Reading Old Handwriting: Palaeography for Beginners

The double-s problem

Up to about 1820, a long "s" (ſ) was used at the start and middle of words. That's why "Congreſs" in old documents looks like "Congrefs." Your brain adjusts in about twenty minutes, but the first page is a slog.

Abbreviations you'll see constantly

• Ye — "The" (the y is a survival of the Anglo-Saxon letter þ, thorn).

• Jno — "John."

• Geo — "George."

• Mrs — "Mistress," not "missus," up until the 1800s.

• inst / ult — "this month" / "last month."

One tip that helps more than any other

Find the signature at the end of the document first. You now know how that scribe makes their capital letters. Work backwards from there.