18 I can't read German handwriting. What should I do?
Description
This article is from the German Genealogy FAQ, by Jim Eggert EggertJ@crosswinds.net with numerous contributions by others.
18 I can't read German handwriting. What should I do?
There is of course no one German handwriting, but often German
documents are hard to read. It takes practice to read handwritten
documents, and each hand is different, often requiring some study
even for the practiced eye. Try to figure out words from context.
Most genealogical documents have a limited vocabulary. Look at
other entries in the same hand to help you decipher the hardest
parts. Often the best approach is to ask another knowledgeable
researcher at the library or archive where you encounter the
difficult document. There are also several books that can help
teach you how to read German handwriting; these are available from
genealogical supply firms or good bookstores. Or use the German
genealogy snail/fax translation service outlined above.
The German genealogy server has examples of old German
handwriting, Windows software for learning German handwriting,
and a bibliography of texts on the subject at
<http://www.genealogy.net/misc/scripts.html>
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