Hello All ! The old handwriting is quite difficult to read, isn't it ? The orthography in the old times was not fixed and so it is sometimes difficult to read words. The 'y' letter is called 'why' in english but it is called 'greak i' in french. That explains the origin of this strange letter. In the past it was used as an equivalent of the 'i'. But as it looks more elaborated in the handwriting it replaced the 'i' mostly in the endings. So do not wonder there's a dot over it. In some signatures of my ancesters some have an 'i', some a 'y with one dot' and some a 'y with two dots' and all this signatures are on the same document ! Guillaume - Mulhouse ----- Message d'origine ----- De : Bud Konrad À : SWITZERLAND-L@rootsweb.com Envoyé : vendredi 5 novembre 1999 22:40 Objet : [SWITZ] Script Letters There is a script letter that I don't understand, and thought that someone on the List may be able to help me. One of the names that I am researching is Fleury, or at least that is how it was spelled in US records. Looking fot cases in Switzerland, I found it spelled both Flury, and Fluri. When I finally got to the proper church records of baptism, it is spelled as Flur- and the last hand written letter is a script "y", with a single dot over the letter, much like an unlauted letter, but with a single dot. In looking through the church books, I see that every word ending in y, has a dot over it. Does anyone know it this is really a "y", or an "i"? Bud Konrad ==== SWITZERLAND Mailing List ==== Going on vacation? Gone longer than 4 days? mail to Switzerland-L-request@rootsweb.com subject line: unsubscribe nothing in message