German Scripts and Translations

German Script has to be, hands down, the most difficult time I have in translating old documents.  Between aging ink and handwriting skills this task is difficult and often leads to one gigantic headache.  Today my plan is to inform you on the type names and point you in the direction of a cypher sheet.  I have this printed out and readily available when I am transcribing.

Here is some history of Old German Script.

In 1455 when Gutenberg was printing the first Bible he had to carve three hundred (some sources quote 290) characters to represent a twenty six letter alphabet.  

The first Bible was thus printed in a script called Blackletter.

It took an entire day to create one letter!

In Nazi Germany Hitler sent out a decree stating that the only script to be used is 

 (normalschrift) Normal Script

 all others were found to be Jewish in origin

.

Hitlers Decree

Yet there are many other script styles some are

Fraktur

Kurrent

Jack-boot Helvetica

(schaftstiefel Grotesk)

Sutterlin

Antique book I have in my library...

What script was used, can you translate the script? 

 I will give you a few days before I post the answer for you;)

Please do not leave your answer in the comment section, TY.

Any questions leave a comment or email me at paschal.sara@gmail.com

Gott Saajne!

America on the Horizon

February 31st 1862 Abraham Lincoln signs the Homestead Act 

this opened up the American West for emigrant GMR's.

My Ancestors arrived in Philadelphia and New York starting in 1874 moving west into Dakota Territory, homesteading in Hutchinson and Turner Counties.
Below is an original Homestead claim for Heinrich Adrian...
Brooda met Isaac Adrian mien groot Grootfoda
Brother to Isaac Adrian my great Grandfather

Below is a map for Rosefield Township, I have marked ancestor land for

the Peter Tieszen groot Grootfada...

To file your homestead claim after five years had passed of hard manual labor improving and living on the land

you could file for the deed.  You had to be 21 and be able to prove what I stated above.  Here is the proof submitted by my ancestor Jakob Adrian he was 26 years old at the time a GMR  Naturalized American Citizen homesteading in McCook County, Dakota Territory.

Only 40% of GMR's that started the Homesteading process actually obtained a deed, 

that is how difficult the situation!

He states a house was built May 8th 1878

Farmer

SW section 24-100-56

Section 13-100-56

Cultivated, actual residence

Sod house 18' by 32'

Sod stable 18' by 32'

well of water 13 feet deep

40 acres of breaking

total value $250.00

Wife (Maria Loewen she was not named on the document) and two children 

(Rev. J.J. and Cornelius they are also not named on the document), 

lived continuously on the land since first establishing

Never absent

raised crops on the land for the past six seasons

Heinrich Buller was the called witness

(the rest is illegible)

As a small girl mien Foda took us to see the soddy, I have clear memories of the outing being a huge fan of Little House I had to pretend I was Laura;)

It was also one of the few times I heard... 

mien Foda  Plautdietsch onn en je' lach

my Fathers  low German and laughter

It is gone now no bones of the original sod structures remain.

front of Document...

Low German Mennonite Plautdietsch words used above...

• groot  sounds like gr-oat  =   great
• Broda  sounds like bro-da   =   Brother
• groot Grootfoda  sounds like gr-oat gr-oat fodda  =   Great Grandfather
• mein  sounds like mine  =   my
• met  sounds like met   =   to
• Gott sound like  got    =   God
• Saajne sounds like  za (long A)-yene     =   Bless
• onn = and
• en je' lach = laughter

Gott Saajne!
God Bless!

GMR in Brief

A few years ago I found myself dejected while driving though the county seeing only the remaining bones of my family heritage.  I found it so profoundly sad I decided I must continue the traditions of my German from Russia Mennonite Pioneer ancestors whom so bravely ventured forth seeking freedom and carving a life path for my family.

Photo by sara tieszen paschal

Mennonite Homestead Bones rural Turner County South Dakota

What am I talking about?  German from Russia?  GMR?   Yes, my ancestors are German.  They emigrated to Russia in search of religious freedom.  Catherine the Great welcomed them with open arms.  She willingly gave them land on the Russian Steeps and permitted communal living.    The German Mennonites could preserve heritage, language, religious freedom and exemption from military service by taking the land in Russia.   So the emigration began and the German Mennonites set up a self governing state on the steeps of Russia.  Throughout history Mennonites are known to be overachieving hard workers.  This trait was a double edged sword for the GMR's.  Our ancestors became so adept at cultivating the steeps the Russian government wanted their part of the harvest.  Harvest being the increasing wealth and population of the GMR's.  They made it impossible to enlarge tracts of land for the growing GMR families.  Amidst growing frustrations in the areas of land, religion, language, taxes and military service, so labeled the Russification of the German Mennonite, communities decided to emigrate once again seeking the simple secluded way of the GMR's.

America on the Horizon...