5/1/2006
By Danny Arsenault
You've found the record you're desperate for — too bad the old handwriting looks like chicken scratch. Here's your ticket to translating antique text.
The state archives finally got back to you. At last, the copies are in your hands. Or maybe you were rifling around in the attic and uncovered a box of letters nobody knew about. It's the document that could blast through that fortresslike brick wall you've been banging your head against. You'd feel like you just won the genealogical lottery, except for one minor detail: You can't read a word of it.
Fortunately, it's possible to decipher old, illegible and oddly spelled documents. By employing a few tools, a little knowledge and these five tricks, you can read almost any document.
1. Be a copycat.