What is this Name?

[DaveBrt]

In June 1861, Thomas R. Sharp was hired by the QMG, CSA to go to Harper's Ferry to send to Richmond all the railroad material, cars, locomotives, etc that he could find in the areas. He hired men and proceeded to Winchester with them to begin removing the B&O Railroad material that Jackson had captured a week or so before. The name to be deciphered is in the July 2 entry below -- a man named Mr. ?. ??? had escorted Sharp's wife (Gerty) to join him in Winchester. Question -- for a hearty Thank You -- name the man in the right hand page, third line from the bottom.

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2​

In Winchester

Started machinists and laborers to Martinsburg to commence work of removing locomotives and machinery. Started Longest and force to strengthen Cedar Creek bridge {3 miles north of Strasburg}. Went to Strasburg at 3 pm and arrived there 5:20 pm. Met Gerty, who arrived on train at 7:45 pm in charge of Mr. ????, and started for Winchester where we arrived at 12 midnight.

Sharp only includes names of men of note (to him -- RR Presidents, RR Superintendents, senior officers, etc), so this man's name may be found elsewhere. I suspect he is from Richmond, since that is where the Sharps lived and Gerty felt safe with him as her escort.

 

[lupaglupa]

Wow. And I thought my handwriting is bad. The first initial looks like an N to me. It's very similar in shape to his Ms but only one peak. The first letter of the last name looks somewhat like other Fs in the document but that doesn't seem to work with the letter after it which looks like a B. Then it looks like an A and a L followed by a Z. Maybe the first letter is an I? But Ibalz is an odd name.

 

[DaveBrt]

Wow. And I thought my handwriting is bad. The first initial looks like an N to me. It's very similar in shape to his Ms but only one peak. The first letter of the last name looks somewhat like other Fs in the document but that doesn't seem to work with the letter after it which looks like a B. Then it looks like an A and a L followed by a Z. Maybe the first letter is an I? But Ibalz is an odd name.

I agree -- just don't expect such an unusual name at that time and place.

 

[lupaglupa]

The trick is to read a lot of the same persons writing. Most people form their letters in a similar fashion so if you can decipher the shape in one place then you can use that to guess at the mystery word. Names are hard though.

 

[DaveBrt]

The trick is to read a lot of the same persons writing. Most people form their letters in a similar fashion so if you can decipher the shape in one place then you can use that to guess at the mystery word. Names are hard though.

Agreed -- I transcribed 2 1/2 years of this diary and can read (and make educated guesses) almost all of it. Only a handful of names have stumped me.

 

[MRB1863]

Only a single clue found at https://www.csa-railroads.com/Essays/Diary_of_Thomas_R._Sharp_1861.htm

 

[lupaglupa]

So whoever did that transcription had similar thoughts to ours, though they swapped the I for a J. But Jblatz is even weirder than Ibalz.

 

[gunny]

Could it be N. L'blatz? Like the old beer?

 

[DaveBrt]

Only a single clue found at https://www.csa-railroads.com/Essays/Diary_of_Thomas_R._Sharp_1861.htm

And who is the author of the web page you link to????? Yep -- me.

 

[DaveBrt]

So whoever did that transcription had similar thoughts to ours, though they swapped the I for a J. But Jblatz is even weirder than Ibalz.

I did the transcription and am asking for help since it cannot be right.

 

[6thMichCav]

I agree that the first initial is a N, not Mr. The first letter of the name is an L. His pen is skipping. The last letter is a k, as you can see from his previous script of the word "work." He writes his k's in two sections. I hope this fills in part of the puzzle.

 

[DaveBrt]

I agree that the first initial is a N, not Mr. The first letter of the name is an L. His pen is skipping. The last letter is a k, as you can see from his previous script of the word "work." He writes his k's in two sections. I hope this fills in part of the puzzle.

How about "arrived in charge of Mr N L Black"?

 

[6thMichCav]

How about "arrived in charge of Mr N L Black"?

While I have no historical context to go on, that seems the most likely suggestion I have seen so far. He does seem to minimize his a's when in a hurry. You can see it in the following line when he writes Manchester on the following line.

 

[MRB1863]

And who is the author of the web page you link to????? Yep -- me.

OOPS! Just trying to be helpful in some way.

 

[Story]

How about "arrived in charge of Mr N L Black"?

Did you run that name in FOLD3's niches for CSA non-combat types?

Can't remember how they pigeon-holed those guys, but I found many many of the technicians, chemists, mechanics and such hiding out there.

 

[Story]

Only a single clue found at https://www.csa-railroads.com/Essays/Diary_of_Thomas_R._Sharp_1861.htm

Thanks for posting that link, much easier to absorb that the ancient squiggly runes.

Let's enhance

 

[DaveBrt]

The hearty THANK YOU must be shared by @6thMichCav and @Story. I was asking for help in reading the name so I could use Fold3 on him. The idea that the last letter was a "k" and the first letter was an "N" resulted in a Private N. L. Black who enlisted in the 20th S. C. Infantry in early 1863 in "Lexington" -- SC (just west of Columbia) or VA (in the Shenandoah Valley). He was captured at Strasbourg, Va by Sheridan Oct 19, 1864 and exchanged in late March 1865.

I'll keep looking to flesh him out, but there are no competitors to this name, so I'll use it.

Thanks for helping.

 

[JOHN42768]

I'll second N. L'Blatz

 

[DaveBrt]

More info to solidify the identity:

FindAGrave: Noah Lott Black, born 1844 in SC. His father was born in Lexington, SC. Noah farmed in and is buried in Saluda, SC -- just a few miles west of Lexington. He had a brother who died at Nashville in December 1864 in the 19th SC Infantry.

Noah married after the war and had at least 5 children. He died in 1928.

His age when he escorted Gerty would have been 17.

 

[Story]

The hearty THANK YOU must be shared by @6thMichCav and @Story. I was asking for help in reading the name so I could use Fold3 on him. The idea that the last letter was a "k" and the first letter was an "N" resulted in a Private N. L. Black who enlisted in the 20th S. C. Infantry in early 1863 in "Lexington" -- SC (just west of Columbia)

That only provides an 'after the event' time wall.
19th Infantry Regiment was organized during the winter of 1861-1862. It moved to Mississippi, then to Kentucky

Battle Unit Details - The Civil War (U.S. National Park Service)

www.nps.gov

Check the 1860 Federal Census for South Carolina for a 16 year oldish Noah Black.