Webmaster's Footnote

The following article appeared in the Spring 1998 issue of The Freeholder, the history magazine published by the Historical Society. We have reproduced the article here in its entirety for the light it sheds on the process of transcribing historical documents.

ST. DOM'S STUDENTS ASSIST SOCIETY WITH ARCHIVAL COLLECTION

By Christina Gentile

Since October, a group of students from the National Honor Society at St. Dominic High School have been transcribing historical documents in order for them to be posted on the website of the Oyster Bay Historical Society. Under the direction of Dr. M. J. Hanophy, moderator of the National Honor Society, and Mr. Kuehhas, Director of the Historical Society, we have fully transcribed approximately twenty documents to date, which varied from standard deeds to one widow's cure for cancer. One of these was a deed which was approximately 1,500 words long and described in great detail the land and buildings that were sold.

We have discovered that the writing instrument and paper used affected the neatness of the writing. Earlier documents generally contained smaller script and the writers tended to run words together. This occurred because the quill pens used had to be constantly re-dipped in ink, and writers were trying to save time. An innovation that made writing faster was a hole in the tip, which acted as a reservoir for ink and allowed more flowing letters to be produced. In 1830, the steel tip was introduced and replaced quills. Another factor in the condition of the document was the paper used. Most of the documents are in good condition because the paper used was stronger than it is now, and some splits along the folds and fading are the only exceptions. Another observation made was that land surveyors did not have the same quality of writing as recorders.

The style of writing in most of these documents was unique to each individual scribe. Virtually no punctuation was used, but certain shorthand symbols are used for words or phrases that are repeated often, such as "executors and administrators" or "aforesaid." Similarities in letters often led to confusion; for example, an "s" often appeared be an "f." Another aspect of transcription is that in many deeds or wills, there are many redundancies in order to prevent confusion, and unfamiliar legal terms are common.

To see the completed transcriptions, visit the Historical Society's website at http://members.aol.com/OBHistory.