Deciphering the “Old German” Handwriting; FREE GENEALOGY; German Genealogical Research. Please let me know if you would be okay with my doing that. Here’s how. If you look closely, however, you can see that the bottoms of the two letters are (or should be) different. As a German researcher, deciphering the German script can be a challenge. If you aren’t exactly sure of your transcription, try typing variations of the word into Google search to see which version most frequently appears in other texts and see if they make sense within your document and for your current transcription. Best of luck! If not, you probably have a letter wrong. She is professional, courteous, timely, and very pleasant to work with. Professor Thomas Ertl, University of Vienna Historian and Professor, Susanna, Austrian Master's Degree Student, Yulia, American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, Beverly, on translation of 1780s church records. This example reads “den es” with a straight line above the “n”, which results in “denn es” (because it). Ten Tips for Deciphering Old German Handwriting, Ten More Tips for Deciphering Old German Handwriting, 19 Most Common Abbreviations in German Genealogy, If I Can, You Can Decipher German Records, 7 Tips for Reading German Marriage Certificates, Top 25 Milestone Words for Finding Your German Ancestor, 25 Most Common German Milestone Words for Finding Your Ancestor - SK Translations, Six Need-to-Know "Letter Swaps" When Deciphering Your German Documents - Katherine Schober, SK Translations, 9 Fun Facts to Decipher German Vital Records, Five Must-Know Google Hacks for Deciphering Your German Documents (Webinar), 5 Overlooked Resources for Eastern European Genealogy Research (Guest Post by Lisa A. Alzo, M.F.A), 9 Old-Fashioned Spelling Patterns in German Genealogy Documents (PREMIUM), 10 Must-Knows When Starting German Genealogy (Guest Post by Kathy Wurth), Essential Death Record Vocabulary (PREMIUM), Genealogy Beat the Clock: Black Friday Extreme Deals, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy and Data Usage, A German Saying: “What God does is well done”. Handwriting tricks - Der Testsieger . Check out our brand-new online course . A short handy reference guide with an alphabet, reading tips, and record samples is found here. Reading tips and suggestions for deciphering old handwriting is great, but the best way to learn is practice, practice, practice! For example, “Schuhmachermeister” is a person who is a master shoemaker. Tips and Tricks of Deciphering German Handwriting: A … Meanwhile I am trying to find a copy of “Die deutsche Mutter und ihr erstes Kind” in Latin script. What do I mean by that? I was browsing an old photo album to find out more about my ancestors from Breslau/Wroclaw. These levels, if listed, always follow the name of the occupation. I’d be happy to reach more people! I never dreamed so much additional information was hidden in those records, such as Wendtlandt being an organist, the ringing of the bells (I was a music major and enjoyed those bits of information), and the emergency baptism. With your knowledge of the context or of the German language, see if you can figure out what the missing letters are. Although “s” can be quite tricky, as there are at least three different ways to write it, it is usually pretty easy to identify as each version is somewhat unique from the other letters in the alphabet (none of this e-n-m difficulty). *   A straight line above a letter can mean that it is an “n” or an “m” and that there should be two of them. Once I realized this was an “s” based on my hangman type game, I was able to easily identify other “s’s” in the document and therefore many other words. Hi Gail, Please send me an e-mail via the contact tab on the website. In a letter or document, a word may start on one line, and then, without a dash or any type of punctuation, simply continue onto the next line. Having worked with many such documents as a professional genealogy translator, I have learned that deciphering the old handwriting can be like learning to read another language. In the example below, the word is “mein” (my). Thank you very much. 4. Or, if the occupation is still around today, there may have been a different word for it in the past. I’m glad you found it helpful. I never dreamed so much additional information was hidden in those records, such as Wendtlandt being an organist, the ringing of the bells (I was a music major and enjoyed those bits of information), and the emergency baptism. Next time I get a hit for a record in German, I’m going to use the info this post to try to decipher it! For example: * “h” has a loop both above and below the line. Post by HM » 02 Oct 2019, 21:34 So, I think this one was not posted before! So, in this instance comparing examples on the same page is not helping! I’ve come across “Varmer” (farmer), “Kolorata” (Colorado), “daler” (dollar), and so on. 3 . Although I’m sure the inventors of Kurrentschrift weren’t trying to cause problems for 21st-century readers, they made some of those letters very, very similar to one another. This is difficult to do, however, without actually learning the language. *   “e” and “n”: The “n” (left image below) is written as one unit in a single stroke, while the “e” (right image) is written with two strokes. What is the general content? I’d like to offer to translate your old, handwritten German documents into modern script and summarize them for you in English. Hello! Notice how the “e” is more narrow than the “n” in the real-life image of “denn” above. Spelling When we read, we do not spell out the words like a school kid, but recognize the words at a glance and know what is written. Forget all you know about writing rules. Thank you for sharing here and for including the link to this post as well! *   “e” and “n”: The “n” (left image below) is written as one unit in a single stroke, while the “e” (right image) is written with two strokes. There are four questions to consider when analyzing old German documents: What is the language of the document? You’ve almost finished your transcription, but there is  still one frustrating word that you cannot figure out for the life of you. 11 October 2019, Thomas MacEntee, Comments Off on New Course: Reading the Old German Handwriting. It is most likely an explanation of what is on the picture, because the person trying to translate it can make out a phrase about my grandma, Wilma, not standing or walking yet, as well as something along the lines of “Have a blessed Easter.“. Play hangman. 10. Become geographically-inclined (or just use Google Maps). I have a short paragraph on the back of a photograph, and I’ve been told it is written in Kurrent. It could be that writer had not made up his made as to which to use and kept switching between the two. Occupation levels included: “Geselle” – journeyman (apprenticeship complete). Thanks! Names of people were often written in normal Latin script, … An obstacle insurmountable in your German genealogy journey? Jeder, … And the handwritten documents were a cursive variation of this Fraktur, which means they are even more complicated to read. “C” is not a very common letter in German, and is often only found in names, such as “Christian.”. Wenn Sie Fragen oder Anregungen besitzen, texten Sie unserem Team sofort! Thank you so very much for writing it. 79 views. Speaking of occupations, many occupations that were around in the past are no longer around today. Germanic Genealogy. I’m proud to announce that I’ve partnered with Katherine Schober of SK Translations to promote AMAZING online courses on Old German Handwriting … Want to know a secret? 2 answers. in “schreiben” – to write). That’s a great post and all very true – I can definitely relate to your explanations of the frustrating similarities and how are brains read the letters as they were trained to do. Use your insider information to differentiate between the letters that are agonizingly similar. I can’t imagine translating without it. Are you somewhat adept at reading the handwriting but want a professional’s help for those tricky words? century german handwriting style is called Kurrent This is how it looks: Cheryl Levy. While this makes communication with modern Germans much easier, the words of our ancestors nevertheless remain written in the ever-elusive script. If you know from the context of the document that a certain word is a city or district, but aren’t sure of the exact letters, use Google or Google maps to see if you can find a city that matches your possible transcription in the area where your document is from. Love your letter “S”. Check out our popular book. You don’t need to read German fluently to be able to decipher most genealogical records. With these ten tips from Katherine at SK Translations, you will be well on your way t… All of our elderly German family and friends are now gone, so I don’t know to whom I might turn. After earning a Ph.D. in German Language and Literature, I became an expert in reading and translating Old German script and Old German handwriting. Just about anyone who takes genealogy seriously is destined to face the challenge of reading original (or microfilm copies of) records written in an unfamiliar cursive style. If you come across a letter or two all by themselves, it could easily be an abbreviation. I was lucky enough to find a person who not only translated old German script on a document but also German written in Hebrew script, along with Yiddish, all on the same document. If you want to learn to read the script yourself, check out my online course "Reading the Old German Handwriting… Berlin Airlift; History of Berlin; Brandenburg; Prussia. While they both have the loop on the right, the “v” only has one stroke before the loop, while the “w” has two. German Paleography Seminar: Paleography Websites. Yes, you! Gladly I will enable you to discover the secrets of your old German … Keep Practicing! 6 Websites for Deciphering Old German Script. If you transcribe a word and have absolutely no idea what it means, it could easily be a word no longer in use. The German surname Schneider may have become Snyder, Snider, Schnieder, or any number of other variations. 10. Thank you! It allows you to type in either the beginning or end of the word and then provides you a list of all the possible German words with those exact beginnings or endings. Unfortunately, these aren’t the only letters in Kurrentschrift that look almost the same. Which alphabet(s) is/are used in the document? Pouring over the April and May Newsletters. Deciphering and translating Old German cursive handwriting has become my specialty, including Birth Certificates, Baptism Certificates, Marriage Licenses and Death Certificates. Take a break, and things will often look much clearer if you stop and come back later. Katherine Schober, author of "Tips and Tricks of Deciphering German Handwriting" and "The Magic of German Church Records: Finding the Key to Your Ancestor's Past", is a German-English genealogy translator who has translated for both The History Channel and PBS' Finding Your Roots. In this example, I filled in the letters I recognized one by one, until only the tricky letter at the beginning was left. Everyone’s handwriting is different, and a certain letter from an 1890 birth certificate may look completely different from the same letter in a World War II military record. Just a simple stroke with a little downward hook at the top right. The more documents you read, the easier it gets. Professor Thomas Ertl, University of Vienna Historian and Professor, Susanna, Austrian Master's Degree Student, Yulia, American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, Beverly, on translation of 1780s church records. Writing one word on one line? Play hangman. Thanks, now I remember as well. Letter writers of the past often used the same phrases over and over in writing, just as we do in English today (“Thank you for your e-mail”, “Attached please find”,  etc.). This past year, I discovered my paternal side is full of German ancestors and I don’t know German. Other examples include: *  “N” and “St” – These two letters are very similar and are often difficult for even a professional to tell apart. Who was the author? See the word “es” in the example of “denn es” in Tip 1. If you know the information that should be on a document, transcribing is much easier. But that doesn't have to be the case - use this board to get some tips and tricks on deciphering the old German script, and your German genealogy research will take off in no time! The writing is beautiful, but unfortunately I am having a hard time deciphering … Notice this line in the left word “Brief”  (letter) compared to the rather fluid finishing of the “L” on the right in the word “Liebe” (dear). If you come across a letter or two all by themselves, it could easily be an abbreviation. It is not currently accepting answers. I’m glad you enjoyed the article! Ancest…, 20 Tips for Deciphering Old German Handwriting. Discovering your German ancestors is an exciting journey. Therefore, on any certificate, the occupation of a person was listed  before the person’s name. Viewed 189 times 3. The “N” finishes with a swoop to the right, while the “St” finishes with the crossing of the “t” itself. The first letter shown is used at the beginning of a lowercase word or a syllable (i.e. These are examples of facts and events that make a family story real – and I know that my husband’s family will be surprised and glad to learn of them. Use your insider information to differentiate between the letters that are agonizingly similar. Once you start to notice the common mistakes an author makes, you can identify these substitutions in other words in your document. who can help me with this one. As discussed above, abbreviations also appear frequently in old German documents. 6. A very common example in genealogical documents is “u.” for “und” (and). 14. For examples of old German Gothic handwriting see the PDF file Handwriting Guide: German Gothic. 2 answers. Closed. As a result, in 1941, they were replaced by the easier to read and write Latin script, which most Western European countries had used for centuries. Forget all you know about writing rules. Image Credit: All Kurrentschrift letter examples, including the above image, are from the Kurrentschrift wikipedia page. March 26th 1941; Memories of Medford NJ; Military. This is a great tool to help you learn how to read old German script. *   “n” and “m”: My trick for distinguishing between “n” and “m” in a word is to count the points at the bottom of the letter. I just now found it while trying to decipher an occupation on a Hamburg passenger list. Update: If you want help transcribing your genealogy documents, join our Premium group – weekly access to live “office hours” where you can ask Katherine your tricky transcription and translation questions – and get immediate answers. Hi Stephanie, sounds like a nice picture. Literally, palaeography means ‘old writing’, from the Greek words ‘paleos’ = old, and ‘grapho’ = write. Top. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. May 24, 2016 - Author’s Update: Interested in more tricks for deciphering old German handwriting? I have personal and professional reasons for needing assistance with translation. You want to persevere and finish, but my advice is: don’t. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. The tutorials and materials gathered here are meant to help a variety of people – students, researchers, historians, genealogists, and indexers – learn more about old scripts and how to … These online document examples and tutorials should help you get started. But what if you still can’t find your word? Identify letters by the clues they offer. Want to learn the handwriting yourself? Is this post available in pdf format? What great info!! 3. Check out our popular book. The word for street in German is “Straße”, often abbreviated “Str.” If you know that a word in your document is a street, but can’t figure out which street it is, use this street-finder website to help you out. This free Web site from Brigham Young University helps you answer that question with tutorials on reading old … Practice Vital Records, Church Records, and Letters to Improve Your Deciphering Skills ... Level 1: How to Read the Alphabet of the Old German Handwriting Available until . Alle der im Folgenden getesteten Handwriting tricks sind unmittelbar im Netz auf Lager und somit sofort in Ihren Händen. Our ancestors were people too, meaning that their handwriting, level of education, vocabulary and so on varied immensely. These three letters above are all “s”. I’m wondering if you know of one that has been transcribed into a Latin font? Tips and Tricks of Deciphering German Handwriting: A Translator's Tricks of the Trade for Transcribing German Genealogy Documents: Schober, Katherine: 9781980281528: Books - … Thank you Nancy, I’m glad you enjoyed it. genealogy content. For more information on marriage certificates in particular, check out 7 Tips for Reading German Marriage Certificates. The “n” has three total points at the bottom, while the “m” has four. This is especially true for church book registers. 19. Deciphering Colonial Documents Which Use. Thank you for this post. Word of warning: Sometimes the “u-swoops” are written as straight lines. We use cookies to customize content and give you the best experience possible. In the above example, the author of the letter writes “ich aich noch nigt” instead of the proper German spelling “ich euch noch nicht” (part of a sentence, literally “I haven’t…you yet.”) The “eu” is consistently replaced with “ai” in this letter and the “ch” with a “g”.