UPDATE:
Well, I think the hornbeamers are correct. All of the characteristics mentioned above for the hornbeam are present on this particular tree, except for one, the leader that I wired up grew like crazy and was as big as my finger. Anyway it is a hornbeam, I wish I could change the title of the thread. I did some major work on it today, which took almost all day. The new leader did not really come out at the right place and looked wonky so I had to decide what to do with it. There were numerous scars that weren't healing, etc, etc. As I mentioned, I have a love / hate relationship with the tree and it has issues, but for some reason I like it, so I will try to make it better.
Here is what I started with
Thirty minutes later, I had all of the leaves cut off.
Lots of nice twiggy-ness, I hedge trimmed it throughout the summer
The apex is a train wreck
Here is that branch that I wired up, decided it had to go