Transcribing Historic Handwriting

Having trouble deciphering pages like this?

Check out the resources and information below for help, and share your tips with fellow volunpeers by emailing the TC team at transcribe@si.edu! 

Common Historic Conventions, Spellings, and Abbreviations

Freedmen's Bureau Staff Rosters, Style Sheets, and Abbreviations

External Sites and Resources: 

- Genealogy Bank: Deciphering 19th Century Handwriting

- Ancestry.com: "Tips for Reading Old Handwriting"

- U.S. National Archives: Transcription Tips

- National History Museum, London: Paleography Guide

- Legacy Tree Genealogists: "Five Tips for Deciphering Old Handwriting"

- "Figure Out That Word!" wordmine.info