AZORES-L Archives
Archiver > AZORES > 2001-08 > 0996805798
From: "Patricia Butcher" <>
Subject: Re: [AZORES-L] Extracting data-Reading Handwriting
Date: Thu, 02 Aug 2001 19:29:59 -0700
Cheri,
Thanks for those invaluable tips. Deciphering Doctors orders for years has
also helped me greatly with my research. Plus, all the wonderful input from
members of the Azores List.
Patricia
>From:
>To:
>Subject: Re: [AZORES-L] Extracting data-Reading Handwriting
>Date: Thu, 2 Aug 2001 17:58:59 EDT
>
>In a message dated 8/2/2001 2:26:16 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
> writes:
>
>
> >
>
>Just a snip from Sheila's email.
>
>For those unable to hire a researcher (besides, I like to do it
>myself...the
>thrill of discovery!!!), you CAN learn to do it. It does take quite a bit
>of
>perseverance. I had 2 advantages: I did take 3 years of a foreign language
>in high school (Spanish). If you took a foreign language (even if it was
>ages and ages ago), I'd recommend you going to the library or bookstore and
>brushing up on it (especially if it was a Romance language: Portuguese,
>Spanish, Italian, French or Romanian). The grammar rules are very close.
>Verbs are conjugated. Adjectives come after the noun. Once you semi-brush
>up and get a dictionary, or the Portuguese Word List put out by the LDS (it
>is online or about 50 cents from your FHC...they can order it), you have
>conquered half the battle.
>
>The other advantage I have (the other half of the battle): I am a teacher.
>I teach mainly 12 and 13-year-olds. I swear some of those kids never
>learned
>to write. Their handwriting is horrible. Since I have had practice in
>horrible handwriting, reading the Portuguese script isn't too bad. For
>those
>of you who would like to overcome this obstacle, find some kids
>(grandchildren will do) and have them write you letters the "old fashioned"
>way and tell them you want it in their WORST handwriting. I'm sure your
>local schools would love to have volunteers help English teachers read
>those
>mounds and mounds of essays too!
>
>For those of you who know the above ideas aren't feasible, I do want to do
>a
>project and put progressively worse handwriting on a webpage to help train
>people in reading the documents. I have lots of projects I need and want
>to
>do, so I would think in a year or 2, I could get something like this up and
>running.
>
>Once you are in your town and you find your ancestor's baptism (or
>marriage),
>get the baptism (or marriage) of ALL siblings. You may not have this type
>of
>cluster research in mind (you may be searching the direct line only), but
>in
>the beginning, if you collect the siblings' documents, you are dealing with
>one priest/scribe (usually) in the village in the same time period. You
>are
>getting used to his handwriting and the form of the document. It will help
>you learn to deal with the handwriting.
>
>If you ever see a copy of the original Declaration of Independence or the
>US
>Constitution, you will find yourself with the same handwriting problems.
>It
>wasn't a European thing. At certain times in history, you will find
>certain
>styles of handwriting prevalent. (a double s in a word, such as lesson
>will
>look like lefson). You see it in English and in Portuguese. There is a
>website (mentioned before on this list) that explains the old handwriting:
>http://www.amberskyline.com/treasuremaps/oldhand.html
>
>Hope I encouraged some more of you folks!
>Cheri Mello
>
>
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