Pennsylvania Laws-German Translation
A chance encounter with an 1801 document from Greene County, Pennsylvania got me thinking about early German records in western Pennsylvania
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Stefan Israel
Nov 3, 20233 min read
Why does German Capitalize everything?
Why does German Capitalize everything? If you look at much German, you start to notice- they use a Lot of Capitalization. Not just for nam
276 views
Pamela Israel
Sep 28, 20232 min read
Reading Old German - Free Tutorials
Whether the printed German Gothic (aka Fraktur) or the old German handwriting (Kurrent or Sütterlin), here are a couple free resources to h
514 views
Stefan Israel
Sep 15, 20231 min read
Senior and Junior, occasionally tricky
Senior and Junior. Two Latin words meaning ‘the elder’ and ‘the younger’. Normally it’s straightforward, but here's a cautionary tale.
153 views
Pamela Israel
Aug 17, 20233 min read
Tips for Translating German Church Records: Cheat sheet
Deciphering German church records can be tough. A German translation cheat sheet and a few tips should help you along your way.
1,623 views
Stefan Israel
Aug 3, 20232 min read
The Other French Germans
By 1700, one-fifth of Berlin was French-speaking, and they remained French-speaking until siding with the rest of Germany against Napoleon.
91 views
Stefan Israel
Jul 21, 20235 min read
Fiefdom in a Desk
What challenges of reading an older document, such as a 15th century manuscript, and what can its language tell us? Who, when, where & more!
120 views
Stefan Israel
Jul 6, 20233 min read
Why Couldn’t Shakespeare Get U and V Right?
When you look at old books into the 1600’s, it looks like they mixed u and v up with abandon. Originally, there had only been one letter.
330 views
Pamela Israel
Jun 22, 20233 min read
German Feudal, Fief and Enfeoffment
A 1497 German manuscript stashed in a Boston desk opens a window into German enfeoffments - relationships between feudal lords and vassals.
201 views
Stefan Israel
Jun 8, 20235 min read
Why... do we dot our i's? Minims!
Why do we dot our i's? Minims! Old English and old German writing and printing added the dot to decipher which letter was which. Read on!
184 views
Pamela Israel
May 25, 20233 min read
1497 German Medieval Letter
Part 1 of 3 It's not every day you find a medieval German knight's letter in an old desk. What on earth? Well, Laurence Posner of...
235 views
Stefan Israel
May 11, 20231 min read
What's in a name- George?
Translating names can be tricky. Look at the name George, Jurgen, Georgios, Jorge and Yuri - all the same. Here's some history.
404 views
Stefan Israel
Apr 27, 20235 min read
Punctuation and the Genealogist
A comma, semi-colon or period - different quotation marks in different languages - Agh! What an interesting history to punctuation marks.
91 views
Pamela Israel
Apr 14, 20231 min read
Taxes: English Fleeced to German Plucked
Tax Time: Plucked Chicken - In English we say the tax office fleeces tax payers, Germans say plucked! Translation is fun, isn't it?
55 views
Stefan Israel
Mar 30, 20232 min read
Two Dots and an Umlaut
Unlocking the umlaut. History of the two dots.
455 views
Stefan Israel
Mar 16, 20235 min read
Celtic Footsteps across Germany- the Undarkening Ages
Medieval Irish and Scottish influences still felt in Germany and beyond.
236 views
Pamela Israel
Mar 6, 20231 min read
Milestone Favorites: Language, History & Tips
Unlock Your History launched in 2017! Check out some favorite posts about language history & translating old German, Danish, Swedish.
82 views
Stefan Israel
Jun 14, 20214 min read
How to Spot the Dot
What language belongs to those accents? From German to Norwegian Hungarian or French, see different accents that some languages use.
868 views
Stefan Israel
Apr 2, 20213 min read
Brahms’ Lullaby, the Wiegenlied
Brahms' Lullaby: Genealogy is family, and family is parent and child, and what binds parent and child like a Wiegenlied?
3,078 views
Stefan Israel
Jan 28, 20214 min read
Why Couldn’t My Ancestor Spell Their Name the Same?
You’re tracing your family back, and the spellings sometimes just go crazy.
649 views
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