Pennsylvania Laws-German Translation
A chance encounter with an 1801 document from Greene County, Pennsylvania got me thinking about early German records in western Pennsylvania
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Stefan Israel
Nov 3, 20233 min read
Why does German Capitalize everything?
Why does German Capitalize everything? If you look at much German, you start to notice- they use a Lot of Capitalization. Not just for nam
270 views
Stefan Israel
Aug 3, 20232 min read
The Other French Germans
By 1700, one-fifth of Berlin was French-speaking, and they remained French-speaking until siding with the rest of Germany against Napoleon.
91 views
Stefan Israel
Jul 21, 20235 min read
Fiefdom in a Desk
What challenges of reading an older document, such as a 15th century manuscript, and what can its language tell us? Who, when, where & more!
119 views
Stefan Israel
Jul 6, 20233 min read
Why Couldn’t Shakespeare Get U and V Right?
When you look at old books into the 1600’s, it looks like they mixed u and v up with abandon. Originally, there had only been one letter.
311 views
Stefan Israel
Jun 8, 20235 min read
Why... do we dot our i's? Minims!
Why do we dot our i's? Minims! Old English and old German writing and printing added the dot to decipher which letter was which. Read on!
176 views
Stefan Israel
May 11, 20231 min read
What's in a name- George?
Translating names can be tricky. Look at the name George, Jurgen, Georgios, Jorge and Yuri - all the same. Here's some history.
385 views
Stefan Israel
Apr 27, 20235 min read
Punctuation and the Genealogist
A comma, semi-colon or period - different quotation marks in different languages - Agh! What an interesting history to punctuation marks.
90 views
Pamela Israel
Apr 14, 20231 min read
Taxes: English Fleeced to German Plucked
Tax Time: Plucked Chicken - In English we say the tax office fleeces tax payers, Germans say plucked! Translation is fun, isn't it?
55 views
Stefan Israel
Mar 30, 20232 min read
Two Dots and an Umlaut
Unlocking the umlaut. History of the two dots.
448 views
Pamela Israel
Mar 6, 20231 min read
Milestone Favorites: Language, History & Tips
Unlock Your History launched in 2017! Check out some favorite posts about language history & translating old German, Danish, Swedish.
82 views
Stefan Israel
Jun 14, 20214 min read
How to Spot the Dot
What language belongs to those accents? From German to Norwegian Hungarian or French, see different accents that some languages use.
862 views
Stefan Israel
Mar 5, 20214 min read
When France Came to Germany
Beethoven and Goethe, the German Shakespeare, were glad to see liberator Napoleon come, and glad to see occupier Napoleon go. Napoleonic la
944 views
Stefan Israel
Jan 28, 20214 min read
Why Couldn’t My Ancestor Spell Their Name the Same?
You’re tracing your family back, and the spellings sometimes just go crazy.
647 views
Stefan Israel
Oct 16, 20193 min read
Low German, High German, Upper German- what is all that?
Are German dialects really more extreme than American dialects?
Are they ever! The Old World dialects in general are far, far more extreme t
8,814 views
Pamela Israel
Jan 21, 20192 min read
Beloved Son, Hurry! 1843 Letter
1843 letter in old German handwriting from my 3x great grandfather, to his son telling him to hurry from the army before his mother dies.
85 views
Pamela Israel
Oct 23, 20182 min read
German in the Cemetery
Some old cemeteries have gravestones written in German. Here are some tips to help translate some key words.
5,342 views
Stefan Israel
Sep 21, 20184 min read
Clues Hidden in "von" and "van"?
People's surnames often provide clues into their way back family history. Learn what Von and Van mean for the Dutch and Germans.
21,702 views
Stefan Israel
Nov 15, 20172 min read
The Curious History of the German 'Doubled S' - ß
Ä, Ö and Ü are simple variations of familiar letters, but the fourth letter that German has that we don’t is the real kicker: ß Eszett
5,690 views
Stefan Israel
Oct 2, 20172 min read
Are those even the same letters in old German?
Old German letters are tough to read but they are mostly the same alphabet we use - just with a few variations.
578 views
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