MARY KIRCHER RODDY
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Searching for Stories

Funny Fonts

8/13/2018

4 Comments

 
Picture
See source below in footnote 1
​
Oh, the many problems with Optical Character Recognition (OCR).  Documents may use a plain font.  But in specialty publications, yearbooks, for example, the typeface might be a bit fancier.  This leads to problems in text recognition.  The scanning, digitizing or interpreting software may preclude finding what you’re looking for.
 
I had a few details on a woman my friend JoAnne was researching.  I found her on a FamilySearch family tree and discovered in the notes on the subject that she was a 1906 graduate of Smith College.  I searched for the subject, Harriet Leitch in Ancestry’s “U.S. School Yearbooks, 1900-1990 Database.”   I couldn’t find her on a name search, but I was able to find the 1906 Smith yearbook.   A page-by-page search yielded Harriet’s picture right where it should have been, with the other L names.  I suspected the fancy font might have been a problem when I saw it.
 
Afterwards, I did a search on Ancestry by location, using the college’s name as a keyword, specifying only the year, but no student’s name.  It took a few pages to get to the Ls but along the way I saw many butchered names and words – try a few of these on for size:

        Jsentor Bvamattcs   - yep, that’s Senior Dramatics
        Jswbstttute Sasfeetball Eeam – that’s Substitute Basketball Team

Those two were set in a Gothic font.  But even with a hopefully clearer font, what appears to me to be Cambria, there are many errors, particularly regarding the letter H.

       Iiavex Hol'sii – that, my friends, is Haven House, one of the dormitories. 

​My new friend Harriet Elizabeth Leitch?  She did OK until they got to the back end of her name.  She became “Harriet Elizabeth Leitcii”.  Her next-door-neighbor on the page, Helen Mae Larmouth, had a similar problem – “Helen Mae Larmoutii”.  It seems a small capital H is definitely a problem for the eyes of Ancestry’s computers.
 
When you’re searching specialty publications such as yearbooks, be willing to expand your search.  Maybe search by first name only, last name only, use a lot of wildcards, or just resort to a page-by-page search.  It’d be a shame to let a little OCR hiccup stand between you and a picture of your ancestor.
 
​
1 “U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-1990,” Ancestry (https://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1265 : accessed 13 August 2018) > Massachusetts > Northampton > Smith College > 1906, image 34, Harriet Elizabeth Leitch.
4 Comments
Jane N Rollins link
8/13/2018 02:36:11 pm

I always browse yearbooks for possible mentions that don't show up with a name search for the reasons you mention.

Reply
hunday yova link
9/29/2022 09:04:38 am

What is the difference between a web font and a typeface?

Font vs Typeface

The main difference between these two terms is that a typeface (or type family) is the name of a specific collection of related fonts. In comparison, font refers to a particular weight, width, and style within that typeface. To put it in simple terms, each variation of a typeface is a font.

Anchor Fonts

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anjilalova link
10/10/2022 09:17:49 am

What is the smallest readable font size for brochures?

Choose a font that’s at least 16 pixels, or 12 points. If many of your users are older adults, consider using an even larger font size — 19 pixels or 14 points. A small font size is more difficult to read, especially for users with limited literacy skills and older adults

Fonts Bee

Reply
louishoway link
10/24/2022 09:58:12 am

How can we change the font size of a PDF document without changing its page size using Adobe Acrobat Pro DC?

Drag and drop the PDF or select a file to upload it to Adobe’s online PDF editor. Click the font size control at the top of the page. It’s the icon with a small capital T next to a large one. Move the slider to indicate the size of font you want.

Font Sonic

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    Mary Kircher Roddy is a genealogist, writer and lecturer, always looking for the story.  Her blog is a combination of the stories she has found and the tools she used to find them.

    Read more of Mary's writings at "Adventures of A Broad Abroad" and at Letters from Limerick

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