Handwriting & Script » General Resources

English Paleography: Learn to Read Secretary Hand

Examples of Letters of the 17th Century Found in Parish Registers

Findmypast - 11 Tips For Reading Old Handwriting

Genealogy.com - Name and Word Spellings

Includes a brief explanation of errors caused by handwriting.

GenealogyMagazine, Episode 5: Graphology for Genealogists

How handwriting analysis proves to be an insightful tool for the family historian.

Handwriting OCR - Handwriting to Text Converter

Powerful AI-powered OCR tool that accurately converts handwritten documents into searchable digital text - especially useful for old family letters, census records, parish registers, and historical documents. Supports over 300 languages including historical scripts. Particularly effective for digitizing family archives, handwritten vital records, and ancestral correspondence. Export options include Word and plain text formats. Handles both cursive and printed text with high accuracy. HIPAA-compliant for sensitive family records.

Interpreting the Symbols and Abbreviations in Seventeenth Century English and American Documents (Wayback Machine)

By Ronald A. Hill, Ph.D., CG, FASG

Old Handwriting-Introduction

This article was found in the Will-Grundy Counties, Illinois Genealogical Society Quarterly, Volume XVII, Number 1, 1998 - one of many publications where it has been reprinted.

Palaeography - Reading Early Handwriting

Online tutorial with examples.

Paleography: Interpreting Handwriting in Genealogical Research

A guide from the staff at the Library of Congress, Introduces handwriting styles used in North America, with bibliographies, online sources, and commentary.

Reading the Past - Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century English Handwriting

Facsimilies, transcripts & reading notes, from the University of York.

Steps to Decipher or Decode Puzzling Scripts

From the Enoch Pratt Public Library.

That’s English?! Reading Old Handwriting

By Kori Robbins, AG.

The Cheek Family of Alleghany County, NC - Reading Old Handwriting

The Evolution of Handwriting in the English-Speaking Colonies of America (JSTOR)

The Long S

ThoughtCo - Reading Old Handwriting Online Document Examples & Tutorials

Transkribus | AI powered Handwritten Text Recognition

Transkribus is a comprehensive platform for the digitisation, AI-powered text recognition, transcription and searching of historical documents – from any place, any time, and in any language.

Transkribus Lite

Automatically transcribe, comfortably edit, and easily collaborate on historical documents. In your browser.

University of Warwick - LIMA: Handwriting Comparison