Transcribing Handwritten Documents

1. Archival Research Basics with the National Archives Lesson # 10 Transcribing HandwrittenDocuments The National Archives and Records Administration Pacific Alaska Region Seattle, Washington & Anchorage, Alaska 9/1/2009

2. What does “transcribe” mean? tran·scribe  (tr n-skr b ) tr.v.tran·scribed, tran·scrib·ing, tran·scribes 1. To make a full written or typewritten copy of (dictated material, for example)…. www.thefreedictionary.com

3. Why would anyone NEED to transcribe a document? • Perhaps you work with someone who has difficulty reading handwriting. • Perhaps you want to know if a well-known transcription was done correctly. • Maybe you would like to know something Thomas Jefferson had to say about Indians and perhaps the document that tells us has never been transcribed.(Actually BILLIONS of original documents have never been transcribed.)

4. So what DID Thomas Jefferson have to say? Here is what the original of an example of his opinion looks like.

9. Questions • Do you think Thomas Jefferson wrote the letter himself? • Why? • Why not? • Did the person who wrote the letter have good handwriting? Is it easy to read? (Some are more difficult than others.) • Is it IMPOSSIBLE for you to read?

10. Now, let’s look at a partly transcribed version of the same document. Confidential. Gentlemen of the Senate and of the House of Representatives. As the continuance of the Act for establishing trading houses with the Indian tribes will be under the consideration of the legislature at it’s present session, I think it my duty to communicate the views which have guided me in the execution of that act; in order that you may decide on the policy of continuing it, in the present or any other form, or to discontinue it altogether if that shall, on the whole, seem most for the public good. The Indian tribes residing within the limits of the US. Have for a considerable time been growing more and more uneasy at the constant diminution of the territory they occupy, altho’ effected by their own voluntary sales; and the policy has long been gaining strength with them of refusing absolutely all further sale on any conditions. Insomuch that, at this time, it ha_ards their friendship and excites dangerous jealousies & perturbations in their minds to make any overture for the purchase of the smallest portions of their land, a very few tribes only are not yet obstinately in these dispositions. In order peaceably to counteract this policy of theirs …

11. Now, wouldn’t you want to know what else he had to say? So here is one clue … • The double letters, “ss” at the time was most often written to look similar to a script “fs”. In Jefferson’s letter “session” looks like this: • Also, you might have noticed that when I came to a word I couldn’t read or figure out, I put a line in the place of the questionable letter. This is common practice in transcriptions. Let’s not guess. We might be wrong.

12. Consider the Time-period … You can see from that last example that letters were sometimes written differently during different periods of time. There are several books on the market that can help you with very early handwriting. You won’t need them for most American documents after the turn of the 19th century.

13. Put documents in context So … where did I get that document and what did the archivists that put it there have to say about it? Archivists usually look at documents pretty carefully. Maybe they can give me some clues as to what it says before I even begin. In this case, it is online at www.archives.gov/research/arc and the ARC # is 306698.

14. Put documents in context

15. Put documents in context You can see from the details provided by the archivists that: • This letter was “written” by Thomas Jefferson • It was part of a message given to the 7th Congress • It was found in the records of the House of Representatives • There is a lesson plan associated with this document, entitled “lewis-clark.” A ha! Maybe it is transcribed already.

17. Oh, well … It was worth a try. But it did help to put the documents in context, right? So, let’s try the Scope and Content note in the ARC description, maybe it can tell us something …

19. A HA! Now that we know that, we can, perhaps figure out some of the handwritten words more easily.

20. What does Jefferson want to encourage the Indians to do? • Take up farming? • Give up hunting in the forests because it takes up a lot of acreage to practice that lifestyle?

21. And then … So … why did Jefferson want “trading houses?” Did you figure out the word possession that was hyphenated across lines?

22. In Review … Place the document in context. Note the citation (if there is one) … What agency or person created the documents? What agency had the document in it’s possession? How are the documents filed? Was there a special filing plan that might help you figure out more about the documents themselves? Who wrote the documents? When were they written?

23. An idea … If there is more than one document in a series to transcribe, place copies of related documents in chronological order. They will make more sense this way. (NOTE: Originals should ALWAYS be kept in their original order.)

24. Start the transcription Skim over the document. What issue/issues are revealed in your first review? Get a general idea of the subject of the document. Read the document one time completely as best you can Familiarize yourself with the general tone of the document.

25. Use a typewriter(so you don’t have to try to figure out your OWN handwriting.) Begin the typewritten transcription (it is often advisable and a lot more fun to work with a friend) • Write obvious words first, leaving a line (____________) for words you cannot figure out. • If a word in the document is misspelled or misused, use the original spelling. We are transcribing, not editing.

26. For words you can’t figure out … Look at each letter in the word you are trying to decipher, particularly the first letter. • Do any other “obvious” words in the document have that letter in them that will help you figure out the word in question? • Think of all the possible letters. T, L, and S often look alike. Other letters and numbers also look alike, such as O, Q, 2 and M, N, H. • If the document is faint or unclear, place a sheet of transparent yellow plastic over the document. This often clears up the resolution and makes the document more readable.

27. Need help? National Archives volunteers and staff have usually practiced transcription many times. In the process of creating indexes to the records, they have looked at handwritten documents thousands of times. As always …

28. Assignment 4 • Using the sample documents accompanying this lesson: • Read the citations on all of the documents. • Review the typewritten document to help place the other documents in context. • Type “Chugach National Forest” into the search box at www.archives.gov/research/arc and read the “scope and content note” for Correspondence Relating to the Creation of National Forests in Alaska, compiled 1903 - 1911 . • Choose one page of the handwritten documents and do a typewritten transcription of that page, leaving blank lines for words you can’t figure out. • Write a paragraph describing what you discovered. • Send the page you have just transcribed to carol.buswell@nara.gov along with the original handwritten page, the page from ARC, and your paragraph describing what you discovered. • ALSO send the citation you completed in Lesson 6(check it first against what you have done since then) • If you are taking this class for credit this is a REQUIRED and GRADEDassignment.

29. The National Archives Is always willing to help you with your research questions (one at a time, please) Facilities in the Pacific-Alaska Region