Reading those Latin Church Records

Records written in a foreign language are always a challenge. There are several thigns to keep in mind when working with records that are not in your native tongue.

• Many church records can be translated using a handful of words.
• Many church records follow boilerplate text.

For these reasons, word lists from the Family History Library (http://www.familysearch.com) are particularly effective. Also it is extremely helpful to copy all the register entries on the same page as the located entry and to find entries for all family members, not just your direct line.

A column of mine from the Ancestry Daily News, Catching Christening Clues: Belgian Baptismal Beginnings , discusses several entries I obtained from Belgium. The images themselves have been posted on my website for anyone who wants to try their hand at reading Latin (http://www.rootdig.com/stofferis/).

Michael