german gothic

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RESOURCE GUIDE

Handwriting Guide: German Gothic

PURPOSE

Reading old German records requires a knowledgeof basic German genealogical terms and familiaritywith German handwriting. Difficulty in reading arecord may not result from a record keepers poorpenmanship but rather the use of a different styleof handwriting. As most early German documentswere written in some form of Gothic handwritingor printing, familiarity with this style of writingwill aid in deciphering early German records. Thisguide introduces common Gothic letters, type, and

handwriting used in German records.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Two major styles of writing emerged in Europe:Gothic, which has been used since the ninthcentury, andRoman, also known asAntigua orLatin. Roman eventually became the standardthroughout most of western Europe, Canada, andthe United States, but the Gothic style prevailed inGermany until 1941, in the Czech Republicthrough the 1700s, and in Scandinavia and theBaltic countries through the nineteenth century.

You may find Gothic or Latin handwriting stylesused alone or together in the same German record.For example, names and headings may be writtenin one style and the text of the document inanother.

The chart included with this guide lists both thestandard printed and handwritten Gothic forms ofthe German alphabet and their Romancounterparts. Since handwriting varies from personto person, the handwriting in your record may varyfrom the forms shown on the chart.

You may also find variations of Gothic script. Invarious regions of the German Empire, slightvariations of Gothic handwriting and typedeveloped. Variants included Schwabacher andthe more formal German Fraktur.

When printing by moveable type was invented,typefaces were based on the handwriting styles ofthe time. Two major styles emerged correspondingto the two handwriting styles: Gothic, withpointed, heavy-bodied letters, and Roman, withlighter, more simple letters.

GERMAN ALPHABET

German has all 26 letters used in the Englishalphabet, plus a few additional letters: umlautedvowels, , and and an Eszett, . Specificinformation about these additional letters is givenlater.

There is often no distinction made between thecapitalI, and the capitalJ,). They may berepresented by the same letter whether printed orhandwritten and may be also indexed as the same

letter. When followed by a vowel the letter is aconsonant,Jand when followed by a consonant, itis a vowel,I. For example:

-XOL(Juli) = JulyGHU-XQJH (der Junge) = boyGLH,GHH (die Idee) = the idea

GLH,QVHO(die Insel = the island)

PRINTED GOTHIC

Books or forms published with Gothic typeset canbe difficult for someone to read. Some of the

Gothic letters are similar to Roman style print, butothers are quite different. The following letterswill probably seem unfamiliar at first: N (k) ,[(x),* (G), + (H), 6 (S),(), and 7 (T). In addition,as several of the letters are very similar, you willalso need to pay particular attention to the smalldistinguishing characteristics to be able to readtyped Gothic. These include the letters:

$and8(A and U), VandI (s and f)%9and (B, V, and ) Eand Y(b and v)&and((C and E) NandW(k and t)

*and

6(G and S)

Qand

X(n and u)

.and5K and R Uand[(r and x)1and5(N and R) Yand\ (v and y)

There are some tricks that will help you recognizeGothic letters. Note which letters extend below theline of writing and which extend above. Someletters extend both above and below. Some lettersextend neither above nor below, such as the lettera.


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SUGGESTED READING

Dozensof guides and handbooks have beenwritten to assist people in reading German Gothicscript. Studying these books will help you to seevariations of the script. Most guides forgenealogists include examples of names,occupations, and genealogical terms showing howthey look in both Roman and Gothic handwriting.

The following is an excellent introductory guide toreading names and genealogical records. It wasproduced to help people who are unfamiliar withGothic script:

German Records Extraction&Script Exercises. SaltLake City, Utah: Family History Library,1980. (FHL book 943 D27gs; film 1224522item 1.)

Other helpful guides include the following:

Bentz, Edna M.If I Can, You Can: DecipheringGermanic Records. San Diego, Calif.: EdnaM. Bentz, 1982. (FHL book 943 G3b;computer number 0170537.)

Mashey, Anne B.A Guide to Olde GermanHandwriting of the Mid-1800s forGenealogists, Researchers, Antiquers.Wexford, Pa.: Anne B. Mashey, 1982. (FHLbook 943 G37n no.2; computer number0205085.)

Storrer, Norman J., and Larry O. Jensen.A

Genealogical and Demographic Handbook ofGerman Handwriting, 17th%19th Centuries.Pleasant Grove, Utah: Norman J. Storrer,1977. (FHL book 943 G3sj; computer number0246694.)

Verdenhalven, Fritz.Die deutsche Schrift&TheGerman Script: Ein bungsbuch [an exercisebook]. Neustadt an der Aisch: Verlag Degener& Co., 1991. (FHL book 943 G37v; computernumber 0651425.)

COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS

The Family History Library welcomes commentsand corrections intended to improve futureeditions of this guide. Please send yoursuggestions to:

Publications CoordinationFamily History Library

35 North West TempleSalt Lake City, Utah 84150USA

We appreciate the archivists, librarians, and otherswho have reviewed this outline and shared helpfulinformation.

1999 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.Printed in the USA. English approval: 12/99

No part of this document may be reprinted, posted on-line, orreproduced in any form for any purpose without the prior

written permission of the publisher. Send all requests for suchpermission to:

Copyrights and Permissions CoordinatorFamily History Department50 E. North Temple StreetSalt Lake City, Utah 84150-3400USAFax: 801-240-2494

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