Russian Paleography Seminar April 2020

The German/Slavic team at the Family History Library is excited to announce the Russian paleography webinar series which will take place April 13-17, at 1 p.m Mountain time each day. To join the webinar, please visit the FamilySearch Classes and Webinars calendar and at the appropriate time, please select the desired class which will open Adobe Connect. Please join the class 10-15 minutes before the webinar starts to ensure the sound is working properly.

In preparation for this seminar, please consider watching the following courses on the FamilySearch Learning Center: “Reading Russian Documents: The Alphabet” and “Deciphering the Handwriting and Understanding the Grammar.” You may also wish to read the “How to” instructions and work on the activity for these courses. The “How to” guides can be found here.

In last year's Russian paleography seminar, we discussed the alphabet, handwriting, and how to read birth, marriage, and death records. This time, we will focus less on record types and structures and focus more on paleography skills. We will spend some time reviewing challenging letters of the alphabet and putting into practice tips and tricks to help you decipher the handwriting. We will also discuss topics like names, dates, numbers, key words and abbreviations. Finally, we will learn how to read a revision list record, and practice your reading skills with real documents.

Check this wiki page for handouts, homework assignments and other important information.

Russian Paleography Seminar, April 2020 Handout
Download the Russian Paleography Seminar handout here. Refer to this handout throughout the week!

Daily Schedule
Below you will find the schedule for each day. Homework assignments or practice documents may be linked here.

13 April 2020: Deciphering the Handwriting Practice

 * The Russian Alphabet - Instruction, [[Media:Reading Russian Documents The Alphabet - Activity E Vance Oct 2019 JMR.pdf|Activity]], [[Media:Reading Russian Documents The Alphabet - Answer Key E Vance Oct 2019 JMR.pdf|Answer Key]]
 * Deciphering the Handwriting and Understanding the Grammar - [[Media:Reading Russian Documents Deciphering the Handwriting and Understanding the Grammar Instruction E Vance Oct 2019 JMR.pdf| Instruction]], [[Media:Reading Russian Documents Deciphering the Handwriting and Understanding the Grammar - Activity E Vance Oct 2019 JMR.pdf| Activity]], [[Media:Reading Russian Documents Deciphering the Handwriting and Understanding the Grammar - Key E Vance Oct 2019 JMR.pdf|Answer Key]]

14 April 2020: Deciphering Russian, Polish, and German Names Written in Russian
See the "Names" section on the Russian Paleography Seminar Handout.

Homework: Practice identifying the highlighted names. Choose between Russian, Polish, or German names written in Russian.

Russian: This document comes from a baptismal register of the Russian Orthodox Church in Alaska. The names of the children are marked in yellow. Names of fathers are marked in blue while names of mothers are marked in red. Check your answers by scrolling down to the "Answers" section on this wiki page. The image comes from here.

Additional Practice (more advanced):

For additional practice reading Russian names, practice reading the names found in these documents. Feel free to browse the images before and after. Answers are not available.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYZK-BKV?i=509&cat=136989

Polish: In this birth record, the child's name is marked in yellow, while the father's name is marked in blue and the mother's in red. The names are also written in Polish, but pretend as if they are only written in Russian. Use the resources under the "Polish Names Written in Russian" on the Russian Genealogical Word List page on the FamilySearch Wiki. Scroll down to the "Answers" section of this Wiki page to check your work. The image is found here.

15 April 2020: Dates and Numbers
See the "Dates and Numbers" section on the Russian Paleography Seminar Handout.

16 April 2020: Key Words, Common Vocabulary and Abbreviations
See the "Key" words section on the Russian Paleography Seminar Handout.

17 April 2020: Reading Russian Revision Lists
See the Revision List "How to" Guide or the Germans from Russia: Revision Lists "How to Guide.