Recently 94.7 WMAS out of Springfield, Massachusettes, began a conversation on Facebook. Massachusetts school personnel want to keep penmanship in the curriculum. The people at 94.7 WMAS pose the following question, should penmanship be kept alive? In this day of the computer, speed, mass-produced, impersonal, and homogenous dreck, I know many would question the point of penmanship, especially given the infallibility of computers and the electrical grid. Penmanship, however, is not only a means of communication, but it is an art form. Throughout the years, many have made a  living with this craft.

    Consider this Pennsylvania German (sometimes called the Pennsylvania Dutch) birth and baptism certificate or taufschein (figure 1). ¹ The text was written and recorded in German by scrivener Georg August S. Hainbach (active c. 1876-1919).  Although, this birth and baptism certificate is printed, families commissioned men such as Hainbach to infill the information pertinent to the family. In her flagship work, Papers For Birth Dayes / Guide To The Fraktur Artists and Scriveners, Corinne Earnest ² states that Hainbach was one of the most prolific and sought after scriveners. He was often hired to fill out Bible records in both the German and English language, undoubtedly because "his Bible records are unsurpassed in beauty, both for the penmanship and the little drawings he made in Bibles." ³  He, obviously, also filled out taufscheine. This particular example, is one of Hainbach's restrained efforts, but the delicate penmanship is nonetheless valued by collectors and enthusiasts. Another example of his skill is shown at the end of the article (figure 4). These two examples demonstrate the breadth of his skill.

    Not all families chose to hire a professional. Sometimes a family member possessed skills to infill a taufschein. (figure 2). In this case, William W. Kemp is not known as a scrivener, but obviously he had the skill to complete the taufschein. Often schoolmasters offered their services to supplement their income and it is possible Kemp was among that group.

                                                          .

                                                                                    Fig. 2. Taufschein infilled by William Kemp. Private Collection

  Often the artist who embellished a sheet is completely anonymous. Joseph Laubach may have written the bilingual page (figure 3), or someone might have done it for him. The sheet was torn from a notebook or book, long separated from this surviving artifact. Other papers found with this page indicate Laubach was a tailor, or at least served the fashion industry in some capacity in Philadelphia in the mid-nineteenth century. If Laubach is the artist, he did not make his living as a scrivener as far as is known. He might have done it for pleasure or out of appreciation for the art. Much like Hainbach's effort below, (figure 4), sometimes the love of the craft shines through.  Pat Earnest 12 June 2015 Passed Time.

                                                                                                                                   Fig. 4. Taufschein illuminated by Hainbach. Image courtesy of Earnest Archives and Library

Footnotes:

1. For more information about the Pennsylvania Germans and their Fraktur art, I highly recommend checking out the Earnest Archives and Library. Russ and Corinne Earnest now have recorded the information from over 40,000 (yes, that is right) 40,000 Pennsylvania German birth and baptism certificates. They have also written over seventeen books about the Pennsylvania German broadside, fraktur, and genealogy. Corinne also writes the ever popular Fraktur and Families series, which provides access to some of the 40,000 genealogical entries they have recorded.

2. Corinne Earnest is the foremost fraktur expert. In addition to the books she has written, she has contributed countless articles to many genealogical and historical societies through the years. 

3. Earnest, Russell and Corinne. Papers For Birth Dayes: Guide To The Fraktur Artists And Scriveners. Volume I. Second Edition. Published by Russell D. Earnest Associates, 1997. pp 349-350.

            Author Pat Earnest, currently lives in Dover, Delaware, with family, both two- and four-footed. I am a published author and history enthusiast, who has great regard for the past and is especially proud of the Pennsylvania German culture. In addition to Passed Time, I am currently working on a project for the German Historical Institutes Immigrant Entrepreneurship: German-American Business Biographies (http://www.ghi-dc.org). I also contribute to various newsletters and I am working on another book...or two. Feel free to email me at pcsuter@passedtime.com for questions, comments, information, a shared love of history, an idea, or just because you want to share on Passed Time, but are too shy about getting started. But be aware, Files with Attachments will not be opened, but immediately deleted.