A
word of explanation is in order regarding the format of these
transcriptions. As is typical of
correspondence from the early 1900’s, punctuation is seldom used in any of the
40+ letters in this collection, and there is rarely capitalization to designate
where one sentence ends and another begins. Also, while the penmanship was
generally clear, the spelling often varied from what is standard today. Particularly in the letters from James,
sometimes the same word would be spelled two or three different ways in one
letter.
Genealogical standards call for exact transcriptions of any historical documents. That is fine for museums and professionally published monographs. This record, however, has been created for the family of Charley and Jim Thompson. My goal in scanning and typing out what was written in the letters was not to create an exact transcription according to historical guidelines, but rather to make their words accessible to the people who knew and loved them. It is also to make a record that others in the family in generations to come will want to read
.
Genealogical standards call for exact transcriptions of any historical documents. That is fine for museums and professionally published monographs. This record, however, has been created for the family of Charley and Jim Thompson. My goal in scanning and typing out what was written in the letters was not to create an exact transcription according to historical guidelines, but rather to make their words accessible to the people who knew and loved them. It is also to make a record that others in the family in generations to come will want to read
.
So, after thoughtfully discussing format options with
Gloria James, who now owns this remarkable collection of letters, we decided to
capture the intention of what these two men said to their family back home, not
the exact spelling.
I have typed every word, including historical grammar, but
changed the spellings and added punctuation and capitalization, simply to make
the correspondence easier to read for a modern audience.
It is Gloria's intention to donate the original letters to a museum where they can be better preserved and possibly displayed for a wider audience than just the family. I support that goal and expect that some more serious historian may take the time to transcribe them over, capturing the original format. That's fine. For now, each typed letter is followed by a scanned copy of the original, so those who want to see how words were conveyed at that time in history, as written by two canyon raised men, are able to do so.
Lynda Pendley Bennett
Prescott, Arizona
August 2018
It is Gloria's intention to donate the original letters to a museum where they can be better preserved and possibly displayed for a wider audience than just the family. I support that goal and expect that some more serious historian may take the time to transcribe them over, capturing the original format. That's fine. For now, each typed letter is followed by a scanned copy of the original, so those who want to see how words were conveyed at that time in history, as written by two canyon raised men, are able to do so.
Lynda Pendley Bennett
Prescott, Arizona
August 2018
No comments:
Post a Comment