Identifying Place Names in German documents: Difference between revisions

&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;What do these place names have in common: ''Geminipontis''? ''Duobus Pontibus''? ''Biponte''? ''Deuxponts''? ''2brücken''? ''Czweynbrucken''? ''Tzweinbrucken''?&nbsp; &nbsp; Each place refers to the locality name ''Zweibrücken ''as found in original German documents.&nbsp; Interpreting a place name in a German document can be challenging, even for the experienced researchers.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; When you find two or three German family researchers huddled in a library around one microfilm reader in animated conversation, with puzzled looks on their faces, they may&nbsp;be trying to determine the correct spelling of a place name [or surname]. Place names as they occur in German documents are not really misspelled. They reflect the language, dialect, the education, and sometimes even the frugality of the scribe. The location or place where the document was written must also be taken into consideration. Researchers should ask these questions?  

In what language was the place name written?