Liam writes: > Is there anyone out there, perhaps residing in the > glorious Berkshire hills of Western Massachusetts, who could transpose the > above from USA-speak to UK-speak Nothing in the quoted message (extract below) represents any standard U.S. usage, particularly the omission of spaces between words, but I was able to infer the meaning of the most frequent abbreviations, even when they were run into the preceding word: @ - born at or in rs@ - resided at & - and [married to]. abt (following date) - about My guess is that is the author's own data input shorthand. However, the question about which the author was unclear completely mystified me. Donn Devine, CG, CGI (Chair, [US] National Genealogical Society Standards Committee) Wilmington DE CG, Certified Genealogist, CGI, and Certified Genealogical Instructor are service marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, used under license by board certificants after periodic evaluation, and the board name is registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office. ---extract-------- Mary Jane RILEY 3 Feb 1883@Woburn,MA.rs@Woburn,MA.1883- dau of PatrickRILEY@irelandrs@Woburn,MA.currier,1883-& EllenMCHUGH@ireland-rs@Woburn,MA.1883- - ------------------------------------------------ ThomasGARVIN1845-Donegal Ireland-rs@Woburn,MA.Currier1881-rs@ Woburn ,Ma.currier1883- Son of ThomasGARVIN Donegal Ireland & Catherine Donegal Ireland wed11 Aug 1871WOBURN MA.1ST BOTH,-REV JOHN ZUCIE? UNCLEAR BridgetMCHUGH1852abt@Donegal Ireland-rs@Woburn,Ma.1883-rs@Woburn, Ma.,1881- dau of CharlesMCHUGH