Handwriting mystery, from 1900 Census

[JerryVan]

Jerry,
I did not suggest that the two words "Patrino" and "Dealer" were a descriptive phrase/theory. It is what it is: two words that have no specific meaning - a puzzle to figure out.

Curt,

Apologies for muddying the waters further and speaking on your behalf.

As to your other points, I too am wondering....

[JimN]

My reason for wondering if it was a family name is that I typed in a zillion variants of the spelling in my Mac's dictionary app, and couldn't find an English word that matched. I also considered that it could be a family business name like Woolworths.

Seems like another possibility would be a foreign word. Or maybe it's the trade name of some product that a novelty store would have sold back then.

Jim Nichol

[Curt A]

Allen,
The reason I asked all of the questions was to try and determine whether this person/dealer could be traced using NYC directories. That's how I discovered Luigi Biagiotti as the maker of the plaster Pathé store display roosters.

There is a lot of info that can be found in period business directories. The directories were published every year, so go to the website and search by year.

https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/col ... ?tab=about

Curt

[AllenKoe]

Thanks, Curt,

Yes, the old City Directories can be very useful, both by name and occupation, and street locations, etc.

This fellow who ran some kind of Variety Store in downtown Manhattan (late 1890s) was also known as "The Novelty Export Co."
I think he also became involved with little "Flicker Books" (miniature kinetographic boxing matches).

Another address was at 1270 Broadway (besides 17 Warren Street)

Best
Allen

[AllenKoe]

Hi,

Thanks for (all) the clever suggestions. I think it is safe to say that Ancestry's own interpretation (Patiens) is not correct.

I have spent more time in thinking about it, and doing the research on the little known Euphonic Talking Machine of 1898. The article is slowly coming together and I think I have found the solution. The story (with my candidate) will appear in the December issue of AP.

So far, the machine has been seen only in "illustration" but if we get lucky (now or later), one may yet turn up in the wild. Will keep you posted. There will be some melodramatic elements, all true. Hard to believe, it was also available in Australia. Like the similar Echophone, it too had a (fragile) glass tone arm, with optional listening tube and/or tin horn.

Thanks again.

Allen

[Curt A]

Good luck with any further discoveries...

[Daniel Gibson]

Just an opinion, but if the census taker was in a rush, he might have sloppily wrote down “Notions”, which has as one of its definitions as “ Small lightweight items for household use, such as needles, buttons, and thread.” Just a thought.

[Curt A]

Just an opinion, but if the census taker was in a rush, he might have sloppily wrote down “Notions”, which has as one of its definitions as “ Small lightweight items for household use, such as needles, buttons, and thread.” Just a thought.

That could be true if the word started with an "N" instead of a "P" and the surname "Patrino" did not exist...

[Daniel Gibson]

I know your answer was meant to be snarky, and I am ok with that. Like I said, maybe he got sloppy. Anyway, just a thought. And “Patrino Dealer” is not any more likely than a sloppy cursive “N”.

[Curt A]

"I know your answer was meant to be snarky, and I am ok with that."

You don't "know" what I meant. My answer was meant to be "factual", NOT snarky, as you misinterpreted it...