Sorry for the cross-post to several lists, but hoping to find someone who is experienced in old church records, old dating systems, and can help me verify an entry ..... On Google Books (praise those people for their efforts!!) I find the Dorchester First Church records, a copy made in 1891 of the original volume, URL for those following along: http://books.google.com/books?id=0-xzW5V-AzoC&pg=PA1&dq=Records+of+the+First+Church+at+Dorchester . The copied page says this on p. 151: "Rebecca Wiswall : 2di 6to 1639, born the 3d of the same mo: about 7 aclocke in the eveninge: (marryed mr Curtice)" On page xxv, the "Notes of the Copyist" state that this date is Apr 6 1639. I am familiar with the OS dates, that the 2nd month would be April. It appears that the dates in this section are in Latin? For example, on p. 152, there is an entry :Joseph Willies (went to Boston) 12me Vicesimo 3tio 1639. And Just after that: "Anna Waterhouse 1me: 5to Decimo 1640:" These entries totally confuse me! Anna Waterhouse first, fifth, tenth 1640 ?!and Joseph Willies twelfth, twentieth, third 1639?? The only real reason I'm questioning is that The Rebecca Wiswall mentioned is an indirect part of my line, and I find her birth date published (Wiswall Handbook) as 03 Jun 1639. <picking nits!> So I read as the copyist did, that she was born 3 Apr 1639, and baptised 6 Apr 1639, yes? The "2di" and the "6to" being <translated from Latin?> second sixth 1639, in otherwords, it's not specifying which is day and which is month? But the balance of the dates bear out the order which is in the form of month first, day next, followed by year? Cheers, Bobbie Hall Chicago