New hobby

[cozmik_cowboy]

One of my sister hipped me to a thing the National Archives & Records Administration are doing called "Citizen Archivists".  You log in and transcribe documents from NARA's holdings so they are searchable online; they were particularly looking for those who of us can read cursive, so they will also be legible (even to those born after 1990......).
As I have a certain amount of experience at deciphering historical handwriting - and, sick pup that I am, actually enjoy it - but could rarely find someone to to pay for my talents, I have decided to use them for the common good; registered this afternoon.
I plan to start on "Letters received at the Freedman's Bureau, April-December 1866".
What fun!


Peter

[cozmik_cowboy]

And another one; I have just been accepted as member of Rep. Lauren Underwood's Congress Advisory Council (where I can urge my pinko leanings on the actual US gubbamint)!

Peter

[peoplechipper]

nice!

[pauldo]

That really sounds cool.

Recently my brother shared an ‘autograph’ book of a Great Aunt from the early 1900’s.  It was like a high school yearbook, but no pictures.  Just writings from friends.   Some of the cursive handwriting is immaculate, and artistic.   Some looked like scratches.   Fun to ‘hear’ the lingo of the time.

[cozmik_cowboy]

That really sounds cool.

Recently my brother shared an ‘autograph’ book of a Great Aunt from the early 1900’s.  It was like a high school yearbook, but no pictures.  Just writings from friends.   Some of the cursive handwriting is immaculate, and artistic.   Some looked like scratches.   Fun to ‘hear’ the lingo of the time.

And the different writing conventions.  A lot of my reading of original documents has been from the 1855-1915 period; one of my favorite obsolete usages is "&tc."

Peter

[sonicus]

One of the skills that my Father gained as a Marine Cartographer / Merchant Chart Maker and bridge officer as a European merchant sailor, was free hand calligraphic Fraktor Font with an ink pen that was widely used in the 16th to early 20th century, till the earliest 1940s. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Schriftzug_Fraktur.svg