Received of John Howard forty-seven cowhides which I
promise to tan in a proper manner and deliver one
half to said Howard as his order by the first of November
next witness my hand this 12th February 1796--

J L Horden - William Johnson

Misses Bacon
I left my umbrella at your house on
the 23 of December if you will have the goodness
to deliver it to the Bowens I can obtain it.

oblige yours in haste
Z O Dixon

Remember, people often spelled names "phonetically." Or, how they sounded to the person who was doing the writing.

What if the person had an accent? There could be many variations on the way that the same word sounds to different individuals.

If you guessed the right answer before you got to this page-- give yourself a BIG pat on the back.