Handwriting guide
Each line should begin with a * and end with a hard return. This will help us format the text into a spreadsheet for analysis in the future.
When transcribing your page, be sure to include a pound sign (#) between columns to show where the column breaks between text. See the example here and below:
* Names # When Appointed # When Resigned # When Transferred # When Expelled # In Whose Place Appointed # Remarks
* Archibald Young # Oct 1, 1855 # Sept 1, 1867 # - # - # - # R Corpus Company # -
If a column has no text, or a line through it, indicate this with a dash (-). If a column has a quote mark (") or Do/do, this indicates ditto, meaning "same as above." Copy the information from above where ditto/do/" is indicated on your page.
In some places, like the image below, you'll have text in the Remarks or other columns which will run down over multiple rows. In this case, start the transcription of the first line where the block of text starts, and continue on this line so that all the text from "Remarks" is together on one line.
In the image above, the "Time allowed" text that runs over three columns and the "Remarks" column has been transcribed like this:
Names # Appointments # Resignation # Transfers # Expulsions # In Whose Place Appointed # Remarks
J C Cryler, Foreman # Aug 11, 1845 # April 4, 1864 # - # - # - # Officers Confirmed Nov 16/55 Foreman, J C Cryler, 1st Asst R M Goldwait, 2nd Asst W McCall, Secy E A Class, Treas H J Wilson
R M Goldwait, 1st Asst. # Dec 5, 1853 # Jan 1, 1859 # - # - # - # -
O Steele Jr, 2nd Asst. # Dec 5, 1853 # Sept [7] 1859 # - # - # - # -
H J Wilson, Treas # May 4, 1857 # Dec 17, 1860 # - # - # - # -
G H [T]readrode, Secry # May 4, 1857 # Jan 25, 1858 # Time allowed from June 10 ride minutes 1856 to May 4, 1857 from Jany 5, 1863 to Jany 5, 1865 Common Council Oct 15, 1866. # - # - # -
The handwriting in many places might be unfamiliar, and many of the names are abbreviated. If names or months are abbreviated, transcribe the abbreviation exactly rather than trying to guess the name. You might be wrong in your guess, so it's better to transcribe what you see on the page as closely as possible.
Try starting with familiar looking letters and dates to get a feel for the handwriting, then return to words you're not familiar with and compare the letters against other letters you're more sure of. In the example above, "George W. Haws" has been abbreviated as "Geo W Haws." The G and the H might be unfamiliar, but compare against this name:
The G is pretty clear and matches the G in Geo. W Haws. The rest of this name is very unfamiliar because it's an uncommon first name and the writing from other names overlaps the last name. T often looks like J in this handwriting, and u, n, m, and i sometimes run together. The name above is "Teunis G. Vischer" If you're making a guess, compare against other words on your page like "Time allowed" in the first image.
The letter s and n are sometimes difficult to spot--in the above image, the n looks more like a u and the s looks almost like an e, in "E. L. Pendergrast." If you're not sure about a name, try a quick google search--"Peudergrast" doesn't turn up any hits, but "Pendergrast" does, meaning it's more common.
Letters were often formed very differently. In the image above, the cursive connection between the first and second letters makes this P look like an R, while the loop on the last p isn't closed all the way, making this "Philip."
German immigrants sometimes kept a special character in their name that represented an s or "long s." In the above image, John V S Vischer has a long s in the middle of his last name.
Sometimes a name is really hard to decipher and it's not clear where one letter stops and another starts. The name above might be "L Sammams," "L Sammins," or "L Samnims." If you're not sure, write the word you're not sure about in square brackets like this: "[L Sammins]" to indicate that you're not sure and tell others to take a second look in the future.