What do you thinks these initials are?

I'd say the monogram is probably for the name written on the dial, which I can't see all that well in the photo. The first name is George and I can see that G is the first initial.

I can't make the initials out well on the case but I agree they are the initials of whatever name is on the dial. Just a guess from what I can see is GHR

Here is another pic of the dial. Can't decide if last letter is B or R.

I am curious to see what Mitch thinks, but I think the name is George H. Ry--- . But with the hand blocking part of the R & the rest of the letters it is hard to say. If I could make out the name maybe I could find him & then we would know.

Tom

G H R This one is pretty clear. I can't make out the rest of the last name on the dial. Could it be Ryaan?

I also wonder if it is Ontario Canada above the seconds chapter.

I will post some better pictures when I have the watch in hand. Having information about a previous owner would be great. -Mike

Have the watch in hand . I think the name is George H Ryan with the top of the n missing. City seems to be Logansport Ind

What type of Hamilton is this, I am not sure if it was ever said?

Might be George Ryan of Logansport In. born Jan. 1891 in Indiana. His father was Mark who was a telegraph operator for the railroad in 1900 & 1910. In 1910 George was still living with his parents in Logansport & was a car inspector for the railroad.

From the Logansport Reporter Jan. 11, 1908

Same article but from the Logansport Journal the next day, it was his 18 B-day.

Must have been a really slow news day in Logansport.

It is a 992 Serial 783192. Dates it to about 1910 I guess. Could be the right guy. Great information thanks Tom.

I sent Mitch an email to ask about the case initials again, maybe you could post another photo of them now that you have the watch.

The reason I wonder, is it might be that the guy I found had a middle name of A. I am not good enough at those letters to be able to tell but looking at the dial I thought maybe it was an A instead of H.

If the guy I found is the guy, he later moved to Chicago & married, he later moved to Ca. where he died at age 70.

Where was your seller at that you bought the watch from?

One other thing, if this is your guy, maybe he got the watch for his 2oth or 21st B-day which would have been about Jan 1911

Tom

I just emailed Tom on this as he sent me a more clear image of the back. The middle initial on the case looks very much like an A at some angles. What lead me to say it was an H previously was the line across the center of the character was straight. An A in that style usually has a looped center line, or a line at an angle. The lettering of the name on the dial sure has an H for the middle initial.

On the case the middle initial has the left side ascender curving to the right at the top that gives one the impression that it could be an A.

What we have to remember is several things. Initials and monograms were created to look like a design as well as give information.

Rendering script with a tiny tool on metal must be very tricky indeed. If an engraver made a mistake in judgement he had to do his best to "doctor," as one penman once told me, the error.

As to the previous thread that still is an S, not a J, however.

Watch came from Murrieta, California.
Maybe it is an A

The only place I found his middle initial was here in his obit, it is from the Logansport Pharos-Tribune 07/01/1960

I've had my name mis spelled by the press more than once. It could have been a typo. Or, the dial paintin' guy made a mistake and it should have been an A. Or the dial guy was lousy at old English (but I don't think so. That's a real good job.)

There's so many facets to this that the thread could go on and on.

When I have a moment I'll make some more examples.

Logansport is just down the road from me. It's always a slow news day in the cornyards around here.

The Panhandle refers to a part of The Pennsylvania Lines West. At first a seperate railroad it got its name as directly west of Pittsburgh it crossed the panhandle of West Virginia. It ran wst to St. Louis and at Indianapolis lines went south to Louisville,and north to Logansport. From Richmond Indiana it went north to Logansport, and south to Cincinnati. At Logansport it went north via Winamac, Indiana, to Chicago. It also absorbed lines radiating from Logansport to Vincennes, Indiana, and South Bend.

The line last saw passenger trains when early in the life of Amtrak the train from Chicago to Florida operated over it to Louisville. Under Penn Central's skilled management and maintenance the track was so awfull that it took an entire night to cover the trip from Chicago to Logansport, a distance of about 100 miles.

Happy Easter everyone!

Just a little more on George Ryan.

He was married to Florence Pearl & by 1920 they lived in Chicago, Il with her parents Peter & Sarah Zimmer. George was an engineer for the railroad.

By 1930 him, his wife & in-laws were living in Fontana Ca., there he is listed as a farmer.