Old Roman cursive, also called majuscule cursive and capitalis cursive, was the everyday form of handwriting used for writing letters, by merchants writing business accounts, by schoolchildren learning the Latin alphabet, and even by emperors issuing commands.

Jan 17, 2025 · The National Archives is brimming with historical documents written in cursive, including some that date back more than 200 years.

Different styles of handwriting can also create challenges when trying to read historic documents. Prior to the 20th century, many different forms of cursive writing existed, varying in style between decades and centuries.

Having trouble deciphering pages like this? Check out the resources and information below for help, and share your tips with fellow volunpeers by emailing the TC team at [email protected]! - Genealogy Bank: Deciphering 19th Century Handwriting. - Ancestry.com: "Tips for Reading Old Handwriting" - U.S. National Archives: Transcription Tips.

While instructions will help you begin writing in old-fashioned cursive, only continuous drills and practice will give you flawless, ornamental penmanship.

If you're struggling to read a document written in old handwriting, start by watching this handy video tutorial. It will give you some tips and tricks to use when deciphering historical cursive.

Literally, palaeography means ‘old writing’, from the Greek words ‘paleos’ = old, and ‘grapho’ = write. It is generally used nowadays to describe reading old handwriting, rather than its original meaning of interpretation of ancient scripts.

Mar 30, 2020 · Just about anyone who takes genealogy seriously is destined to face the challenge of reading original (or microfilm copies of) records written in an unfamiliar cursive style.

In the 19th century, people did not cease writing in cursive entirely, but the emergence of typewriters and printing presses introduced alternatives to handwriting. Cursive writing continued to be taught and used widely during this time, particularly for formal documents and personal correspondence.

Aug 27, 2014 · Since letters have been invented, people have looked for ways to write them more swiftly. Scribes writing on clay tablets developed a more fluid form of writing that served as an early cursive in Mesopotamia. The cursive writing we recognize today started developing in Europe the 16 th century.