Part 1:The Complete Guide to Deciphering Kurrentschrift (For Non-German Speakers)

Oftentimes the most difficult task for anyone researching their German ancestors is navigating Kurrentschrift.

Kurrentschrift is an old German script which fell out of use after 1941. Although the script is quite beautiful, it can be very difficult to read when first starting out (and for some time after as well). This is the first post in a series which will (hopefully) teach you everything you need to know to start deciphering these texts. It's important to note that these will only give you a jump start. You will be able to (hopefully) read most of your records after working through the steps I outline, however it will take a lot of time at first to read each one. Speed comes with a combination of time and recognition, both of which mean you have to practice. Keep at it though, with each record you transcribe your time spent will decrease exponentially. Personally, transcribing records written in Kurrentschrift (as long as the handwriting isn't smudged or cramped) now takes only a few more minutes than transcribing English records.

Now with that in mind, let's get started!

Using Schrift Generator

Hopefully, the future sections of this series will help you to read your documents in Kurrentschrift relatively well without the use of technology. However, no one can deny the value of having a bit of help here and there. That's where the Schrift Generator comes in handy. The Schrift Generator  allows you to type out anything you want and display how it would look when written in a variety of Fraktur, Sütterlin, and Kurrent fonts. 

The User Interface

The page is in German, but it's relatively easy to use. If you scroll down, you should see an entry field that looks something like this:

The text entry field in Schrift Generator

This is where you type the words you wish to display in German Script.

Dissection of an Early German/Pomeranian Birth Record

German birth records and the information they contain vary from location to location. For the longest time, it was incredibly difficult for me to extract information from my German family's records since I don't speak German. However, in my research, I have noticed some common patterns and formats that most records seem to follow, which has drastically changed my experience. Please note that this will display documents nearly exclusively from Pomerania, Germany. However, most of the information should remain relevant to records from other areas. The main document I will be using (at first) is the birth record of my 5th great uncle, Carl Friedrich Warner, shown below.

The Birth Record of Carl Friedrich Warner in Pomerania (entry number 2)

Transcription Tuesdays: The Burial Record of Albrecht Kruszynski (Kurrentschrift)

This was one of the more difficult transcription pieces I have done. It is written in the old Kurrentschrift, a nightmare script that was eventually outlawed by Hitler. It is no longer used and is a bit of a pain to learn to read, especially if you don't know German (like me- I only know English and can get by in Spanish). I might make a post later about how I learned to read it. It was not a very fast process and I still have difficulty depending on who wrote the document.