In this database we have attempted to strike a balance between retaining as many of the original features of the documents as possible, while rendering them comprehensible to the modern reader. Facsimile images of each document page are available for viewing, along with a computer-searchable transcription of each document in modern typeface. In many cases we have made changes or additions to the transcriptions to make them easier to read and understand. All editorial changes are clearly marked as such, in green type surrounded by square brackets; no silent emendations have been made. For a fuller explanation of the editorial decisions made in this project, please see the list below.

Abbreviations | Additions | Dates | Deletions | Handwritten vs. Printed Documents | Highlighted Text | Images | Links Between Documents | Metadata | Missing or Illegible Text | Non-English Languages | Page Numbering | Proper Names (Persons and Places) | Punctuation | Signatures | Spelling

Abbreviations

To save time and paper, writers in previous centuries often used more abbreviations than we do today. Abbreviations such as "Sept." or "Tues." that are familiar to modern readers have been left as they are. Less familiar abbreviations have been given in their original form, followed by the full version of the word or phrase in green brackets.

Additions

When words were added between the lines or in the margins of the documents, we have transcribed them in the place where they were meant to be inserted, whenever the writer's intent was clear. All additions are labeled as such, with the exception of receipt documents such as receipts, where multiple individuals wrote on them, and no distinction can be drawn between main and added text.

Dates

When possible, a date of creation is included in the metadata (descriptive information) that accompanies each document. No attempt was made to assign dates to undated documents. When multiple dates were given for a document, we attempted to ascertain which was the date of creation as opposed to the date the document may have been delivered to a recipient, filed among similar records, or acquired by a collector. If a document, such as a journal, was clearly produced over a period of time rather than on a single occasion, we assigned a range of dates from the earliest to the latest date given in the text. All dates in the metadata and texts are computer searchable.

Deletions

When words were scratched out or erased from a document, we have left the deleted text in place with a label indicating that it was deleted in the original.

Handwritten vs. Printed Documents

The majority of documents in this database were originally handwritten. Those that were printed are usually noted as such in the document content summary in the metadata (descriptive information). A small number of documents, mostly preprinted forms, contain both printed and handwritten text. For these we have included an editorial note indicating the presence of both handwritten and printed elements. Viewers should examine the facsimile images of the original documents if there is any question concerning handwriting vs. printing.

Highlighted Text

Underlined, italicized, and capitalized words have been reproduced as such in the document transcriptions. Rendering other types of highlighted text, such as font changes in printed documents, inhibits some users' browser display and have therefore not been included.

Images

Some documents in the database consist solely of images rather than text; however, a verbal description of each image is provided in the metadata (descriptive information) that accompanies it. Other documents are composed primarily of text, but may also contain drawings, postmarks, or other images that cannot be transcribed. For these we have added an editorial label that identifies the image and refers the viewer to the facsimile image of the page.

Links Between Documents

Closely-related documents in the database (e.g., one document that specifically refers to another) contain links in the content summaries of the metadata (descriptive information) that accompanies the transcribed texts so that readers may jump directly from one document to another without conducting a new search or returning to a list of search results.

Metadata

Bibliographic and descriptive information precedes the transcribed text of each document and includes title, author, creation date, content summary, subject headings and collection location information. This information is searchable as is the full text of the documents. In addition, subject headings have been linked to enhance subject searching.

Missing or Illegible Text

Over the years, the original documents in this database have suffered wear and damage to the extent that some text within them is missing or can no longer be read. In addition, some passages of handwriting proved impossible to decipher. Wherever this occurs, we have included an editorial label indicating that text is missing or illegible. When it was possible to make a reasonable guess at an illegible word or phrase, we have included this as a suggestion along with the editorial label.

Non-English Languages

Almost all the documents in this database are primarily in English. Words or phrases in other languages using Roman characters have been transcribed as they are. Occurrences of words from languages that include non-Roman characters, such as the Cherokee syllabary, have been noted with editorial labels, but were not transcribed. They are viewable, however, in the facsimile page images.

Page Numbering

Most of the documents do not have page numbers on them. We have assigned a page number to each leaf of a document. This assigned page number appears in brackets above the transcribed text. Some documents have written page numbers that no longer correspond to the sequence of the pages. In the case of such documents, we have presented the newly assigned page number in brackets immediately followed by the original page number.

Proper Names (Persons and Places)

All proper names have been transcribed exactly as they appear in the documents. Because standard spellings of many names do not exist and some entites have several names, the spellings are given without labels or emendations.

Punctuation

All punctuation has been transcribed as closely to how it appears in the original document as possible. Errors in punctuation (e.g., an opening quotation mark that is not followed by a closing quotation mark) have not been altered or labeled.

Signatures

Signatures to letters and other documents have been labeled as "[Signed]".

Spelling

Because spelling conventions change over the years, the writers of these documents sometimes used spellings that were correct in their time, but are no longer standard today. And like today, some writers were simply poor spellers! We have presented each word as it originally appeared, followed by a modern standard spelling where appropriate, clearly labeled as an editorial addition. Both original and normalized spellings are computer searchable.

We hope that readers will find the document transcriptions helpful, but please remember that you always have the option of viewing the original page image to compare it with the transcription. If you have further questions or detect any transcription errors, please contact us