Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Reading Old Script


One of the obstacles in doing genealogical research is reading old documents. It's a game of out guessing the clerk or scribe who put words to ink and paper. This is further complicated by the variations of style through the years. Foreigners who arrived in America often had their names and information slaughtered by an Anglo clerk who had no clue how to spell or write foreign names.

The complications of reading old script become heightened when we begin researching records of a foreign country, such as Germany, France and Italy. That's when we think it's time to go back to school.

Help is available! Script Tutorials, Resources for Old Handwriting & Documents presented by Brigham Young University, is just what you need. They offer guidance in deciphering manuscripts and other old documents. The languages include English, German, Dutch, Italian, French, Spanish and Portuguese. By clicking on a specific language, you will be guided with preparation techniques, alphabets and sample documents.

These tutorials have many links that will take to study. However, they are definitely worth the time spent. One word may be all you need to solve the puzzle. It's usually that one word you cannot read. With the help of Script Tutorials, you might be able to get over the brick wall.


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