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Is someone able to help me please: I cannot decipher this handwriting

What are the letters of this name? Thank you !!

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EDIT: ccprog's (followed by others') idea to compare "letter-formation-style" with a larger sample was brilliant. The first letter may indeed be a "G" (only because to this newbie [me] both first letters below appear identical(?))

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    I am really tempted to read the first word as "Gouverneur"...was it not for the first letter without a doubt being an "I", and the third one missing a Breve above, which in the other cases is always added above the "u" (a neccessary feature of Kurrent script).
    – ccprog
    Commented Aug 18 at 23:14
  • Yes, please provide a larger sample.
    – Antares
    Commented Aug 19 at 12:00

3 Answers 3

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I do not think that this is a name. The first word could well be "Gouverneur", the second one "Krakau".

By the way, a v-shaped accent always denotes that the letter is an u, not an n.

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  • Counter-Example: If this really is "Gouverneur" why is there not a second accent over the first "u"? Also the u vs. n accent in Kurrent is only a horizontal short dash, isn't it? The last accent on the n (if it is one) is clearly v-shaped, could be a hint that this is not a german name or word.
    – Antares
    Commented Aug 19 at 11:51
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    No, the accent on the u in Kurrent writing is not a horizontal dash, it has usually a slight u shape itself (and might vary heavily, depending on the handwriting). I think it is simply forgotten on the first u. Besides, there is a comma between the two words. In German, you write either the first name and then the family name without a comma, or you write the family name, then a comma, then the first name. If it was the name of a person, then "Krakau" would be the first name, which is not realistic.
    – sisee
    Commented Aug 19 at 13:17
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2nd image:

Given there is some scribbled lines from the line above crossing the first letter, I'd say you are right, the starting letter is a G.

I read it as: G. Genschow, Co. Nürnberg

Which is the same name as in the header (Gustav Genshow). He is/was the founder of GECO, a german ammunition manufacturer during the time of WW1/WW2 - if the context and dating makes sense with the document somehow.

Nürnberg is a german city, so I suspect Krakau makes sense in the second line.

Do you have any other clues on the sheet which name this might be on the second line?

Or do you consider this riddle solved?

Edit: There was an army district by the german "Wehrmacht", which was named "Wehrkeis Generalgouvernement Krakau". Maybe the suspected "Gouverneur" is a reference to that.

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  • I think, it would make your contributions easier to digest, if you consolidated your 2 answers into one post.
    – Jonathan Herrera ♦
    Commented Aug 19 at 22:27
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    Note: The Generalgouvernement was the German occupational administration in the occupied areas of Poland. It was divided into four districts, one of them called Distrikt Krakau, and the head of each district was called Gouverneur.
    – Sebastian Koppehel
    Commented Aug 20 at 22:01
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I read it as Jonvermeus, Bakan/Bakon or maybe Brakan/Brakon (last n with this v-shaped accent above it).

The first word could also be "Iorremeus" or "Iorremius" (some very old form (greek/latin) of the english name "Jeremy" maybe).

If this is correct or makes sense, I don't know. It is not a german name (more like greek or latin maybe, sounds very ancient also) and the accent on the surname makes it more turkish or czech looking.

Interestingly, when using the suggested "Krakau" by ccprog with some internet search, it yields this: Johannes von Krakau

My first guess was "Johannes" also but I ditched it because of the missing "h". Johannes is a very common german name indeed.

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    I added an expansion of the names-list above as an edit to my original post/question. Thank you all for your thoughts/comments
    – jjbinks
    Commented Aug 19 at 18:55
  • @jjbinks: Is this a "thank you, please go on riddle on the words" or a "thank you, I got what I needed, you can stop here"?
    – Antares
    Commented Aug 19 at 20:09
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    Thanks everyone !! I am going with ccprog's hunch as the correct answer: GOUVERNEUR, KRAKAU
    – jjbinks
    Commented Aug 19 at 23:27

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