Genealogy tip for today: Handwriting
Handwriting of the past can
be difficult to read for a number of reasons. Faded, poor quality/condition of
the document or its copy, age, even the time period in which it was written. I found a website which talks about the double “s” and
how it is handled today. Following is an article
that was written describing the rules for it:
I’ve occasionally thought about writing a post on the
“long s” of eighteenth-century (and earlier) typography. That’s the lowercase
character ſ (or ſ when
italicized). To unfamiliar eyes, it looks so like an f that many people, and
O.C.R. programs, think people actually spelled with extra fs and try to
transcribe words that way.
Andrew West at Babelstone has created a comprehensive guide to the use of the long s, not just in English over time but also in other European languages. Furthermore, in some periods English printers also followed exceptional rules for ſ based on what letters it came before or after.
Here are West’s simple rules for English:
Andrew West at Babelstone has created a comprehensive guide to the use of the long s, not just in English over time but also in other European languages. Furthermore, in some periods English printers also followed exceptional rules for ſ based on what letters it came before or after.
Here are West’s simple rules for English:
- short s is used at the end of a word
(e.g. his, complains, ſucceſs)
- short s is used before an apostrophe
(e.g. clos’d, us’d)
- short s is used before the letter f (e.g. ſatisfaction, misfortune, transfuſe, transfix, transfer, ſucceſsful)
- short s is used after the letter f
(e.g. offset),
although not if the word is hyphenated (e.g. off-ſet) [see Short S before and after F for
details]
- short s is used before the letter b in
books published during the 17th century and the first half of the 18th
century (e.g. husband, Shaftsbury), but long s is used in books
published during the second half of the 18th century (e.g. huſband, Shaftſbury) [see Short S before B and K for
details]
- short s is used before the letter k in
books published during the 17th century and the first half of the 18th
century (e.g. skin, ask, risk, masked),
but long s is used in
books published during the second half of the 18th century (e.g. ſkin, aſk, riſk, maſked) [see Short S before B and K for
details]
- Compound words with the first element
ending in double s and
the second element beginning with s are normally and correctly written with a dividing
hyphen (e.g. Croſs-ſtitch, Croſs-ſtaff), but very
occasionally may be written as a single word, in which case the middle
letter s is written short (e.g. Croſsſtitch, croſsſtaff).
- long s is used initially and medially
except for the exceptions noted above (e.g. ſong, uſe, preſs, ſubſtitute)
- long s is used before a hyphen at a
line break (e.g. neceſ-ſary, pleaſ-ed), even when it would
normally be a short s (e.g. Shaftſ-bury and huſ-band in a book
where Shaftsbury and husband are normal),
although exceptions do occur (e.g. Mans-field)
- double s is normally written as double
long s medially and as long s followed by short s finally (e.g. poſſeſs, poſſeſſion), although in some
late 18th and early 19th century books a different rule is applied,
reflecting contemporary usage in handwriting, in which long s is used
exclusively before short s medially and finally [see Rules for Long S in some late 18th and
early 19th century books for details]
- short s is used before a hyphen in
compound words with the first element ending in the letter s (e.g. croſs-piece, croſs-examination, Preſs-work, bird’s-neſt)
- long s is maintained in abbreviations
such as ſ. for ſubſtantive,
and Geneſ. for Geneſis (this rule means
that it is practically impossible to implement fully correct automatic
contextual substitution of long
s at the font level)
Imagine being a printer’s apprentice trying
to keep that all straight! No wonder the character was phased out around 1800.
(Hat tip to John Overholt about that Babelstone page.)
(Hat tip to John Overholt about that Babelstone page.)
If any of these posts are helpful drop us a line in
the comments section below. We just want to know if the information we provide
to you is helpful in anyway.
1618
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Sir Walter Raleigh is executed. After the death of Queen
Elizabeth,
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1787
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Mozart's opera Don Giovanni opens in
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1814
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The Demologos, the first steam-powered warship,
launched in
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1901
|
Leon
Czolgosz is electrocuted for the assassination of US President William
McKinley. Czolgosz, an anarchist, shot McKinley on September 6 during a
public reception at the
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1927
|
Russian archaeologist Peter Kozloff apparently uncovers
the tomb of Genghis Khan in the
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1929
|
Black Tuesday–the most catastrophic day in stock market
history, the herald of the Great Depression. 16 million shares were sold at
declining prices. By mid-November $30 billion of the $80 billion worth of
stocks listed in September will have been wiped out.
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1945
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The first ball-point pen goes is sold by Gimbell's
department store in
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1949
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Alonzo G. Moron of the Virgin Islands becomes the first
African-American president of Hampton Institute,
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1952
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French forces launch Operation Lorraine against Viet Minh
supply bases in
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1964
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Thieves steal a jewel collection–including the world's
largest sapphire, the 565-carat "Star of India," and the 100-carat
DeLong ruby–from the
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1969
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The U.S. Supreme Court orders immediate desegregation,
superseding the previous "with all deliberate speed" ruling.
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1969
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First computer-to-computer link; the link is accomplished
through ARPANET, forerunner of the Internet.
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1972
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Palestinian guerrillas kill an airport employee and hijack
a plane, carrying 27 passengers, to
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1983
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More than 500,000 people protest in
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1986
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The last stretch of
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1998
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1998
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John
Glenn, at age 77, becomes the oldest person to go into outer space. He is
part of the crew of Space Shuttle Discovery, STS-95.
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1998
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The deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record up to that
time, Hurricane Mitch, makes landfall in
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2004
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For the first time, Osama bin Laden admits direct
responsibility for the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the
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2008
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Delta and Northwest airlines merge, forming the world's
largest airline.
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2012
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Hurricane
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1882
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Jean Giraudoux, French dramatist, novelist and diplomat,
famous for his book Tiger at the Gates.
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1891
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Fanny Brice, comedian, singer and actress.
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1897
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Joseph G. Göbbels, German Nazi Propaganda Minister who
committed suicide in Hitler's bunker.
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1905
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Henry Green, novelist (Living, Party Going).
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1910
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A. J. Ayer, English philosopher.
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1921
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Bill Maudlin, American cartoonist whose GI characters
"Willie" and "Joe" appeared in Stars and Stripes
newspapers during World War II.
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1938
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Ralph Bakshi, Palestinian-American director of live films
and animated full-length films for adults including 1972's Fritz the Cat
(first animated film to be rated X by the Motion Picture Association of
America), Wizards (1977) and The Lord of the Rings (1978).
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1943
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Don Simpson, film producer, screenwriter, actor;
(co-producer Flashdance, 1985; Top Gun, 1986).
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1945
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Melba Moore, disco and R&B singer, actress ("You
Stepped into My Life," "Lean on Me").
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1946
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Peter Green, guitarist, songwriter, founder of the band
Fleetwood Mac; regarded as one of the greatest guitarists of all time.
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1947
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Richard Dreyfuss, actor (American Graffiti, Jaws;
won Academy Award for Best Actor for 1977's The Goodbye Girl).
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1948
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Kate Jackson, actress, director, producer (original Charlie's
Angels TV series, Scarecrow and Mrs. King TV series).
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1954
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Lee Child, author; creator of the Jack Reacher novel
series.
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1958
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David Remnick, journals, author, magazine editor (The
New Yorker); won Pulitzer Prize for Lenin's Tomb: The Last Days of the
Soviet Empire (1994).
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1971
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Winona Ryder, actress, producer (Beetlejuice; Girl,
Interrupted).
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smellfungus
PRONUNCIATION:
(smel-FUNG-uhs)
MEANING:
noun: A habitual faultfinder or
complainer.
ETYMOLOGY:
After
Smelfungus, a hypercritical character in Laurence Sterne's 1768 novel, A
Sentimental Journey through France
and Italy .
Earliest documented use: 1807.
NOTES:
Novelist
Laurence Sterne modeled his character Smelfungus after traveler and author
Tobias Smollett who complained about almost everything in his 1766 travel book
Travels through France and Italy . Here's
how Sterne describes Smelfungus:
"The learned Smelfungus travelled fromBoulogne
to Paris , from Paris
to Rome , and so
on; but he set out with the spleen and jaundice, and every object he pass'd by
was discoloured or distorted. He wrote an account of them, but 'twas nothing
but the account of his miserable feelings."
"The learned Smelfungus travelled from
USAGE:
"And
a couple of smellfungus from the Official Paper ... carped that Issel chose to
jump when the schedule reached its toughest stretch."
Paige Woody; Issel is the Wrong Scapegoat in Nuggets' Mess; Denver Post; Feb 13, 1995.
Paige Woody; Issel is the Wrong Scapegoat in Nuggets' Mess; Denver Post; Feb 13, 1995.
What we
hope ever to do with ease, we must learn first to do with diligence. -Samuel
Johnson, lexicographer (1709-1784)
Today’s
Recipe
Treats,
No Tricks!
Ingredients
- 1 (6-ounce) package lime
gelatin
- 2 cups boiling water
- 3 cups chilled pineapple juice
- 1 (2 liter) bottle chilled lemon-lime soft drink
or ginger
ale
Special equipment:
- 1 large black plastic cauldron (available at
party or craft stores)
- 1 punch bowl that fits inside the cauldron
- 1 plastic hand (available at party supply
stores), sterilized in hot water
- 1 block dry ice (available at supermarkets, ice
cream shops or ice companies)
Directions
Pour the gelatin mix into a large bowl. Slowly stir in the boiling water. Stir at least 2 minutes, until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Stir in the pineapple juice. Let cool to room temperature.
Wearing heavy duty gloves or using tongs, place the block of dry ice in the bottom of the cauldron. (Dry ice will burn skin, so handle it with gloves and tongs and keep it away from kids and pets!)
Use an ice pick to break the block into smaller chunks, if necessary.
Fill the cauldron with just enough water to cover the dry ice. It will begin to "steam."
Place the punch bowl inside the cauldron, on top of the dry ice. The cauldron will appear to be magically smoking.
Entrap the sterilized rubber hand between the cauldron and the punch bowl, squeezing it tight so the hand appears to be reaching out of the mist for help. Hot-glue the hand to the cauldron, if necessary, to hold it in place.
Carefully pour the drink mixture into the punch bowl. Slowly add the lemon-lime soda or ginger ale. Stir gently to mix.
ENJOY!
Now You Know!
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