Mr. Thomas Cochran

Dr. James Cooper, Elder  (son John Cooper )

NOTE: consider standerizing terms - Pastor Reverand, and

I believe Dr. Cooper was a doctor type- MD - things is - - post Civil War some folks assumed this title because they acted a medics and should have been before doctoral degrees were earned in theology.

Thomas Union Chesnut, Elder

William R. Chesnut, Elder & Clerk - how to delineate his capacity at the time

First letters of doulbe initials is usually clear, second letter seems to get lost in transcription and interpetaion.

W. L. Chesnut,  Clerk

M. L. Chesnut

W.Z. Chesnut

M.T. Ellis

W.A. Gault, Elder

Mr. John Harris, Elder – Treasurer (often H in Harris is so stylized, it is mis-interpeted)

James C. Harris

Bro(ther) R.P. Johnson, Elder

W.P. McLain

Mr. James Montgomery , Sr.( Joseph, James, John Samuel, William, and Hannah)

J.H.C. Nisbett - son John C. Nesbitt, Clerk

Mr. S.P.D. Nisbett

William. H. Nisbett, clerk

A.V. Paden , Clerk

C. H. Paden, Clerk

Jojn H. Paden

R.B. Paden

R. R. Paden, deacon