Introduction to Romanian Paleography

About this Tutorial

This tutorial will introduce you to basic record formats; that is, it will focus on the specific information contained in each record and locate where that information can be found.

Old Romanian Records

Reading old records written in Romanian is not the same as reading, for example, modern news articles written in the same language. The average reader with a working knowledge of the language will quickly learn that the old record are not the same as their modern equivalents. Beyond changes in alphabet and writing practices, scribes may have included words that do not match their modern equivalents, either because of language changes or other influences.

Besides having to become familiar with a different set of words and a different alphabet, you will need to adjust to such things as old styles of handwriting, unfamiliar abbreviations, misspelled words, archaic letters, ink blotches, and torn pages. The following sections provide examples of some challenges a researcher may encounter in reading old Portuguese while providing assistance with those particular challenges:

Another helpful tip, have an alphabet chart open while transcribing or reading older records. You can see our alphabet charts on this page. While some of these things may cause you concern, you will find that you will be able to read old records with a reasonable amount of ease and accuracy in a very short period of time.

Types and Formats

When the records you will be reading were written, the inhabitants of Romania and were mostly Romanian Orthodox. Of all the records mentioned on this site, religious records are the most important for family historians and genealogists with Romanian ancestry. Beginning in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the Church began in each of its parishes to keep records of the sacraments, baptisms (christenings), and marriages performed in the parish. The church also prescribed the form in which these records, or parish registers, were to be kept. During the nineteenth century, Romania and Moldova adopted civil registration, independent of the religious background of its citizens.

Although the specific requirements for keeping registers have changed from time to time, the formats have stayed basically the same. This tutorial will introduce you to those basic formats; that is, it will focus on the specific information contained in each record and wherein the record that information is usually found. Those just beginning to learn to read and understand old Romanian records should go to Techniques and Tools on the sidebar and read each of the pages there. Then go to the Civil Registers pages under Documents and begin with the page about birth records. Those with more paleographic experience can go to a specific document type under Documents for sample transcribed and translated documents with explanatory notes and commentaries about that document type and its essential components.

We recommend studying these sections thoroughly before reading old manuscripts. Doing so will help you be more confident in your ability to understand these records and minimize misinterpretations or missing the information for which you are searching.