I have been doing fairly well recently at transcribing some of the wills I have had to download....but just got one from London for a John Archer 1649 that has broken me!Is there anyone out there who might be willing to help me if I send the pdf version of it to them?Any help will be greatly appreciated. Donna TILLINGHAST CaseyMichigan, USA The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it will change; the realist adjusts the sails.
The accessibility of these old records is a real problem for family and local historians alike and sometimes you do really have to persevere to glean the valuable genealogical data that they contain. 17th Century Wills can be very difficult to read and apart from the Commonwealth period, the probate is written in Latin. It's one of those times when the old adage that 'practice makes perfect' is true - the problem is that I have been trying for over 20 years to achieve 'perfection' in reading old documents and I am nowhere near close to that goal. However, it does get easier over time and there are some very useful palaeography books that can help both by providing illustrations of the characteristics of individual letters and also worked examples. I have had some of the following books for some years and they may be out of print now, but your local library may be able to help or you may be able to source second hand copies online: Examples of English Handwriting 1150 to 1750 by Hilda E. P. Grieve, published by Essex Record Office ISBN 0900360313 Elizabethan Handwriting 1500 to 1650 by Giles E. Dawson & Laetitia Kennedy-Skipton, published by Phillimore ISBN 0850334209 English Handwriting 1400 to 1650 by Jean F. Preston & Laetitia Yeandle, published by Medieval & Renaissance Texts & Studies ISBN 0866980865 Palaeography for Family & Local Historians by Hilary Marshall, published by Phillimore ISBN 186077072X However, there are a few things that you can try that might make the job a bit easier: 1 Have you checked to make sure that the Will hasn't been transcribed previously? There are a number of online sources including the SFHG Wills Depository at http://sfhg.org.uk/willstore.html ; the Surrey Plus Wills Index at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~engsurry/ssx.htm ; and for some very useful links try http://www.ukbmd.org.uk/county/sussex/wills/ . 2 As an SFHG Member, you could make use of the Group's Will Transcription Service. Contact probate@sfhg.org.uk for further details. Best wishes, Marion Woolgar Bognor Regis, West Sussex SFHG Member No: 3323