Can anyone read German? (0/1)
 

I have a book here about Wilhelm II by Paul Meinhold, published in
Germany 1912. While looking through the book, I found a letter tucked
in which I can't begin to reard. It's in the old handwritten German
script, dated Potsdam, 1888 (I think) There is a black border arounf
the page, which I am told signified death or funeral correspondence.
At the top of the first page is a very regal llooking "W", topped with
a crown. The letter is signed but I can't read the name. I did find an
image of, Kaiser Wilhelm, father of Wilhelm II. This does appear
similar. If anyone give me an idea of what this says I'd appreciate
it. I'll try to include some links to images of the letter, but not
sure if they'll work. If not, email me and I'll try to send images.
I have visions of the letter being from Kaiser Wilhelm, maybe his last
will. "I do hereby leave Germany to Junior" Am I close?

On Fri, 11 Jun 2004 18:03:25 -0400, Bob Streeter
wrote:
Apparently, after reading this post, I not only can't read German, and
can't post links, but I can't type in English.
I have a book here about Wilhelm II by Paul Meinhold, published in
Germany 1912. While looking through the book, I found a letter tucked
in which I can't begin to reard. It's in the old handwritten German
script, dated Potsdam, 1888 (I think) There is a black border arounf
the page, which I am told signified death or funeral correspondence.
At the top of the first page is a very regal llooking "W", topped with
a crown. The letter is signed but I can't read the name. I did find an
image of, Kaiser Wilhelm, father of Wilhelm II. This does appear
similar. If anyone give me an idea of what this says I'd appreciate
it. I'll try to include some links to images of the letter, but not
sure if they'll work. If not, email me and I'll try to send images.
I have visions of the letter being from Kaiser Wilhelm, maybe his last
will. "I do hereby leave Germany to Junior" Am I close?

Bob Streeter wrote:

I have a book here about Wilhelm II by Paul Meinhold, published in
Germany 1912. While looking through the book, I found a letter tucked
in which I can't begin to reard. It's in the old handwritten German
script, dated Potsdam, 1888 (I think)

You mean Fraktur?

There is a black border arounf
the page, which I am told signified death or funeral correspondence.
At the top of the first page is a very regal llooking "W", topped with
a crown. The letter is signed but I can't read the name. I did find an
image of, Kaiser Wilhelm, father of Wilhelm II. This does appear
similar.

You're not being clear. What is similar to what else--the image to the
writing?

If anyone give me an idea of what this says I'd appreciate
it. I'll try to include some links to images of the letter, but not
sure if they'll work.

Links good, images themselves not.

If not, email me and I'll try to send images.
I have visions of the letter being from Kaiser Wilhelm, maybe his last
will. "I do hereby leave Germany to Junior" Am I close?

Almost certainly not, though stranger things have happened.


--
"Justice is as strictly due between neighbor nations as between neighbor
citizens. A highwayman is as much a robber when he plunders in a gang, as when
single; and a nation that makes an unjust war is only a great gang."

--Benjamin Franklin

I suggest you look in the yellow pages
under translation services.

In article , Bob Streeter
wrote:

I have a book here about Wilhelm II by Paul Meinhold, published in
Germany 1912. While looking through the book, I found a letter tucked
in which I can't begin to reard. It's in the old handwritten German
script, dated Potsdam, 1888 (I think) There is a black border arounf
the page, which I am told signified death or funeral correspondence.
At the top of the first page is a very regal llooking "W", topped with
a crown. The letter is signed but I can't read the name. I did find an
image of, Kaiser Wilhelm, father of Wilhelm II. This does appear
similar. If anyone give me an idea of what this says I'd appreciate
it. I'll try to include some links to images of the letter, but not
sure if they'll work. If not, email me and I'll try to send images.
I have visions of the letter being from Kaiser Wilhelm, maybe his last
will. "I do hereby leave Germany to Junior" Am I close?

Try a page like this one
http://www.omniglot.com/writing/german.htm
that has the modern English equivalents of German alphabets in Fraktur
(used for printed and written German from the 16th century until 1940). If
you can write out your letter in English letters, you could then go to
http://www.google.com/language_tools and get a rough translation from Google.

(I went through this process translating an old Albertus Magnus book that
was printed in Fraktur.)

Otherwise, there are translators that will do it for you (for a fee, of course)

good luck

Pris

--
sears at vt dot edu
http://filebox.vt.edu/users/sears/

No, it wouldn't be fraktur, as that's only the old German typeset used.
There is, however, an old German cursive alphabet, which is very hard to
decipher nowadays even to a native German.

I'm German & familiar with such writing, so if you post a link to the
letter, I'll do my best to translate it.

Best--
pp

"Bob Streeter" wrote in message
...
I have a book here about Wilhelm II by Paul Meinhold, published in
Germany 1912. While looking through the book, I found a letter tucked
in which I can't begin to reard. It's in the old handwritten German
script, dated Potsdam, 1888 (I think) There is a black border arounf
the page, which I am told signified death or funeral correspondence.
At the top of the first page is a very regal llooking "W", topped with
a crown. The letter is signed but I can't read the name. I did find an
image of, Kaiser Wilhelm, father of Wilhelm II. This does appear
similar. If anyone give me an idea of what this says I'd appreciate
it. I'll try to include some links to images of the letter, but not
sure if they'll work. If not, email me and I'll try to send images.
I have visions of the letter being from Kaiser Wilhelm, maybe his last
will. "I do hereby leave Germany to Junior" Am I close?

No, it wouldn't be fraktur, as that's only the old German typeset used.
There is, however, an old German cursive alphabet, which is very hard to
decipher nowadays even to a native German.

I had to learn it once to decipher some 19th-century German inscriptions.
Unfortunately too many letters look just alike -- as I recall, the lowercase E
looked very like an N or an R, so a great many words turned into nothing but
what looked like mmmmmm or nnnnnn or rrrr. Handwritten Russian (which looks a
bit similar) has the same tendency. It helps to have some mnntal tnlnpathy
going.

There is a recent book called _Deciphering Handwriting in German Documents_, by
Roger P. Minert, that may be of some use, reviewed at
http://www.pgsa.org/bookrD.htm

I couldn't get www.ggrs.com/events/handouts/handout_script.pdf to load just
now, but it looked useful.

--Helen