Translation & Transcription Exercises:

Record 1 - Church Death Record - Hessen - Intermediate
Record 2 - Church Marriage Record - Mecklenburg-Schwerin - Beginning
Record 3 - Church Birth Record - Baden - Intermediate
Record 4 - Church Death Record - Erie County, New York - Beginning
Record 5 - Church Birth Record - Baden - Intermediate
Record 6 - Church Birth Record - Baden - Beginning
Record 7 - Church Birth Record - Schleswig-Holstein - Beginning
Record 8 - Church Birth Record - Württemberg - Intermediate
Record 9 - Church Marriage Record - Mecklenburg-Schwerin - Intermediate
Record 10 - Church Death Records - Schleswig-Holstein - Intermediate
Record 11 - Church Death Records - Switzerland - Beginning
Record 12 - Church Birth Record - Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach - Beginning
Record 13 - Church Birth Record - Schleiz, Schleiz, Reuss jüngere Linie - Beginning
Record 14 - Church Birth Records - Mecklenburg-Strelitz - Advanced
Record 15 - Church Marriage Records - Sachsen - Intermediate
Record 16 - Church Death Record - Mecklenburg-Schwerin - Intermediate
Record 17 - Church Marriage Record - Mecklenburg-Strelitz - Advanced

German Paleography Resources

Welcome to the German Transcription and Translation Exercises. These pages have been created to provide those learning to read old German church and civil records with sample documents accompanied by accurate transcriptions and translations for use in improving our reading skills.

Learning to read old German documents can be very challenging, but also very rewarding. Practice is critical, even for those who have been reading these records for years. I hope that you will find these pages helpful in improving your reading skills. Below you will see an example page with callouts explaining some features that may be useful.

Thoughts and Tips

Thoughts. Although I have been researching German records for over 20 years I still consider myself an intermediate-level reader, and I don’t think I will ever be more than that. But that’s okay. The only way, in my opinion, someone ever becomes more than intermediate in their reading skills is if they read old German records almost every day and if they speak the language. I don’t speak the language and I don’t read every day. But, for most of us, intermediate reading skills are enough to understand most of the available records. We may miss a few words, but in most cases, the information of genealogical value can be understood. As a volunteer at the Family History Library, I have the opportunity to work with some of the best German researchers in the world and learn from them. Even when working with these advanced readers, there are times when even they can’t make out a word or two in a document! So, don’t worry if you can’t figure out a word or two here and there. You can be successful in reading old German records.

A few tips. 1. Slow down and give yourself time to adjust to the handwriting. One of the best readers I have ever seen always takes a few minutes when he first encounters a new document to look over the record and the page—he’s getting used to the handwriting. When he’s ready he will begin to discuss what he’s reading. When doing our own research we get used to reading the records from a parish where we have many ancestors. We become accustomed to the handwriting of the priest or scribe. When we begin researching a new jurisdiction we sometimes feel like we can’t read anything! We feel like we’ve lost our ability. This is pretty normal. We have to adjust to the handwriting of the person who wrote those records all over again. Over time we become accustomed to another person’s handwriting and become comfortable again. Then we begin researching another place and go through the same process. So, variety is important in improving our reading skills. For that reason, I am trying to provide examples here from a variety of places, timeframes, and original authors. 2. Read the whole page. As you look at these documents, click the image link where available, to see the whole page (or two). By seeing the whole document you can compare words and letters to help you decipher challenging words. 3. Look for repetitive patterns. Most priests repeated the structure and keywords that they used constantly. This is particularly true in older, shorter records. 4. Ask for help. Don’t feel embarrassed if you need help with a document. We all need help from each other. 6. Be patient with yourself and enjoy the challenge of reading these old documents. Make it fun!

Special thanks to Charlotte Noelle Champenois, AG® for reviewing and editing these transcriptions and translations for accuracy. Whatever errors there are, are my mistakes.