Swedish handwriting to text for America letters and church records
The letters that crossed between Sweden and America are written in a Swedish that looks odd even to Swedes today. Upload a photo and get the text typed out as written; the first page is free, the whole document is $5.
Old spelling is not a mistake
Swedish spelling was reformed in 1906. Letters written before that, and for years afterwards by people who had learned the old way, use forms such as "hvad" for vad, "af" for av and "öfver" for över. A reader that expects modern Swedish treats these as errors and quietly modernizes them.
The tool keeps the spelling on the page, along with å, ä and ö. For a family historian the old forms are part of the record, and they help date a letter.
Church records
Swedish parishes kept unusually detailed registers, including the household examination rolls (husförhörslängder) that list every person in a household year by year. They are written small, in columns, with many abbreviations. Upload one page at a time, photographed straight on, and expect to check abbreviations and farm names against the image.
What families usually bring
- America letters (Amerikabrev) sent between emigrants and those at home
- Household examination rolls and other parish registers
- Estate inventories (bouppteckningar)
- Postcards, diaries and farm account books
Everything about how the tool works, what it costs and how your documents are handled is on the handwriting to text page.
Questions and answers
Will it modernize the old spelling?
No. Words are typed out as written, so "hvad" stays "hvad". You can modernize the text yourself afterwards if you want to.
Does it also read Norwegian and Danish?
Yes. Both are available in the language list. Older Norwegian and Danish records may use Gothic handwriting similar to German Kurrent.
Does it translate into English?
No. You get the original text typed out, which you can then translate with any translation tool.