From Fraktur to German to English

If you run into German language documents written in this elaborate font, take a deep breath and consult a Fraktur chart.

Many German-language documents of the past were written in a type of font called Fraktur. It was also commonly used in German-American publications, such as newspapers.

While many letters are immediately recognizable, a few are misleading to English readers.

A capital I or J looks like a T: 


A capital T looks like an I: 

You can easily find a Fraktur chart online and use it to transcribe to a non-Fraktur font, and then translate the German to English. Keep in mind that printed letters may vary slightly from printer to printer.

If you'll be reading a lot of documents in Fraktur, you may want to learn common words written in the font so as to easily recognize them.


A search for the surname Aufdermarsch on ChroniclingAmerica.loc.gov came up with this result in the January 16, 1913 edition of Tägliches Cincinnatier volkblatt, a Cincinnati, Ohio newspaper.  The description of Henry Markmeier's will mentions several Aufdermarsch. It concludes by saying any remainder of the legacy should be evenly distributed between John Buhrlage and the five Aufdermarsch sibling.

I recognized the five Aufdermarsch siblings, but what was their connection to Henry Markmeier? Their mother's maiden name was Mathilda Buhrlage, and she passed away in 1906.  In the 1870 census I found a 10 year old Mathilda Bohlage living with a Henry Marksmeier. I have yet to discover the specifics of their relationship, but I have a relationship to investigate. And now that I know about Fraktur, I'll be able to tackle more German-language documents!


JO