Help Deciphering Please - German Kurrent - Badly Written Document

[Zacktyr]

Hi, Rootschatters,

This is the worst document I've ever seen!  I can't even tell if it's written in Latin, Spanish, or French.

If anyone can help decipher this document, I'd be very grateful.

Thank you.

[mckha489]

What is the context of the document?

Is it in German?

[arthurk]

It looks like German written in Kurrent script. I can manage the odd word occasionally, but others here are quite proficient in it. I think I can see a Johan here, but nothing else makes much sense to me.

Zacktyr - if you add 'German Kurrent' to the title, it might get picked up a bit sooner by those that can help.

[Zefiro]

Hi, Rootschatters,

This is the worst document I've ever seen!  I can't even tell if it's written in Latin, Spanish, or French.

If anyone can help decipher this document, I'd be very grateful.

Thank you.

I've seen worse and it is, as already said twice, German written in Kurrent. I'll transcribe it for you.

[Zefiro]

I've transcribed it, but I don't quite understand what's this about. It's an agreement between 2 persons and it's about a forest and the rights and duties involved. it's a very peculiar German (regional?).
I've asked davecapps for help.

Kend Zetell von Jochan Hell zum
Gregori Stirlling. Jochan Hell gibt der gantze
Blatz was in dar vent ist vir zwei Jachr vier
der Tritell im Walt.
Die Maten und die Jart vrei Hingegen
verrspricht Gregori die Log vir eine doblte
Scheiren und Stalug beizufiren
und die Ventzegen Saufer halten.
Johannes Hell - Gregori Stierlen
August dem 24. An(no) 1840

[Zacktyr]

Hello, all,

Thank you, all, for your input on this document.  I, too, wondered if it was in German, but German doesn't make much sense in the context.

This bit of paper was found among a deceased relative's papers, which included certificates from France written in Latin in 1827 to prove identity in Argentina for the purposes of immigrating there. The certifications of the certificates were written in French and were sworn to by the Mayor of the town they were leaving.  There is no known travel or business in Germany by this person, Gregory Stirling. So, this is quite a surprise!

Zefiro, thank you so much for transcribing this document.  I agree it must be a very regional variation as it doesn't make much sense to me, either.  Thank you for also sending a request to davecapps.  Hopefully, he can make more sense of this mysterious paper.  At the suggestion of arthurk, I've added "German Kurrent" to the title of this post.

[davecapps]

My two cents letting my brain go haywire

Assumption:

1 If this paper was found in a deceased relative's papers, which included certificates from France,
Then it was presumably also a important document. Seems to be a contract of tenancy

2 the writer must have been somesort of official. Due to the catastrophic spelling and grammatics he was not a German native speaker. No dialect would allow such mistakes. He just did his best to draft the contract as good as he could. Maybe the place in mention was in Germany and important that the contract was written in German

my feeble attempt:
Knud Zetell von Johan Hell zum
Gregori Stirlling. Johan Hell gibt der gantze (ganze)
Blatz (Platz) was in dar (der) Wente ist vir (für) zwei Jahr vier
der Tritell (drittel) im Walt (Wald).
Die Maten? und die Jart? vrei (frei) Hingegen
verrspricht (verspricht) Gregori die Log vir (für) eine doblte (doppelte)
Scheinen und Staling (Sterling) beizufiren (beizuführen)
und die Ventzegen? Saufer? halten.
Johannes Hell - Gregori Stierlen
August dem 24. An(no) 1840

Knud Zetell, Johan Hell and Gregori Stirling.
Johan Hell gives the whole tenancy for the place in the Wente
for 2 years and a third in the forest

The Maten ? And the Jart? however are free
and Gregori promises to contribue the Log? A double in notes and Sterling
and the Ventzegen? Saufer? halten.
Johannes Hell - Gregori Stierlen
August 24. An(no) 1840

Dave

[Zacktyr]

Hi davecapps,

Thank you so much for taking a look at this document.  I appreciate your efforts and time greatly.

I agree that it appears to be some sort of tenancy agreement, perhaps something to do with timber cutting.

Your "feeble attempt" has cleaned up much of the miss-spelled words, which now helps to make sense of this document.  So, a master stroke, not feeble.

Thank you, again.

[MollyC]

Maybe the location is somewhere around the French/German border, where territory changed hands and both languages were spoken at different times, e.g. Alsace, Lorraine.  Or in Switzerland.