On reading executors' books
Executors' books are practical documents written by tired people. They reward patience and punish summary.
Executors did the work that nobody else wanted to do. Their books reflect that. The handwriting deteriorates over the course of an estate. The marginalia thickens. The dates begin to wander in ways that are not always errors and are sometimes notes about when the executor finally got back to the entry.
I have learned to read these books on their own terms. The first dozen entries are usually careful. The middle is where the actual story is. The last few entries before the executor steps away from the book are often the most interesting and the most difficult.
There is no shortcut. You read them slowly, you do not skip, and you let the document set the pace.