Tips & Tricks

• Save your work frequently. If you don’t save before you navigate away from the page, your work may be lost!
• Click “Save” as you work on a page.
• When you have transcribed all the words on the page, click the “Done” button in the upper right corner.
• Transcribe the text as is, including punctuations, misspellings, and abbreviations.
• Any text not in the original document should go within square brackets. They can be used to correct a misspelled word, such as Carlottesville [Charlottesville], or expand an abbreviation, such Wm [William].
• While you do not need to recreate the formatting of the original document, we ask that you hit return at the end of the line.
• You may come across outdated or offensive language in historical documents. Transcribe offensive language as it is written on the page.

• If you aren’t sure of a word but want to guess, indicate with square brackets and a question mark, e.g. [town?].
• If you can’t make out a word at all, use [illegible]. If you spot [illegible] in an already started transcription, feel free to correct it if you know what the word is.
• For text that has been crossed out, if you can read it, type [struck: text]. If you cannot read it, type [illegible].
• Consider the context. If you’re having trouble with a word or passage, read “around” it and think about what a likely word would be, or look for other letters and spellings in the document that are similar.
• Do your best, but don’t spend too much time on any one word. Use [illegible] and return to it when you have finished the page or document. You might be surprised that you can now read the word after transcribing the rest of the page.

• Do not transcribe hyphens or spaces in words that occur at line breaks: type the whole word then hit return. Continue transcribing the next line starting with the first whole word.
• For lines or rows of dots, you do not have to transcribe them all, since this adds little value to the searchable text. Type a single _ or . as needed, followed by the text.
• For words that are inserted above or below the line, add information in brackets within or near the line. For example: [inserted above/below: text].
• When transcribing parts of the letter that were written around the edge of the paper or perhaps written cross-wise on the paper, add information in brackets to the end of the document. For example, add the transcribed information to the end of the letter and write [written at the top of page 1: text] or [written across page 1: text].

• If a field is left blank or the information is not provided in the original document, leave it blank in your index.
• When selecting from a drop-down list for a controlled field, be as specific as possible in your selection.
• Enter dates in the format provided, usually YYYY-MM-DD. If a precise date is not given, enter only the known information, such as 1834-04 for April 1834.
• For fields that are not controlled, enter the information according to the collection-specific instructions found on the Help tab. Options include summarizing the information or entering it as it is written.
• Do not supply or infer additional information. Include only what is provided from the text.
• Use a numeric value for age. For example, if “about seventeen” is written, enter the number 17. If a child’s age is written in months, write the decimal conversion. For example, “9 months” would be entered as .75.
• For height, fractions should be converted to decimal points. Round to the nearest quarter inch.
• When the word “ditto” or “d.o.” appears, write out the information to which the ditto is referring from previous lines. Ditto is sometimes represented as a double apostrophe mark; please enter the information above. Remember, our goal is to create searchable data with all the information present in the original documents.
• Type [illegible] for any words you cannot read.
• Save often!

Indexing can be done by using either form-like fields or a spreadsheet to capture the information. You will find both formats for indexing in our crowdsourcing collections on From the Page (fromthepage.com/lva). The spreadsheet format includes many of the functions of an Excel spreadsheet; you can copy & paste, insert rows & columns, or drag-to-fill data from one cell down to other cells. We recommend that you change the layout view to have the historical document appear on the top of the browser window so that the spreadsheet will be displayed at the bottom. If the indexing is done using fields, you can view the document on the left- or right-hand side of the screen according to your preference.

When indexing, some fields will use a controlled vocabulary or format rather than the verbatim version from the text. A controlled vocabulary is a carefully selected list of specific words or phrases used to provide consistency in indexing or description. Fields with a controlled vocabulary will be shown as a drop-down list, which requires volunteers to select from a list of available options. Always select the best fit and most specific option available. If none of the options apply, look for an “other” or “none” option in the drop-down list. If the information is not given in the original document, leave this field blank by not making a selection. An example of a controlled format is using YYYY-MM-DD for the date, though it likely will have been written differently in the original document. Names may also use a controlled format (last, first) or you can separate names into first, middle, last fields. Use your best judgement to index information from the original documents into controlled fields.

• A.R.: “in the year of reign”; commonly to precede or follow the name of a public official such as a court clerk
• Aforesaid / Said: denoting a thing or person previously mentioned
• Cr: abbreviation for credit
• Dr: abbreviation for debit
• ETC / &C: et cetera; and others
• Et at / Et al: Latin for “and others”
• Et uxor: Latin for “and wife”
• Ex Parte: “on behalf of” or in the interests of one side only
• Heretofore: “up to now” or “before this time”
• Imprimis: In the first place
• Indenture: an agreement
• Intestate: died without leaving a will
• Know all men to whom these presents: “take note”; often used to introduce a legal document
• Presents: “this document” 
• Probate: a term that originally meant prove 
• SEAL: usually presented with a decorative circle or bubble next to a signature
• Testate: died leaving a will
• Teste: witness, indicates a copy (recorded in the courthouse)
• To Wit: “that is to say,” often used to introduce a legal document
• Vizt or Viz: Latin for “that is to say,” “namely,” or “to wit”

• Acknowledged (ACK, ACK’D): confirming the receipt of a document by the court 

• Bequeath: to give personal property or a legacy 

• Certified (CERT): formal conformation that something is true or valid 

• Delivered (Deliv’d): referring to a legal document delivered to court or appropriate party 

• Devise: to give real property 

• Teste: Latin for “I myself being a witness.” In drafting, the clause that states the name of a witness and evidences the act of witnessing.  

• Separate Examination: the questioning of a married woman by a court official to determine if she has acted by her own free will in selling land. 

• Witnesseth: “take notice of”; commonly separates the preliminaries in a contract from the other terms of the agreement 

• Administrator (ADMR, ADMS): person appointed by the court to administer an estate 

• Administratrix (ADMX): female administrator 

• Attorney-at-law: A practicing lawyer asked to act in legal matters 

• Attorney-in-fact: anyone authorized by a Power of Attorney to act in place of the person giving the power of attorney to conduct business in place of another. 

• Assigns or assignees (ASGN): one to whom property rights or powers are transferred by another. 
• C.C.: court clerk
• Commissioner (COMR): an officer who is charged with the administration of the laws relating to some particular subject matter; appointed to hear facts and report to court
• Committee (COMT): a person, or board of persons, to whom the handling of an estate has been committed, especially one appointed to handle the estate of someone judged insane
• Curator (CUR): a temporary guardian appointed to take care of the estate of a minor or other person not regarded as competent to administer it for themselves
• Creditors (CRED): a person to whom a debt is owed by another person who is the “debtor”

• Decedent: the deceased person 

• Devisee: one receiving real property
• Distributee (DIST): an heir; a person entitled to share in the distribution of an estate 

• Executor (EXT): person chosen by the testator to carry out the directions of the will and named in the will 

• Executrix (EXX): female executor 

• Grantor: the seller 

• Grantee: the purchaser 
• Guardian: a person who manages the right and property of another 

• Heir: a person who, under the laws of intestacy, is entitled to receive an intestate decedent’s property.  

• Heirs & Assigns: a term of art formerly required to create a fee simple (an interest in land). 

• Infant: (guardianship) a child under the age of 14 years 

• Legatee (LEGT): one receiving the legacy or personal property 
• Receiver (RECV): a neutral person appointed by the court to receive and preserve the property or fund in litigation, and receive its rents, issues and profits, and apply or dispose of them at the direction of the court

• Relict: the surviving spouse, usually refers to the widow 
• Representative (REP): one who represents others or another in a special capacity
• Sheriff (SHFF): elected constitutional officer responsible for law enforcement
• Surviving Partner (SURVPARTNER): the living one of two or more persons in a business relationship after the death of the other or others

• Testator: person making the will 
• Trustee (TRST): one in whom an estate, interest or power is vested, under an express or implied agreement to administer or exercise it for the benefit or use of another

• Appurtenance: in a deed, this refers to houses, barns, outbuildings, gardens, or anything which belongs to the land. 

• Dower: the one-third interest a female has in the estate of her husband under law. This is usually a state law. There are no dower rights community property states. 

• Fee Simple: an interest in land that, being the broadest property interest allowed by law, endures until the current holder dies without heirs (total ownership) 

• Item: a piece of a whole, not necessarily separated; also or likewise 

• Legacy: a gift of personal property by will or a bequest 

• Life estate: estate to be held during the life of that person 

• Messuage: refers to any dwelling house including any barns, outbuildings, gardens within the curtilage which belongs to the land. 

• Movable estate: personal estate, that which can be moved. 

• Natural Affection: affection that naturally exists between relatives. Usually found in a deed of gift. 

• Quitrent: a land tax, often tax paid by a tenant. Sometimes referred to as a fixed rent. 

• Real Property: relating to the land. 

• Seized: possession of land; in a deed will state “he died seized and possessed of 100 acres”