Saturday, December 24, 2016

Family History Coded in Shorthand

Several years ago I began correspondence with a distant cousin of my paternal grandmother. The cousin was a genealogist who had spent years gathering family stories and photos.

In our first email exchange she reassured me, "I have the answers to all of your questions. I also have pictures that I will copy immediately." That, of course, was music to my ears.

Sadly, she passed away a year later without having the opportunity to share much of her research or photos.

Fast-forward to this week when a package from her daughter arrived in the mail. Inside were dozens of black and white photos. Some were labeled, but many were not.

Among the collection was a curious group of nine pictures each measuring 1.75" W x 2.75" L. The photos depict a group of people dressed in coats outside a stone building in a downtown setting.

Although I don't recognize anyone or the setting, it appears to be a family gathering. Perhaps a birthday or courthouse wedding? In several of the photos I can discern signs in the background advertising loans, mortgages, ladies hair cutting, and a bank. There's even a scale that says, Your Weight, apparently offering passerby the opportunity to weigh themselves.





On the flip side, seven of the photos include a date. Six of them have 1928 inscribed on the back. One of them provides an exact date: October 2, 1928. Was someone getting married at a courthouse? I haven't found a matching wedding date in my tree.


Aside from the year, each of the photos has the same illegible inscription on the back. At first, I thought it was someone's name (Leona?). It then occurred to me that this may be shorthand describing the event. I've never learned shorthand, so I'm stumped as to what this may say.


How's your shorthand? Are you able to decipher my coded family history?

10 comments:

  1. I'm working on discovering the shorthand...intriguing to read...shorthand was fairly common back then. The designation is all the same, so maybe it's a town name. I'll keep working on it. Laurene

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    1. It's like another language entirely to me (I suppose much like cursive is to today's children). Thank you for your help, Laurene.

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  2. Shorthand in the '20s was different (but usually similar when they made changes) from what I learned. I know Gregg Simplified Shorthand (1959). What symbols I learned would make the middle sections several different letters - "g, l, r, k." The small circles would be "e." The first down stroke could be p or b. Second word could possibly start with a "s." What is the family name and what country did they live?

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    1. I didn't realize there was such diversity in shorthand. Based on Linda's comment below, I now believe this would be co-workers of my 2nd great-aunt taken in Denver, Colorado. Thank you for your detective work, Mary Lou. I appreciate it!

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  3. As written, it says "Piggy Wiggly". Assuming that is not accurate, I made allowances for wrong stroke lengths to suggest other possibilities: Pamela Wickler or Wemley or Segley.

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    1. Piggly Wiggly! That's the clue I needed. Among the photos I received was one of my 2nd great-aunt at work in (drum roll, please...) the Piggly Wiggly! Now that I look more closely at the group of women, I think I see her in the dark coat wearing a hat. Thank you, Linda.

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    2. You are welcome! Your relative wrote shorthand very accurately.

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  4. Just returned from shopping to find the posts and clue - great detective work Linda!

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  5. Replies
    1. Thank you, faustinlondon. I appreciate your visit.

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