In our November meeting, we watched a brief video with tips on deciphering old documents. Following the video we practiced what we learned, and by the end of the document we were starting to get pretty good at it. A few individuals offered up a document for the group to try and translate, while others shared tips that have helped them read the contents of historical documents. The following is this month's handout:
Basic
Paleography
Deciphering
Old Handwriting on Historical Documents
If you’ve ever tried to read old land records or
wills, in your genealogy research, you will have noticed that handwriting from
the 1600’s, 1700’s and 1800’s is quite different from today. There are words
that were used in the past that are no longer used today. Prior to the 1800’s there was no standard way
of spelling until the advent of the Webster’s Dictionary. People would spell
words and names phonetically, which is why you will find your ancestor’s
surnames spelled in many different variations.
Some words used back then that are no longer in use
are “ye” which can either mean ‘you’ or ‘the’. If you see a double cursive ‘ff’
in a word, that is actually an old fashioned lower case ‘s’. The letters “U”
and “V,” were used interchangeably. You will find that the most difficult
letters to read in 17th century documents are: c, e, h, r, s and t.
The script of the past contained a lot of flourishes and embellishments which
can make it difficult to decipher the spelling or the sound. Numerals can be a
challenge, as well.
Some
past abbreviations that were used commonly are:
Yt - means ‘that.’
b.l.w. – bounty land warrant
o.s.p. – died
without issue
Als – stands for Alias
d.s.p. – died without issue
do – is short for ditto
The
following are some common words and phrases contained in old wills and land
grants:
“grantor,”
“grantee,” and “appurtenance.”
“Know all men by these presents…”
“This indenture made this date” usually is the
beginning of a land deed.
“signed sealed and delivered”
“In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and
seal this “date”
Tips
for reading historical documents
#1 – Read through the entire document to get a feel
for the rhythm and cadence. You will recognize some words which may help you in
determining the more difficult words.
#2 – Refer to the attached historical alphabet sheet
when you come upon a difficult word to help you decipher specific letters.
#3 – Write or type the document as you’re reading
through it. When you come upon a word that you cannot determine, try to sound
it out or refer to the historical alphabet sheet.
#4 – Look for common words or phrases, especially when
deciphering European documents which in many cases are written in Latin.
Similar words will be used such as: “daughter,” “son,” “widow,” “legitimate
marriage.” The month, day and year of birth or death will be written out as a
word. You can search online for the Latin spelling for the months and numbers.
Knowing these Latin words will make deciphering the document easier.
#5 – Read words phonetically. It wasn’t until 1806
that spelling began to become more uniform following the publishing of A Compendious Dictionary of the English
Language by Noah Webster. Prior to that time words were spelled by the
individual the way they sounded. Accents from immigrants could dramatically
affect the way someone interpreted the word and spelled it. Many times clerks
would abbreviate names and words, and names were not always capitalized.
Deciphering
Other Languages:
When trying to decipher documents written in different
languages, refer to the historical alphabet sheets that can be found online
such as:
German – https://www.familytreemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/germanic-alpha-chart.pdf
Italian – https://script.byu.edu/Pages/Italian/en/alphabet.aspx
French – https://script.byu.edu/Pages/French/en/alphabet.aspx
Russian - https://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/romanization/russian.pdf
Additional
Sources:
How to Read Old Handwriting: A Primer – www.ancestralfindings.com/how-to-read-old-handwriting-a-primer/
Deciphering Old Handwriting in Genealogy – www.genealogyandfamilyhistory.com/deciphering-old-handwriting-in-genealogy/
