Many primary sources were not typed or printed but, rather, written by hand. If you don’t have experience reading old handwriting, this can seem like a daunting roadblock to doing historical research (in this case, into a WWII Veteran or Service member). Fortunately, it is easy to develop this skill armed with just a few strategies.
Why start with the census? When learning to read handwriting, the census is a great first source. Most census workers wrote with a similar handwriting style and repeated the same words. Column headers provide useful context for guessing the words. Finally, the entries are usually brief!
Census Bureau poster with the message “It’s Your America! Help the Ten-Year Roll Call,” 1940. (Library of Congress)
Remember: Even trained historians with years of experience can struggle to identify every last word on the page. It helps to be patient with yourself and reframe your goal. Can you identify which words matter most to your research and focus on them? Can you read enough words to get a general idea of what they mean?
Diagram of “Hand, Finger and Penholder Studies” in Palmer’s Penmanship Budget, New York: The A. N. Palmer Company, 1919, p 10. (Internet Archive)
Over the next few lessons, you will gain (and practice) some basic strategies for reading unfamiliar historical handwriting. You will be able to start reading the census.