Basic Tips for Transcribing Handwritten Historical Documents (mid-1800s to 1960s)
The following are very basic guidelines and tips for transcribing handwritten historical documents from the 1800s through the 1960s. These guidelines have been compiled from other transcription guides and tips sheets by the University of Houston-Clear Lake Archives and Special Collections, specifically to be used by UHCL History Program classes for transcription assignments. These tips are structured to make it as easy as possible for those with no possible experience reading or interpreting United States historical handwritten documents. We will cite in the guidelines the sources from which we took--in many cases directly with some slight edits or additions--the instructions and tips.
Basic Guidelines [Resources 1-3]
Spelling, Punctuation, and Abbreviations [Resources 1-3]
Writing Styles to Be Aware of
V-mail, short for “Victory mail,” was a particular postal system put into place during the war to drastically reduce the space needed to transport mail thus freeing up room for other valuable supplies. Although the V-mail system was only used between June 1942 and November 1945, over 1 billion items were processed through these means. Officially entitled the “Army Micro Photographic Mail Service,” War Department Pamphlet No. 21-1 describes V-mail as “an expeditious mail program which provides for quick mail service to and from soldiers overseas. A special form is used which permits the letter to be photographed in microfilm. The small film is transported and then reproduced and delivered. Use of V-mail is urged because it greatly furthers the war effort by saving shipping and airplane space.”
An important part of the V-mail system was the use of a standardized stationery which combined the letter and envelope into one piece of paper. Even without microfilming, this was a great space-saving measure. The form was a sheet specially designed by the Government Printing Office and was provided free of charge by the Post Office at the rate of two sheets per person per day. Consumers could also purchase sheets made by different sanctioned providers. All of the paper used for V-mail had to be the same size and weight so that the pages could be fed into the processing machine for microfilming. The way one wrote on the letter also played a big part in whether one would ultimately be able to read the reduced version. Users of V-mail were instructed: “Use typewriter, dark ink, or dark pencil. Faint or small writing is not suitable for photographing.” The original forms could accommodate up to 700 typed words. Despite instruction, there was still some confusion about the use of V-mail.
The Post office, the War, and Navy Departments worked together in the complicated V-mail operation. There were three giant postal centers in New York, San Francisco, and Chicago. All of the mail was funneled through these centers. Kodak trained filmers to work with the Recordak machines. The military was then responsible for transporting the reels overseas. The V-mail station overseas would print and distribute. Some centers had machines that would open and flatten the letters before filming, but most were prepared by hand. Censors would also read each letter before they were filmed. Because they were going to be filmed, the letters had to be blacked out rather than cut out should they contain any sensitive material.
The Recordak could film 40 letters per minute and 1600 letters were accommodated per roll. The clerks assigned numbers to each V-mail, which corresponded to reel numbers. Each sender station kept the original copies as backups until they were notified by the receiving station that the reel had been properly transmitted. At the receiver station, clerks reproduced each frame onto photographic paper. Because of this there was the claim that no V-mail was ever lost. This was a selling point in the use of V-mail. It was supposed to be a more secure mail system. All V-mail was sent air mail, so it was also quicker. V-mail was also free of charge for all servicemen.
V-Mail had its drawbacks. It was somewhat limiting in that only certain number of words could be used. Since the photo prints were ¼ size of the original letter, if the print was too small then the final product was unreadable. Some stores actually sold special “V-mail readers,” magnifying glasses so that readers could decipher the reduced print.
General Writing Style Notes
1. "Help Transcribe the Casey Family Papers" guide, Historic New England website, viewed online at https://www.historicnewengland.org/explore/library-archives/casey-family-papers-archive/help-transcribe-the-casey-family-papers/
2. "CRKN Transcription Guidelines," Canadian Research Knowledge Network website, viewed online at https://www.crkn-rcdr.ca/en/crkn-transcription-guidelines
3. "Transcription Instructions and Tips," Nantucket Historical Association website, viewed online at https://nha.org/research/the-collections/transcribe-the-collections/transcription-instructions-and-tips/
4. Jessie Kratz, "The Long S," Pieces of History blog, National Archives and Records Administration, written on December 14, 2021, https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2021/12/14/the-long-s/
5. Jessie Kratz, "Across and Down: An Unusual Civil War Letter," Pieces of History blog, National Archives and Records Administration, written on December 22, 2021, viewed online at https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2021/12/22/across-and-down-an-unusual-civil-war-letter/
6. Information taken directly from the website https://thepalmermethod.com/
7. "From the Collection: Mail Call: V-mail," December 7, 2019, National World War II Museum, viewed online at https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/mail-call-v-mail
8. "Beguine (dance)," Wikipedia, viewed online at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beguine_(dance)
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