Author: Rachel Harmatz

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Transcription

Diary 34 Transcription Process

For this transcription assignment, I will be discussing the challenges and the overall process of transcribing Diary entry 34. This diary entry is a personal account of James Merrill Linn from February 5-7, 1862.

As part of the transcription process, I found it most helpful to have both the diary entry I was transcribing and my actual transcription side by side on the screen. This allowed me to easily read the document and type the words I saw in his diary entry. At first, I read the document straight through and left question marks where I found words illegible. I went back through the entire document and tried to fill in the question marks as much as possible. I realized that context is crucial when transcribing illegible words. For instance, once I realized that Linn was mostly discussing his boating experiences, I would google some of the letters in a certain word I could not read. If the results connected to boating and the Civil War, I knew that the word I found illegible fit well in that specific context.

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Segment of Diary entry 34 on February 5, 1862

In this example, I transcribed this sentence as “There are ? had fisheries here.” Because Linn was talking about fisheries, I realized that he must be talking about something relevant to fish. I googled the letters I found legible which were “findshad” and a link said that Shad was a type of fish. This helped me come to the conclusion that the illegible word as actually two separate words of “fine Shad”.

Additionally, working with a partner was extremely helpful because it gave me a new perspective and different interpretation of certain phrases and words. Some words that I found illegible, Mary could read and interpret and vice versa. We both read each other’s documents out loud, which helped us hear any words that did not fit in the context of the diary entry.

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Segment of Diary 34 on February 7, 1862

In this example, I transcribed this phrase as “The Dinkie (the Union) black”, which did not make any sense whatsoever. When Mary read this phrase, she has heard of “the Union block” and we googled it. As a result, the Union block was a term used during the Civil War. Therefore, I corrected my mistake from “black” to “block”. By having a different perspective, Mary helped me by not only correcting a transcription mistake, but she also put this sentence into its correct context.

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Blog #1

Archivist Artifacts

The DH projects are organized based on a variety of artifacts. The categories are located towards the top of the page so the viewer can easily navigate to their desired artifact. The categories consist of archive, visualization, mapping, digital edition, and network, textual and audio analysis. Depending on the viewer’s preference in categories, they can click on the link and are shown a series of projects that fit in that specific category.

I will be focusing on the archive category in the DH projects. There are 3 articles presented that are categorized as archival material. Old Weather, Lincoln 200, and Database of Indigenous Peoples in North America all obtain original documents and artifacts that support their reasons for creating the project. The documents are primary sources that provide evidence to the specific field of study. An example of a piece of archivist material is presented in the document below. These projects  give the viewer the opportunity to access archivist artifacts easily and interpret it in their own way. On the other 2 DH projects under archives, there are series of documents similar to this one that can be utilized for further analyzation and interpretation.

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Artifact for Indigenous Peoples in North America

Another example of an archivist artifact could be a visualization rather than a document.  The image posted below allows for a different perspective and can be a useful historical tool that provides insight of a specific event. Drawings and paintings can convey similar information as would a document, as both images and documents can be interpreted in various ways. ln0017_i52422_7f697ce9f3

A few advantages to creating a digital artifact from archival documents include preservation, access, and reconsidering of materials. When artifacts are digitally preserved, it ensures that copies of the documents will always be accessible. If an artifact is destroyed, the digital copy will allow researchers to still read and interpret them. A digital artifact also ensures unlimited accessibility. Specific documents could not be as easily accessible because they could be held in archives all around the world. Instead of physically visiting the archives, digital artifacts can be viewed and analyzed online. Reconsidering materials is another advantage to creating a digital artifact because it allows for different perspectives and diverse opinions. It can help make broader connections between artifacts, which could lead to a greater understanding of a particular field.

Some of the disadvantages of creating a digital artifact from archival documents include the inability to transcribe and the loss of collaboration and the community aspect. There may be certain words or ideas that could not be transcribed digitally but could be interpreted if the viewer is reading the actual document. Additionally, communication and collaboration for analyzing documents can create new ideas and opinions. However, reading digitally transcribed documents is more of an individual process which causes the viewer to lose others’ input.

When I build my own digital humanities project, I may feel that some aspects of my project are organized well. In addition, I may struggle to describe my thought process and reasoning for specific parts of my project. For example, I found that Lincoln 200 was easy to navigate but I did not understand the writer’s intent for the project.

 

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Trial Post

Lincoln at 200 Newberry Library

One of the links on the website takes you to the archives, which has a series of visualizations, mappings, distant readings and close readings. Posted below is a picture of Abraham Lincoln and his family in 1862 found in the archives. This shows that Lincoln is a family man, although the family members including Lincoln seem melancholy. I assume that the Lincoln’s are sitting together in a sorrowful manner because of the Civil War, which was from 1861-1865. This is one among many visualizations on this particular website.

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Another approach in this project is close readings. The one I chose is an anonymous hate letter written to Lincoln in 1861 shown below (I apologize for the blurriness).

ln0138_hate_note_x22012004-01_i52432_a9189bcc73Unfortunately, I can only read bits and pieces of the letter. In lines 5-8, it reads, “You are destroying this country. Damn you-every breath you take”. This letter was written anonymously, so this disdain and hatred towards Lincoln could have come from a large group of people or just one person. I feel that the visualization of his family correlates to the hate letter by means of the Civil War. As President, Lincoln had to make crucial decisions that were unpopular amongst many. This could be a contribution to why Lincoln’s family looks unhappy.

The archives provide a timeline for the public to see in chronological order a series of visualizations, mappings, distant readings and close readings. These different approaches allow viewers to piece together parts of Abraham Lincoln’s life that would not typically be found in textbooks. Although one may not understand one specific visualization in a certain period of time, all of the different primary sources pieced together give a larger context and understanding of what is actually happening. I found this website incredibly easy to navigate, allowing the viewer to comprehend the material and draw conclusions from the visualizations, mappings, distant readings, and close readings.

 

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