You can get in touch with us to have photos of a handwritten document e-mailed to you, or you can choose one of the selections below and get to work right away. Please don’t feel you have to finish an entire long document – a page or two is a welcome contribution.
Can’t read cursive handwriting but still want to help? We’ve included some original newspaper articles and older typewritten documents.
Vancouver history ready to transcribe:
June 23, 1870 letter from “Gassy Jack” Deighton to his brother Tom in Hull, England – presented to the City of Vancouver Archives by H. R. MacMillan in 1948 (3 pages, not in cursive handwriting)
1886 citizens’ petition to incorporate the City of Vancouver (2 pages, variety of signatures)
1900 Police Court proceedings – these are public health related offenses such as overcrowding, sanitation, disobeying quarantine (10 pages, handwritten)
1900 record of work done by the Board of Health – (17 pages, handwritten)
News clipping from September 13, 1900 – five children confined in hovel at Main and Dufferin (one page, not in cursive handwriting)
1906 letter from accountant Alf Pilkington, who has just fled north from the San Francisco earthquake and fire, and become Vancouver’s city comptroller. (3 pages, handwritten, old photocopies not very clear)
Problems?
Reading old-fashioned cursive handwriting isn’t the easiest thing in the world. If you can’t make out a word, just type in “unreadable” and keep on going. You can e-mail us for help or get a second opinion on our facebook group.
When you send in your work, we will ask you if you want your name published or stay anonymous when we post the results of what you have transcribed.
Don’t forget to join us on facebook and tell us about your transcribing experience!