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Kimberly Powell

Reading & Understanding Old Documents

By , About.com GuideAugust 23, 2009

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Is it a C or a G? An F or an S? What did they mean by calling my ancestor a pettifogger? What month is Fructidor?

Reading and understanding old documents often presents a challenge for genealogists of all skill levels. Like most things, it requires patience and a lot of practice. But with the right tools and a little practice, you'll soon be reading and understanding old documents like the pros! Once you feel you understand the basics, the best way to really learn the craft is to practice, practice, practice.  These online document and handwriting examples and tutorials should help you get started.

Comments
September 7, 2009 at 5:16 am
(1) Robert Brown :

Thank you for your kind guidelines. You are absolutely right. Without any proper guidelines it’s tough to read palaeography. Specially those languages which are written other than English language.

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