Bruce: << Where can I view an example of William's handwriting? I assume you have an example from your statement. Could you JPEg me something? >> I have a superb, lengthy example of William2's handwriting from the Rhode Island Historical Society's manuscript collection--much clearer than his entries in Rehoboth records. The page, however, is oversized, and to scan it all, I'll first have to go to the copy shop and make a copy of reduced size. In the meantime, I'll send you a partial copy that includes the statement that the original document is "in the hand and Custodie of mee William Carpenter of Rehoboth" and that he made the copy for William Carpenter of Pawtuxet (one of four parties of the second part including William of Rehoboth) for his "ashourance." << First you doubt that William could write at all and then you tell me below that you have examples of his handwriting and he was Town Clerk. >> No, I doubt that William1 ("ye elder," as he is described in Thomas Wisemans's will) could write and am certain that Wiseman's inventory is in a hand other than that of William2 (whom you had proposed as the one who wrote it). << Then you mention the third person in the inventory who appears to have been Wiseman's "wife." She certainly didn't pen the document. >> I have yet to see an inventory in which one of the appraisers is a woman, let alone the decedent's widow. As executrix or administratrix, she would swear to its accuracy, but that's all. It was a conflict of interest for anyone who stood to receive a portion of the decedent's estate to participate in its itemization/valuation. But more to the point, Wiseman's wife was named Elizabeth (see his will). The reference to the third appraiser, which you read as "wife," is a forename beginning "ruf-" or "rus-" (lower-case "r"); the surname, immediately below and slightly to the left of this, ends "-ptan," perhaps "-uptan." << If people like Pearson were perfectly capable of scripting a will, why coult't they script an inventory? Why does there have to be someone else? >> I never said there had to be someone else. I said it could just as easily have been someone else as one of those who took the inventory. << However your implied point that the calligrapher might have been William Carpenter Sr. is well taken. >> I implied no such thing. I contended that the William Carpenter named with vicar Rowland Hill in 1628 as Thomas Wiseman's overseer was also the church warden of that name ("Crpener" or, more likely, "Crpentr") who had signed by mark the 1628 glebe terrier, and that this was William1. Implied (if I didn't say it outright) was that inventory-taker William Carpenter was the same man. I don't believe for a moment that either William1 (who couldn't write) or William2 (whose handwriting is significantly different) penned the inventory. << Thanks for your reference to "the elder." I had missed it entirely. This would indicate the the inventory "William Carpenter" could be William sr. >> It strongly suggests that the William Carpenter named as one of the three appraisers was "the elder" (i.e., William1), named in the Wiseman will; it indicates nothing as to who wrote the inventory. << The "Glebe Terriers" individual was probably not a William Carpenter. >> You were quite content to think so until now. If you've altered your interpretation so as to argue that there's no evidence that William1 was illiterate, it would help prop up your newly adopted notion that it was William1 Carpenter (rather than William2, your initial choice) who wrote the inventory. More important, it would remove a major conflict with your Wikipedia pieces claiming that William1 had been a scribe at Culham Manor Court before arriving at Shalbourne. But you can't have it both ways: William1 could not have written the inventory AND have been the Culham man: the inventory's handwriting is hardly that of a scribe. And if William1 was illiterate, as the glebe terrier indicates, you don't have it either way: he was neither the Culham scribe nor the writer of the inventory. Sorry, Bruce, but I'm going to bed. I'll send you the scan tomorrow. Gene Z. ************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour