Getting a Grip on Difficult Handwriting, Feb 13, 2010

[DPowell]

PCHS Genealogy Club Meeting
 
The next meeting of the  Passaic County Historical Society Genealogy Club will be held on Saturday, February 13th .  The meeting will start at 10 a.m. at Lambert Castle, 3 Valley Road,  Paterson, NJ. (In the event of inclement weather, please call the PCHS at 973-247-0085 for cancellation information.)
 
A program by professional genealogist Daniel Donatacci, MA, MFA, MLIS, will follow the business meeting.
 
Mr. Donatacci’s talk titled Palaeographically Speaking: Getting a Grip on Difficult Handwriting, will cover the basics of palaeography, or the study of handwriting, for the genealogist.  It will include discussions of the following: how to transcribe a document, general handwriting styles (secretary hand, Italic hand, etc.), what geography and time period mean for handwriting and its legibility, how best to practice recognizing letters, the use of context, abbreviations and contractions, Arabic and Roman numerals, obsolete letter forms (long s, thorn, etc.), dates, and other topics.  The discussion will focus on the Roman alphabet, though other writing systems may be referred to.  A handout packet containing a concise text version of the presentation will distributed.

 
Annita Zalenski
PCHSGC President