Who are these transcribers, anyway?

We now have more than 800 transcribers signed up to work on documents at the Papers of the War Department. Some have only ever worked on one document, while some have transcribed dozens. We have not done this in many months, so today we turn to a short interview with one of our more active transcribers, Nicole Salomone, to learn a little more about her background and experiences with the Scripto/PWD project:

PWD: Can you briefly describe your background with respect to history and transcribing?

NS: I am an independent scholar with over 15 years of research behind me, primarily focusing on the History of Medicine as Published in London in the Late 18th Century and the Physical Health and Mental Well-Being of Washington and His Advisors (Cabinet) 1789-1797.  Both foci have lead me to handwritten documents, which I have transcribed for my research.

PWD: How did you hear about Scripto?

NS: The first time that I heard about Scripto was for the Papers of the War Department Project.

PWD: Were you surprised by anything you found in the papers?

NS: Due to the decorum of appropriate topics to discuss in the late 18th century, I have been positively surprised by how frequently other people’s medical conditions are discussed.  Conversely, I have been minorly disappointed by how seldom the care that they received for the ailments is touched on in the discussions.  I have also been surprised by how many officers who served in the American Revolution were later given administrative positions in the government of the Early Republic.

It is not too late for you–there are many more documents awaiting transcription. Take a moment to register (http://wardepartmentpapers.org/scripto/register.php) and choose a document to begin your adventure. You will be doing important work by adding to the historical record, and you never know what you will read!