Deciphering Shorthand

By Free Republic | Created at 2024-11-24 14:20:47 | Updated at 2024-11-25 18:31:10 1 day ago

Deciphering Shorthand
November 24, 2024 | me

Posted on 11/24/2024 5:58:45 AM PST by texanyankee

Both of my parents graduated from 'Business College' in the late 1930s and were working as clerk/typists in civil service & the freight lines.

They met & began dating before the outbreak of WW2.

My Dad ended up joining the Coast Guard & served in the Pacific theatre. While his ship was undergoing repairs from the campaign at Amchitka, he eventually made it back to Texas & my folks got married in July of 1943 before returning to his refitted attack transport and resuming the campaign in the Pacific.

During his tour of duty between 1942 and 1944 they exchange hundreds of letters. I was fortunate to have rescued & scanned 650 of their letters to share with my siblings & my nieces & nephews.

In many instances both my parents would include in their letters paragraphs that were written in shorthand. In one instance an entire page was in shorthand. I have no idea how to decipher what they wrote. I wondered how the shorthand script managed to slip thru the censors but then I realized that shorthand was well known & used at that time.

Any suggestions on translating shorthand would be appreciated!

TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Education; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: shorthand

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1 posted on 11/24/2024 5:58:45 AM PST by texanyankee

To: texanyankee

Maybe they were underground codes, like “John has a long mustache.” :-)

2 posted on 11/24/2024 6:05:05 AM PST by Larry Lucido (Donate! Don't just post clickbait!)

To: texanyankee

Find yourself a copy Of GregG Shorthand Manual Simplified. You probably have to go to the library to find it As it is it is a rather old book.

3 posted on 11/24/2024 6:06:01 AM PST by xvq2er

To: texanyankee

See if you can find the Gregg Shorthand book at a thrift store. Also, homeschoolers might still teach it, maybe check where they sell school books. Good luck!

4 posted on 11/24/2024 6:10:53 AM PST by madison10

To: xvq2er

I distinctly recall as a kid that we had an edition of “Gregg Shorthand” in our bookshelf at home. Must have been my Dad or Mom’s.

It has long since disappeared.

Which gives me the idea that maybe I could find an edition on eBay. I know it would be a long & tedious process for me but winter is coming on and it might be fun.

thanks.

5 posted on 11/24/2024 6:11:46 AM PST by texanyankee

To: madison10

yeah, I think I’ll begin checking out eBay.

thanks.

6 posted on 11/24/2024 6:12:43 AM PST by texanyankee

To: texanyankee

Used bookstore or Amazon, eBay, for old Gregg SH book. Find older 70-90 yo woman who used it I’m old, took dictation from a fast talking company officer, used my SH to take notes all through college and probably could still read most of Gregg Shorthand.

7 posted on 11/24/2024 6:13:47 AM PST by Hattie

To: texanyankee

Amazon carries books featuring the Gregg Shorthand method (most popular in the US), as well as the Pitman method (mostly used in the UK). There are many books on each. You can teach yourself shorthand or use the books as resources for deciphering.

8 posted on 11/24/2024 6:14:40 AM PST by nanetteclaret (The Fourth Estate is the Fifth Column)

To: texanyankee

If you want to learn it yourself, there are lots of old textbooks on it. I learned shorthand in the late sixties but it was a later version (Diamond Jubilee instead of most likely Gregg taught in the 30’s). It really is pretty simple, based on abbreviations and phonetics. Otherwise you can search for someone who learned it in school.

Good luck in your endeavors. After my mom passed away I found a shoebox full of love letters from my dad. I transcribed them and had it bound in a book, copies which I gave to my siblings and the grandkids. They loved it.

9 posted on 11/24/2024 6:14:51 AM PST by caseinpoint (Don't get thickly involved in thin things.)

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