Do I Transcribe that “od” as “od?”

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It looks like an “od” in between the names of John H Gronewald and Cornelia M Albers on this document from her 1880-era homestead claim in Dawson County, Nebraska. It clearly is not.

It’s “vs” for “versus.”

While the ending “s” is atypical, it is clear that the scribe wrote his ending “s”s in that fashion–after all that’s how the “s” in Albers appears as well.

It’s not “od.” I should not transcribe it as “od.”

Looks can be deceiving and transcribers have to also look at intent and not be entirely literal.

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2 thoughts on “Do I Transcribe that “od” as “od?”

  1. Meredith Garth Bell says:

    Personally, Michael, I would transcribe it as ‘od’, making a note elsewhere as to its meaning. After all, to transcribe something is to copy it exactly as it is written: interpretation is something else again.

    • Suzanne McGee says:

      When comparing the letters d and s with other words in the document, it is clear it is an “s”. It would be wrong to transcribe it as ‘od’.

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