Please note attendees will need to read cursive to transcribe.

Tune in on Sunday, January 16, 12:00 – 1:15 pm to learn about our Transcribe-A-Thon! The African American Museum in Philadelphia is proud to partner with the Christ Church Preservation Trust to make this scholarly program possible.

To “transcribe” means to make an exact copy of something. This year, we will be copying Philadelphia Congregations Early Records from the 18^th & 19^th centuries. These records illuminate topics including Philadelphia’s activities during the Civil War, the role of the church in enslaved and free African communities from the mid-1700s through the Civil War, and the rise of new religious denominations, such as the Episcopal Church and the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas.

Transcription turns handwritten and typed documents into searchable and machine-readable resources. This not only means that content transcribed becomes text-searchable online (and discoverable!), but it also ensures that historical materials can be accessible for all. Together, we are unlocking secrets hidden deep inside our collections that illuminate our history and our world.

Thank you for becoming a digital volunteer!