Click here to see Fig. 16A

A method used by professionals when they are deciphering a large document or record written by one person, is to construct an alphabet using letters as they are written by the writer. A sheet of paper is set up so that in the left-hand margin, going from the top to the bottom of the page, is printed all of the upper-case letters. In the center of the same sheet in like manner is printed all of the lower-case letters, see Fig.16B.

Click here to see Fig. 16B

By going through the document, finding those letters that can be identified and copying them onto the sheet next to the corresponding printed letter exactly the way the writer made them, you will create a complete alphabet based on the writer's style. In some cases the writer may use two, or even more, different styles of the same letters. Each of these variations should be copied onto the sheet. When a word cannot be easily determined, each letter of the word is compared with the constructed alphabet until the word is deciphered.

With long words, sometimes the best thing to do is to break them down into smaller units, usually into syllables. By working on each part separately, starting at the beginning of a word, at the end of a word, or at the center of the word and working towards the ends, it will make it easier to determine what the whole word is.

An understanding of German sentence structure, word order, and grammar would also be valuable in helping to decipher words. It would be helpful to know what the subordinating conjunctions are and that when they are used the verb goes to the end of the sentence. Knowing also what the common verbs are and how to spell them would be useful. You should not assume that every word within a sentence which begins with a capital letter is the name of a person or a place. All nouns are capitalized in German. Note in Fig. 16C the capitalized words that are given, and yet there is not one proper noun listed.

Click here to see Fig. 16C

One of the quickest ways to discern names, words, or letters that are hard to read is to find the same name, word, or letter written elsewhere in the record, more often than not by finding it written somewhere else it will be much clearer and easier to read. This is especially true of names. If you can' read the names of parents in one entry, then check the christenings of their other children. If a child's name cannot be easily discerned in the christening record, then check the confirmation, marriage, or death records to determine the spelling, one final word about special markings of some letters. Sometimes the M and the N will have a bar above them. This is done to indicate that the letters are doubled, as in the surname Hardtman for Hardtmann. The only problem is that the N may look like a U when written in the script.

There are also certain letters that can be used interchangeably due to their similarity in sound. The writer may use one in one instance and another in the next. The following are the 12 most common letters that can be used interchangeably:

I and Y	D and T	B and P
C and K	F and V	EI and AI