Interpreting Old Records
Interpreting Old Handwriting
Older handwriting can be confusing and at times difficult to read. Some issues are:
- “S” and “L” are very similar in some forms of handwriting.
- “ss” often appears as “ff” in older handwriting.
- Abbreviations are used for names or words.
Figuring out what a document is saying by:
- Looking for other words that have similar letters and see if you can determine those words. Often you can find another name or a common word in a sentence that will help you interpret specific letters or letter combinations.
- Looking up abbreviations as you encounter them.
Finding Locations
The location of birth in census records is sometimes in error. It depends on who talked to the census taker. The person’s state of birth or their parents’ state of birth may be incorrect.
State and county boundaries changed. For instance, what was in Virginia at one time may have later been Kentucky.
State abbreviations that are sometimes confused:
- “Ia” and “Pa” (Iowa and Pennsylvania)
- The Ditto/Also abbreviation sometimes looks like “Ia”
County names show up in several states and the family may have moved from a county in one state to a county with the same name in another state. Take care to get the state correct. Records may have assumed the local county when in fact the person was referring to the county in their home state.
County/State/Town names can be the same and can cause confusion. For instance, if a census taker asked where someone was from and they said, “Ohio.” They might have meant the county or town instead of the state, which results in unexplained data in the records.