Help with a very old secret letter

[Mindtrope]

I have an old letter 1903, it has been found recently, and may explain some unknown parentage but we can hardly read it. In fragile but good condition, but written in such archaic / florid script we can hardly read. Is there a service we can use?

[CostaBrava]

Take a pic and show the MN super sleuths

[Maudlinmaud]

Oh yes. Please post a picture. Not sure if mn will be able to help with the parentage but I'd love to see it.

[WellErrr]

Oooh I love old letters and books!

[Aussiebean]

Contact the local uni and ask the history department. Or a museum They are pretty good at reading old handwriting.

Plus I would scan it so you limit unnecessary handling and you could email it to someone willing to have a go.

[lovelearning]

Oooh I love old letters and books!

Me too.

What else do you know about the letter, Mindtrope?

[Mindtrope]

I am so surprised at the response. Much appreciated. I will take a picture of a part of the letter ( in good light) tomorrow and post. Thanks for your help.

[HarrietVane99]

Try local record office or archives, rather than museum. If you don't know where it is, it'll be on your county or borough website, usually under libraries. They'll be able to advise you on the best way to store it, too.

[happychristmasbum]

Oh how lovely! Hope you get a positive outcome.

[LeopardPrintSocks1]

How intriguing :)

[UnGoogleable]

Nothing that the collective mind of MN can't solve!

[TheProblemOfSusan]

If you want to google for ideas on how to read it, the term you want is palaeography - reading old writing.

But if it's 1903 it's not that old and unfamiliar, it's just a question of getting your eye in, and it might take a while. Start by writing out what you can read on a separate sheet, putting things like [could be 'and'] in square brackets for the ones you're not sure of. Then work out what characters you can read and what shape they are, and see if you can spot any similarities in the words you're struggling with.

There's a good guide in this PDF - wallaceletters.info/sites/wallaceletters.info/files/NHM_Palaeography_Guide_2014.pdf

Taking a really high res photo you can zoom in on will really help too.

[Mindtrope]

lovelearning I have a few details of the circumstances passed by word of mouth, looks like a local headmaster ( possibly married) in 1890 fathered my grandfather, left the scene left her in poverty, but wrote this letter 13 years later to her. The letter was found in my grandfather's fishing stuff ( his out of bounds place in 1965, and again only recently surfaced.

[SurelyYoureJokingMrFeynman]

I may be able to read it, if you can take a good enough photo. I read a lot of old documents and 1903's pretty modern for me.

[Mindtrope]

TheProblemOfSusan Thanks.that's really helpful.

[buckeejit]

Ooh, an intriguing letter, shameless place marking :)

[Mindtrope]

Great, I will take a scan and photo.

[TheProblemOfSusan]

You're welcome, Mindtrope, it sounds like it's important to you to know what's in it. If you don't mind sticking it on here I'll check back tomorrow and see if I can make anything of it - though I haven't done it for a while myself and when I did it was manuscript writing in much earlier periods.

Though, my handwriting is pretty shocking so I do get a lot of practice :D

[TheLadyWithTheYellowHat]

How exciting! I love stuff like this place marking for the big reveal

[Mindtrope]

THanks

[RJnomore1]

Place marking too I have a good eye for old writing will happily have a go at it tomorrow

[RaveclawZia13]

What part of the country are you? If you have a local archives they should be able to help you. They will have technology to repair any damage and have equipment that won't damage the document.

[YorkieDorkie]

Ooohhhh love this sort of thing! It's like a treasure hunt!

[WalkerCreeps]

How intriguing! cant wait for OP to post pic of the letter so we can all go all sleuth like with our lens'.