Deciphering Revolutionary-Era Documents with Dr. Anne Crafton

Have you ever tried to read a letter written by your great-great-someone or other and been stumped by the arching loops and dramatic flourishes of their handwriting? Historians, including literary historians like The W’s own Dr. Anne Crafton, encounter this problem in their research and have developed a whole art around the work of reading very old handwritten documents. It’s called paleography, and Dr. Crafton is offering a crash-course in this one-of-a-kind workshop. Join us in Fant Memorial Library’s computer lab (aka, Digital Classroom or 24/7 Lab) to learn how its done!

After a brief presentation, participants will have the opportunity to practice their new knowledge by transcribing documents from early American history. In particular, and as part of our America 250 celebrations, we’ll be encouraging people to participate in the Library of Congress’ By the People project, helping to create text-searchable, accessible transcriptions of primary sources from the Revolutionary Era. There are many documents from the Women of the Early Republic collections that still need transcribing, and we want our community to contribute to this important work. Additional documents from the nation’s early years are available on From the Page, so we have plenty of opportunities available.

This event is free and open to the public.​ It is part of the America 250 series of special events co-sponsored by Mississippi University for Women, the Mississippi School for Math and Science, and the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library. The series provides opportunities to reflect on the American experiment as we mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.