I'm browsing the Binns Virginia Personal and Land tax records from 1780s, 1790s, and 1800s and often the month is very hard to read. For example, I think William Samples is July 12, 1799, but very hard to be sure. Looking at prior dates around this, it appears prior listing is May and June is skipped.
I try and use nearby legible months to decipher a month that is not clear. Are entries always in chronological order, for example, do months get skipped? What was the method actually used to collect the taxes, why was everyone spread out on different days of the year? Is the date you paid just random as they got to you? Did the collector go around the county in alphabetical order?
In summary: How can I use the method and process of tax collection to inform me in reading months in the tax records that are difficult to read?