--- T0Leo@aol.com wrote: > I am wondering if anyone can explain the following > notations found in the VR > series. Hi Len, The Plympton VR is a little eccentric. Certain records added by Lewis Bradford, town clerk from 1812 to 1851 are found between those half-moon looking symbols. Bradford sometimes added information to earlier records entered by earlier town clerks, and he sometimes added earlier information to entries he made himself. These are indicated by the odd little half-moons. So the name Ichabod seems to have been entered by Bradford at a much later date than Ichabod's birth, whenever that may have been. The reference back to Abiah is simply what is done rather than repeating all the family background each time a sibling is entered--in other words, what applies to Abiah as to parents, etc. also applies to Ichabod--it doesn't mean they share a birthdate. Incidentally, the Genferret likes to sprinkle replies with bits of esoterica in hopes of drawing people's attention away from the fact that the Genferret is really only a weasel. The name Ichabod was often reserved for posthumous sons--that is, sons born after the death of the father. This was not always true, naturally. It generally is not true whenever that particular fact might be useful. This is something like the use of the name Benoni for the son of a woman who died in childbirth. Abiah is a biblical name, and as is so often the case, the Bible can here be used to argue whatever one chooses. In 1 Samuel, chap. 8 verse 1, Abiah is one of two sons of Samuel who became "judges over Israel." However, in 1 Chronicles, chap 2 verse24, Abiah is Hezron's wife, who, interestingly enough bore a son to Hezron after Hezron's death, and who was named Ashur, not Ichabod. The Genferret believes the name is another of those gender non-specific names our irritating ancestors used now and then. The Genferret is running out of time before being put back into his cage, but will look further for info. on Ichabod later. __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Shopping - Send Flowers for Valentine's Day http://shopping.yahoo.com