West Prussia (Westpreußen) Language and Handwriting

West Prussia (Westpreussen), German Empire Wiki Topics
Getting Started
Finding Town of Origin Finding Aids For German Records Research Strategies Record Finder
Major West Prussia (Westpreussen) Record Types
Church Records	Civil Registration
Reading the Records
German Word List Latin Word List French Word List	Handwriting Languages Feast Days Script Tutorial
Additional West Prussia (Westpreussen) Record Types
Court Records Jewish Records Land and Property	Online Genealogy Records Town Genealogies
West Prussia Background
Gazetteers History Language and Handwriting	Maps Websites
Ethnicity
Minorities Displaced Persons
Local Research Resources
Archives & Libraries Societies Prussia FamilySearch Centers
Germany Record Types
Cemeteries Census Church Records Civil Registration Emigration & Immigration Genealogy Displaced Persons Population Records Manumission Military Records Naturalization & Citizenship	Newspapers Obituaries Occupations Online Records Town Genealogies Periodicals Probate Records Religious Records School Records
Germany Background
Biography Church Directories Church History Former German Areas Funerary Customs Cultural Areas Gazetteers	Handwriting Historical Geography History Jurisdictions Letter Writing Guide Maps Names Personal Nobility Websites

Germany

Prussia

West Prussia

Language and Handwriting

Reading the Records

• It's easier than you think! You do not have to be fluent in French and German to use these records, as there is only a limited vocabulary used in them. By learning a few key phrases, you will be able to read them adequately. Here are some resources for learning to read German records.

German Genealogical Word List

German Handwriting

• These video webinars will teach you to read German handwriting:

• Old German Script Part 1
• Old German Script Part 2
• Old German Script (German Church and Civil Records) Part 3

• Also online interactive slideshow lessons are available to help you learn to read these records:

• Reading German Handwritten Records Lesson 1: Kurrent Letters
• Reading German Handwritten Records Lesson 2: Making Words in Kurrent
• Reading German Handwritten Records Lesson 3: Reading Kurrent Documents. In this lesson, you will explore several types of German genealogical records, including birth, baptismal, marriage, and death records.
• German Script Tutorial

This converter will show you how any phrase or name might look in German script:

• Kurrentschrift Converter (enter German genealogical word, click on "convert", view your word in Kurrentschrift (Gothic handwriting)

Latin Records

Records of the Catholic church will usually be written in Latin:

• Latin Genealogical Word List

Polish

Because West Prussia is now in Poland, these articles will help:

• Poland Letter Writing Guide
• Polish Word List
• Poland Language and Languages
• Reading Polish Birth Records - Instruction, Activity, Answer Key
• Reading Polish Marriage Records - Instruction, Activity, Answer Key
• Reading Polish Death Records - Instruction, Activity, Answer Key