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RESOURCE GUIDE
Handwriting Guide: German Gothic
PURPOSE GERMAN ALPHABET
Reading old German records requires a knowledge German has all 26 letters used in the English
of basic German genealogical terms and familiarity alphabet, plus a few additional letters: umlauted
with German handwriting. Difficulty in reading a vowels—ä, ö, and ü—and an Eszett, ß. Specific
record may not result from a record keeper’s poor information about these additional letters is given
penmanship but rather the use of a different style later.
of handwriting. As most early German documents
were written in some form of Gothic handwriting There is often no distinction made between the
or printing, familiarity with this style of writing capital I and the capital J). They may be
will aid in deciphering early German records. This represented by the same letter whether printed or
guide introduces common Gothic letters, type, and handwritten and may be also indexed as the same
handwriting used in German records. letter. When followed by a vowel the letter is a
consonant, J and when followed by a consonant, it
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND is a vowel, I. For example:
Two major styles of writing emerged in Europe: (Juli) = July
Gothic, which has been used since the ninth
(der Junge) = boy
century, and Roman, also known as Antigua or (die Idee) = the idea
Latin. Roman eventually became the standard
(die Insel = the island)
throughout most of western Europe, Canada, and
the United States, but the Gothic style prevailed in PRINTED GOTHIC
Germany until 1941, in the Czech Republic
through the 1700s, and in Scandinavia and the Books or forms published with Gothic typeset can
Baltic countries through the nineteenth century. be difficult for someone to read. Some of the
You may find Gothic or Latin handwriting styles Gothic letters are similar to Roman style print, but
used alone or together in the same German record. others are quite different. The following letters
For example, names and headings may be written will probably seem unfamiliar at first:
(k) , (x),
in one style and the text of the document in (G), (H), (S), (ß), and (T). In addition,
another. as several of the letters are very similar, you will
also need to pay particular attention to the small
The chart included with this guide lists both the distinguishing characteristics to be able to read
standard printed and handwritten Gothic forms of typed Gothic. These include the letters:
the German alphabet and their Roman and (A and U), and (s and f)
counterparts. Since handwriting varies from person and (B, V, and ß) and (b and v)
to person, the handwriting in your record may vary and (C and E)
and (k and t)
from the forms shown on the chart.
You may also find variations of Gothic script. In and (G and S)
and (n and u)
various regions of the German Empire, slight and K and R and (r and x)
variations of Gothic handwriting and type ! and (N and R) and " (v and y)
developed. Variants included “Schwabacher” and There are some tricks that will help you recognize
the more formal “German Fraktur.” Gothic letters. Note which letters extend below the
When printing by moveable type was invented, line of writing and which extend above. Some
typefaces were based on the handwriting styles of letters extend both above and below. Some letters
the time. Two major styles emerged corresponding extend neither above nor below, such as the letter
to the two handwriting styles: Gothic, with a.
pointed, heavy-bodied letters, and Roman, with
lighter, more simple letters.
Gothic print also has ligatures (multiple letters When reading German records, you may
printed as one letter) and diacritics (accent experience three common problems:
notations added to a letter) not found in English. In
German certain consonant combinations are Gothic letters may look like those you are
common. The early designers of Gothic type used used to in Roman script, and you will think
one type piece to print both consonants. The most they are the Roman letters. For example, the v
common ligatures are: may resemble a w and a w might resemble an
# - ck $ - ch % , - sz m.
& - tz ' , - ss Some Gothic letters may look like other
Gothic letters. For example, the following
The Umlaut (sound shift) is commonly used with letters may appear very similar to each other
three vowels: a, o, and u. It appears as two dots in Gothic script and must be carefully
placed over the vowel and indicates a change in distinguished:
the sound of the vowel. These sound shifts are
often written without the diacritic marks: e, n, u g, p, q
s, h, f, j B, C, L
Ä ä Ae ae ( ) * r, v
Ö ö =Oe oe + , - . Some Gothic letters may be entirely new to
Ü ü =Ue ue / 0 you. For example, the Gothic lowercase letters
Occasionally two dots were also used over the y e, h, and s and the Gothic capital letters B, C,
(ÿ, ) and over an e as in Noël (!12) and Michaël H, and S are quite different from the Roman
(34562). In these instances, there is no change in letters.
pronunciation of the letter beneath. The dots over With practice you will learn to recognize Gothic
the y are carried over from Latin when the double i letters. By studying particular letters, you will be
at the end of a word was written, ‘’. (Latin did able to read the Gothic handwriting much more
not have the letter j or y). The dots over the e accurately. Learning key German genealogical
indicate that the e is pronounced with its own terms will also help.
value (it is not part of an umlaut).
Another marking found over letters is the U- When a letter cannot be identified in a document,
bogen, or u-hook. This was a marking like a look for the same letter or word in another part of
curved dash placed over a u to distinguish it from the document. It may be clearer, or the context
an n. This is not to be confused with a straight line may make it easier to figure out. Also look for an
placed over an m or n which was used as a index. Indexes to German records were often made
shorthand abbreviation for a double letter or much later than the original documents and may
leaving out additional letters, as in Joha for include the names in a style of handwriting which
Johann or Joes for Joannes (Latin form of is easier to read.
Johannes). Since every individual’s handwriting is distinct,
German has an additional letter not found in you may wish to prepare a handwriting chart with
English, called an Eszett (ß). It looks like a Roman the alphabet for the particular style used by the
script capital B with a tail on top (). It is scribe who wrote the records you are researching.
pronounced and sometimes rewritten as a double In particular, note letters that are different than
ss. It is never found at the beginning of a word. those you are used to.
HANDWRITTEN GOTHIC HOW TO USE THE CHART FOR
GERMAN RESEARCH
With handwritten documents, it is not always easy The following chart shows Roman letters with
to tell where one letter ends and the next one typed and handwritten German Gothic equivalents.
begins. Many of the letters also have similar To learn this style, practice writing it. This will
shapes making it difficult to tell one letter from help you develop a feel for the way letters are
another. Practice writing your name and other written and distinguish the letters when they are
words in the Gothic alphabet until you can develop written differently.
a feel for the flow of the letters. This will help you
read documents more easily.
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SUGGESTED READING COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS
Dozens of guides and handbooks have been The Family History Library welcomes comments
written to assist people in reading German Gothic and corrections intended to improve future
script. Studying these books will help you to see editions of this guide. Please send your
variations of the script. Most guides for suggestions to:
genealogists include examples of names,
occupations, and genealogical terms showing how Publications Coordination
they look in both Roman and Gothic handwriting. Family History Library
35 North West Temple
The following is an excellent introductory guide to Salt Lake City, Utah 84150
reading names and genealogical records. It was USA
produced to help people who are unfamiliar with
Gothic script: We appreciate the archivists, librarians, and others
who have reviewed this outline and shared helpful
German Records ExtractionScript Exercises. Salt information.
Lake City, Utah: Family History Library,
1980. (FHL book 943 D27gs; film 1224522
item 1.) © 1999 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
Printed in the USA. English approval: 12/99
Other helpful guides include the following: No part of this document may be reprinted, posted on-line, or
reproduced in any form for any purpose without the prior
Bentz, Edna M. If I Can, You Can: Deciphering written permission of the publisher. Send all requests for such
Germanic Records. San Diego, Calif.: Edna permission to:
M. Bentz, 1982. (FHL book 943 G3b; Copyrights and Permissions Coordinator
computer number 0170537.) Family History Department
50 E. North Temple Street
Mashey, Anne B. A Guide to Olde German Salt Lake City, Utah 84150-3400
USA
Handwriting of the Mid-1800s for Fax: 801-240-2494
Genealogists, Researchers, Antiquers. 36316
Wexford, Pa.: Anne B. Mashey, 1982. (FHL
book 943 G37n no.2; computer number
0205085.)
Storrer, Norman J., and Larry O. Jensen. A
Genealogical and Demographic Handbook of
German Handwriting, 17th19th Centuries.
Pleasant Grove, Utah: Norman J. Storrer,
1977. (FHL book 943 G3sj; computer number
0246694.)
Verdenhalven, Fritz. Die deutsche SchriftThe
German Script: Ein Übungsbuch [an exercise
book]. Neustadt an der Aisch: Verlag Degener
& Co., 1991. (FHL book 943 G37v; computer
number 0651425.)
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36316
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