Deciphering Older Writing

Up-to-date version of this post maintained here: http://genweblog.blogspot.com/2006/02/deciphering-older-writing.html

Older English and Latin handwriting

Tutorial about Paleography: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/palaeography/

English Documents in Latin: http://www.bibliographics.com/PALAEOG-lite/HECTOR.htm

BEGINNERS' LATIN Introduction to the problems you may find with Latin vocabulary and grammar in British documents from 1086-1733: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/latin/beginners/reference/default.htm

Deciphering Old Handwriting in Genealogy: http://amberskyline.com/treasuremaps/oldhand.html

How to Read 18th Century British-American Writing: http://www.dohistory.org/on_your_own/toolkit/writing.html

Martha Ballard's Diary Online: http://www.dohistory.org/diary/
   Story of a midwife's life and career; examples of handwriting

Book Palaeography for Family and Local Historians by Hilary Marshall, pub.: Phillimore & Co., Ltd., 2004, Chichester, West Sussex England. http://www.phillimore.co.uk

Book Latin for Local and Family Historians: A Beginner's Guide Denis Stuart, pub.: Phillimore & Co., Ltd., 1995, reprinted 2000. http://www.phillimore.co.uk

Old German Script

Sample letters: http://www.mun.ca/rels/morav/pics/tutor/mscript2.html

Old German handwritten scripts: http://www.genealogienetz.de/misc/scripts.html

Samples of Old Script Alphabets: http://patsabin.com/colleton/documents.html

Free! Handwriting Guide: German Gothic Resource Guide: http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/Rg/frameset_rg.asp?Dest=G1&Aid=&Gid=&Lid=&Sid=&Did=&Juris1=&Event=&Year=&Gloss=&Sub=&Tab=&Entry=&Guide=German_Gothic99-36316.ASP
(or go to http://familysearch.org, click the 'View maps, forms, guides, and other research helps' link, and then 'G', and scroll down to Germany)

German 'Transcribe Group': http://www.rootsweb.com/~deutg/

e-Transcriptum: http://e-transcriptum.net/

Professional translators: http://www.redwing.net/~jakeschu/welcome.html

Cyndislist - Handwriting & Script: http://www.cyndislist.com/handwrit.htm

Book - If I Can You Can Decipher Germanic Records: http://pages.prodigy.net/tjbentz/GERMANIC.HTM

Book - Deciphering Gothic Records: http://www.cybertrails.com/~fdearden/page2.html

Links - Help with Old Handwriting: http://www.island.net/~andreav/writing.htm


It is almost impossible systematically to constitute a natural moral law. Nature has no principles. She furnishes us with no reason to believe that human life is to be respected. Nature, in her indifference, makes no distinction between good and evil. - Anatole France