In other words…
So for the last week The Legal Genealogist has been whimpering on a daily basis.
Is that a capital L or a capital B? A lower case e or n or u?
Yep, since — like about one-sixth of all Americans — I have German ancestry, I have been trying to learn at least the basics of the two main ways German records will be written: in German Gothic script and in the published font called Fraktur.
And just in case you’re thinking to yourself that this can’t really be all that hard, you tell me what each of these words are in the Gothic script:
And trust me: since those are produced by a standard German Gothic script font, instead of being in some clergyman’s or clerk’s handwriting, those are easy to read. Here’s a relatively modern (1884), relatively easy-to-read fill-in-the-blanks section of a marriage record:
Right.
And though I do read Fraktur reasonably well thanks to high school and college courses, those were in the now far distant past, so I have some troubles distinguishing some letters. Like these:
That’s why I sat there day after day, hour after hour, learning from Warren Bittner and his team at this past week’s virtual Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy.
Now… after only a week of this… I am not going to pretend that I can now easily and quickly read the dozens and dozens of documents I have on my German family.
But I was really pleasantly surprised when I sat down this morning with this real-life 1884 example — the identification of the first witness to the civil registration of my great grandparents’ marriage in Bremen — and was able to read every single word.
Easily? No.
Quickly? Not a chance.
But completely? For the first time ever, yes.
Not just the names — which are, after all, written in regular script — and the numbers… but every single word, including the boilerplate.
Instead of just noting that the witness was Gerhard Nuckel, age 33 who lived at number 22 of some street in Bremen, I can now identify him as a box cutter, age 33, who lived at Neanderstrasse No. 22 in Bremen, and that his identity was verified by legitimation papers he submitted.
And with that information I can identify him as an uncle, just nine years older than his nephew-bridegroom.
Sigh…
Do I like this verdammt German Gothic script? No.
But am I oh-so-very-grateful for the chance to learn to read some of it? You betcha.
And if you also have German ancestors and you ever get the chance to take the course in German Gothic script and Fraktur from Warren Bittner and his team, do it.
Cite/link to this post: Judy G. Russell, “Diese verdammte deutsche Schrift,” The Legal Genealogist (https://www.legalgenealogist.com/blog : posted 15 Jan 2022).
I’d love to take it, too, because I hate deciphering it. That said, those four words….Bitter, Fitter/Sitter, Litter, Gitter? I’m used to reading Bergmeister and Echerer but it’s been quite a while since I’ve done it.
You’ve just proved my point. Bitter, Sitter, Litter, Hitter!
Please post one of these (relatively easy) German script stumpers each day. We all need practice. 🙂 I was close, but didn’t get the “Bitter, Sitter, Litter, Hitter” correct.
If I posted one every day, the French and Russians and others would get annoyed with me!!! 🙂
Yeah, I guessed right!
Figured you would! 🙂
Are you gonna tell us the answer to the letters questions? Are they just upper and lower case R & T – guess from someone who has no German at all, but did painfully learn mediaeval English scripts when transcribing a parish register
Tough, aren’t they? In the first Fraktur example, the first letter is a capital R and the second is a capital K. And in the second Fraktur example, the first letter is a capital I and the second a capital J.
I feel your pain! German Kurrentschrift is something I’m still struggling with. I’ll have to check out that SLIG course.
Another great resource that I find immensely helpful is Hoffman and Shea’s German genealogical translation guide, available in print or as an ebook, here: https://langline.com/books/in-their-words-volume-iv-german/
After lots of practice with their Russian translation guide, I’m at the point where I’m actually comfortable reading Russian vital records for my Polish ancestors. I just haven’t had a chance to really put the time in with the German records, yet. Good luck!
I feel your pain! I have the same problems with registers in Alsace for certain periods.
Judy- For those who are struggling with translation or don’t have the time, there is a German transcription & translation group on YahooGroups that is free & completely supported by volunteers. I have a large number of documents my great-grandfather brought with him from Germany, & the group of volunteers has translated most of them over the last 10 years for me. It’s time intensive, limited to a page at a time, but an amazing service by a world-wide group of amazing volunteers.
And an equally free and excellent group on Facebook, and … Yep, lots of help out there.
I used to cheat as my parents were still alive and were able to read it, having learned to read and write this way as children in Germany. After my Dad passed away I was “on my own.” Like you, I then had to learn to read this “Verdammte Schrift.”
Thanks for the laugh.