While we might wish all our ancestors’ records were typed in a standard format and perfectly legible, that simply isn’t the case. Many of the records family historians turn to are handwritten and may be faded, use archaic terminology, unfamiliar abbreviations, or are just plain illegible. The syllabus for this online lecture provides practical strategies for approaching handwritten documents, understanding and deciphering hard-to-read handwriting from different time periods, so that you can make the most of these important resources in your family history research.

This syllabus is intended to accompany our online lecture Deciphering Old Handwriting (archived recording as of 1/27/23: https://americanancestors.org/video-library). It includes a reference for all resources mentioned in the session, plus links to many others.

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Created by Ann G. Lawthers

Published: January 2023

PDF Download, 10 pages