Tips on learning archaic German cursive?
Could someone point me to a guide on German cursive writing? This may be the single most difficult aspect of interpreting German family records!
My background - I've had some German in college, though I've never learned it well, but between my rudmentary knowledge and online translation, I'm good with translating German written in plain text. But cursive is a whole magnitude more difficult - I find other people's cursive writing difficult enough in English, and add to that it's the cursive version of an archaic alphabet, and I often find old German records simply undecipherable. Anyway, I'd love to get my skills up in this area, so would appreciate pointers.
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Hello Peter,
Have you tried this three-part tutorial on old German script: https://www.familysearch.org/help/helpcenter/lessons/old-german-script-part-1
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You're welcome, Peter. Yes, this tutorial is a good place to start and then you should practice, practice, practice reading the different images posted here in the Geman Genealogy Research community. Good luck!
Robert Seal_1
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@PeterWerner3 We are so glad you have joined our German community - It is a great place to get help and to help others! We have a lot of talented, experienced participants here.
Most of the time, it is best to use "ask a question" - do this by selecting the arrow to the right of "new discussion". Asking a question allows you to accept the answer or let us know you would like more help. (I was able to change this post to a question for you.)
Be sure to review the links at the top of our community page for some great resources. We look forward to hearing from you. We are so glad you are part of this great community!
Thanks for being patient as we sometimes must wait for a response to come from a volunteer with the needed skill set. It is always good if you include the identification number of the person in question in Family Search Family Tree so we can see the bigger picture.
We look forward to your comments and questions.
Enjoy today! Cindy Jarvis
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That looks like the kind of thing I was looking for! Sorry I missed that in the resource list - I saw a few things at the top of the page, but didn't see that there was more content (including that link) if I scrolled over.
Peter
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Exactly my problem,altough i can read ,write and understand some basic German , cursive reading is entirely different.Good link Robert,i will use it , also nice that it is made by Mr Juengling.!
Adrie
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Yes, you couldn't hope for a better instructor than @Fritz Juengling!
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Thank you for the kind remarks about my teaching.
I should point out that my friend and colleague, Charlotte Champenois, also has a German script series in the learning center. Both series should be viewed, as they are not just a copy of the other. You will learn different things in each series.
See this link for Charlotte's series: https://www.familysearch.org/help/helpcenter/lessons/german-paleography-seminar-introduction
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@Thanks mr Juengling, I will try Charlotte's series starting this evening, yours also , and will dump this German Cursive to my printer,print some good examples to have in front of me.long time no see, btw , glad you are still in the trenches!
Adrie
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@Adrien Kintziger make sure you download the handout, and have it ready while you are watching the tutorials. Practicing the script also helps.
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Thanks Anette, but something came my way that is preventing to dig in right now. My brother is diagnosed with a braintumor, and will have an operation next week.But i will take it up later, thanks for the attention!
Adrie @Annette Unrau Adams
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@Adrien Kintziger I am glad that you are putting your brother first under such difficult circumstances. I am seeing your response now, knowing that this is your brothers big week, gentle hugs to both of you, and holding you both in my prayers.
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