The problem with other handwriting and other forms of writing is that we are spending less time on careful penmanship than was done in years gone by, because we now have mechanical aids for our writing. This is true in all countries, and at all levels of society. Just think of all the problems of deciphering ancient writing: Rosetta Stone help, Dead Sea Scrolls, etc. I have had employment where I needed to decipher writing by others, and I can only admire people who can do it; for example, postal workers. The problem has existed throughout history, and is not about to go away. "Naught endures save mutability!" Eugene M. Wiese 838 Linlawn Drive Wabash, IN 46992-3903 emwiese1@comcast.net ----- Original Message ----- From: "Debbie Greenlee" <daveg@airmail.net> To: <poland-roots@rootsweb.com> Sent: 11 December, 2008 6:30 PM Subject: Re: [POLAND] Interpreting Polish Records found on FHC - LDS films John, I just wanted to add that it takes practice - many have already commented on that. Interestingly, to me, anyway, is that I prefer to read old "Polish" records (in Latin, Polish etc) rather than modern day Polish script. Handwriting in Poland (as in the U.S.) has changed considerably in the past century and I have great difficulty transcribing today's Polish. Debbie John Ruther wrote: > I suppose what I am asking may be fairly obvious to researchers who have > been involved for years in this art, so excuse my naiveté. I have been > researching a Slesin film regarding my Chrapkowski and Borzych families > from the 1830's through 1866. What I have been doing is recording all such > named people and their spouses, knowing full well that some are not > related, others may be distantly related and still others are my > ancestors. After I am finished with this film, I would like to scan an > earlier film in the same manner and, hopefully, then try and put "like > families" together in an attempt to patch together all of my ancestors. > That seems to be everyone's task, I would imagine. > > My complication is simply that the records are in Polish and I, like many > of you, do not speak, read or write the language; so, I am getting a bit > of a linguistic schooling out of all of this work as well. I find it > fascinating, but my inability to understand the language also presents > another issue, and that is, if this search is difficult for me, is it > equally, or maybe to a lessor degree, difficult for the researhers / > transcribers, such as folks working on the Poznan Project, to understand > what the record is saying? > > Recently, and I don't have the example here in front of me, but I found a > marriage record on the film at the FHC. Since it fell within the > parameters of the Poznan Project, I checked that record with the project > to see if my interpretation of what was "hand written by the Priest at the > time" was in sync with the translator from the Poznan Project. Well, what > I interpreted as a capital "B" turned out, on the Poznan Project to be a > "K". What I thought was a "z", was an "r". If it was not for the Poznan > project, I would have had the name completely wrong and future research in > that direction would have been thwarted. > > Then, I thought, how do I know that the Translator for the Poznan Project > was correct? Should I just accept the fact that since I am ignorant of all > language Polish, I should simply say, "I have no other choice. Go with > it."? Which, I indeed did do. > > Then I came across a record of a gentleman whose first name was Felix. It > seems to me to be definitely Felix. I have a relative with the name > Felican and another named Florian, (I think the family was into > alliteration) none of which are on the Poznan Project. So, I am wondering > if there is a web site that lists all Polish "Given Names" which one might > compare a record to. > > I began reading the Univ. of Pitts. Polish Grammar site and, while a bit > confusing, it does help to understand combinations of letters used in the > Polish language. So, if something looks like a "SJCP" you might try a > "SZCZ" instead. But to know whether or not a particular name "fits" the > language would be a boost; if Poles never used the name Felix for example, > then you would know, no matter what it looked like, that Felix was not the > name. (I only use Felix here as an example. I do know that at least one > Pole used the name Felix because he was my Twice Great Granddad.) > > Thank you for any assistance you may have in this regard, > > John > ********************************* Need to contact the list manager? 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