Translation Tuesday ~ Parlez-vous français?

Last week I posted death records for two ancestors named Nicolas Schmitt. Thanks to several members of the Alsace-Lorraine mailing list, the questions I had about some of the words have been answered. See the corrections in green here.

I thought I might share a bit of my process to (hopefully) help someone just starting out. And maybe someone reading will suggest a better way to get through the dozens of records I need to transcribe and translate.

After performing the Genealogy Happy Dance at the Family History Center when I locate a French record that belongs to me; I copy the image, the cover page, and the index to my flashdrive. At home I clean up the image with photo editing software.

Using a split screen to view both the image and Google language, I transcribe the record into Google translate. After correcting any obvious errors, I copy and paste the French and English versions in a Word document. Then I tweak the text using the French Genealogical word list from Family Search and the ever-growing list of words and phrases I have learned since I started researching my French ancestry.

FamilySearch also offers some wonderful ~ and free ~ courses for doing research in several countries including France here.

I was intimidated when I started working with French records, but that didn't last long. So if you are gingerly dipping your toes in the French pool, c'mon! Wade on in; l'eau de fines!

Motivation Monday ~ Create an Assembly Line



Image Courtesy of The Graphics Fairy

Super Simple tip # 4: Henry Ford was right.

Hunting seems to be every genealogist's favorite sport. We'll look in every nook and cranny for elusive clues that may lead us to the catch of the day - a document mentioning our ancestor. Those documents can add up quickly however and soon we're faced with a pile of paper that feels more like a chore than a treasure.

I recently copied 27 French records that referred to my ancestors. Twenty-seven records to transcribe, translate, review, and add to my tree. A task that seemed overwhelming. One day I separated the Gury records from the Schmitt's. More organized, but still daunting. I put the records in chronological order. Then I filed them in the left side sleeves of two old photo albums. Ah ha! Now the project felt managable.

Transcribing the records in French was next. Then I ran each through Google language. My translated transcriptions went into the right side sleeves, next to the appropriate photocopy. I tweaked the records with help from a few French friends, and voilà! I can copy and paste the results into my family tree.

By the second transcription, the handwriting seemed more legible. Translating the records all in a row helped fine-tune many of the "old" words used by the Maire. Posing all my questions at one time prevented my helpers from tiring of me. Hopefully. :o)

At each stage of the project, I felt a sense of accomplishment. By the end, I had twenty-seven new French family members and a long list of new clues. Now I just have to tackle those...

A Course in French

"It is obviously the date of the document." Obvious to whom? It was anything BUT obvious to me.

The woman to whom the date was obvious is French, a transplant to the United States. She has graciously designed a course for BYU to teach non-French-speaking genealogists enough of the language that we can read those oh-so-vital records.

Because of the instructor's clearly written directions, the dates on my ancestors' records really did become obvious. Although fluent in French I am not, I was able to make out a good portion of my 3rd great-grandfather's birth record:

"Naissance de (Birth of) Nicolas Schmitt:
Line 1.) L’ an dix-huit cent treize le neuf mois
Line 1.) The year eighteen hundred thirteen the nine month
Line 2.) à huit heure du matin par devant word8 maire
Line 2.) at eight hour of the morning in front of word8 mayor
Line 3.) officier de l’ Etat civil de helimer et word9 word10
Line 3.) officer of the state civil of Hellimer and word9 word10
Line 4.) et comparu Francois Schmitt word5 domiciliée
Line 4.) has appeared Francois Schmitt word5 residing
Line 5.) au dit helimer lequel nous áprésenté un enfant
Line 5.) in the said Hellimer who to us has presented a child
Line 6.) du sexe masculin né aujourd’hui word7
Line 6.) of the male sex born today word7
Line 7.) minuit et un heure de lui déclarant word8
Line 7.) midnight and one hour of to him informant word8
Line 8.) d’ Elisabethe Grosse son épouse et auquel il
Line 8.) of Elisabethe Grosse his wife and to whom
Line 9.) a declaré le prénom de Nicolas ladite
Line 9.) he declared the given name of Nicolas the said
Line 10.) présentation et déclaration faite en presence
Line 10.) presentation and declaration made in presence
Line 11.) d’ Jean Nicolas word4 word5 de word7
Line 11.) of Jean Nicolas word4 word5 of word7
Line 12.) word1 âgé de vingt deux an et L’orent Sadler
Line 12.) word1 age of twenty two years and L’orent Sadler
Line 13.) word1 âgé de trente neuf an tous deux
Line 13.) word1 age of thirty nine years both
Line 14.) domiciliés a helimer de que nous
Line 14.) residing at Hellimer of which we
Line 15.) nous ai word3 word4 acte que le pére
Line 15.) we have word3 word4 record of the father
Line 16.) word1 word2 déclarant ont signé avec nous
Line 16.) word1 word2 declarant have signed with us
Line 17.) aprés lecture faite
Line 17.) after reading done

Whew! Translating these records will certainly get easier as I become better acquainted with them. But this precious record was my first. And at the moment, it's my préféré.

In memory of Nicolas Schmitt 09 Mar 1813

Nicolas Schmitt is my 3rd great-grandfather. He was born in Hellimer, Moselle, France on this day in 1813.

France was unchartered genealogical territory for me for decades. First because I believed what my family believed; we're Swedish and German. Then after coming to terms with my French DNA, I was intimidated by the enormous task of learning to research records that had been created in France.

But I was fascinated by Nicolas, who left his country of origin with his wife and seven children in 1854. The family settled in Cincinnati Ohio. Two more children were born in Ohio and sadly, Nicolas became a widower before 1870.

So little is known about this man. Schmitt, a common name with many spelling variations, isn't easy to trace. And Cincinnati experienced not one, but three courthouse fires.

So I started by learning about France. For example, when Nicolas was born, Napoleon Bonaparte was the Emperor of France. Nicolas and his children hailed from Moselle, a département (number 57 to be exact) in Lorraine named after the Moselle River. Lorraine is rich in coal and steel, commodities highly-desirable to bordering countries. Conflicts over who had the rights to these riches left the area war torn for many years.

Learning something new everyday keeps our minds sharp. I'm taking a free class in french genealogy, I signed up for a french blog, and I joined a french mailing list. France is a country rich in beauty, history, and genealogical treasures ~ ours for the taking. Vive la France!