claude-plugins/genealogy/commands/transcribe.md

---
name: transcribe
argument: path
---
# Transcription Prompt for Historical Document Images

You are transcribing historical document images into a structured markdown sidecar file for an Obsidian vault. Your goal is to produce a faithful, readable transcription that clearly distinguishes certainty from uncertainty and keeps editorial commentary out of the transcription body.

If a filename has been provided, process only that filename. Otherwise, process each image in the current directory ONE AT A TIME. Do not batch.

Consider each document carefully according to the following instructions.

## Output Structure

The sidecar file has five parts: YAML frontmatter, a heading, Description, Transcription, and Transcription Notes.

### YAML Frontmatter

Use Obsidian-compatible YAML frontmatter (`---` delimited) at the top of the file. Include `source` (the image filename) and `type` (the document type), then add any applicable annotations from the list below. Omit fields that cannot be determined. Do not invent new field names — if none of the suggested fields fit, describe it in the Description section instead.

**Required fields (always include):**
- `source` — the image filename
- `type` — the document type (e.g., deed, will, death certificate, marriage record, pension record, bible record, gravestone, letter, court order)
- `date` — document date (ISO 8601 format: YYYY-MM-DD, or YYYY-MM or YYYY if day/month unknown)
- `state` — state where the document was created or filed
- `county` — county where the document was created or filed

**Suggested annotations (include when applicable):**
- `collection` — the archive, repository, or record group
- `book_volume` — book or volume identifier
- `page` — page number(s)
- `file_number` — official file or certificate number
- `grantor` — seller or conveyor (deeds)
- `grantee` — buyer or recipient (deeds)
- `testator` — person making a will
- `executor` — person appointed to execute a will
- `deceased` — the deceased person (death certificates, probate)
- `applicant` — person applying (pensions, bounty land)
- `soldier` — the servicemember (military records)
- `bride` — bride's name (marriage records)
- `groom` — groom's name (marriage records)
- `acreage` — land area as stated
- `consideration` — price or payment
- `witnesses` — list of witnesses
- `clerk` — recording clerk
- `justice` — justice of the peace or presiding judge

Example frontmatter for a deed:
```yaml
---
source: "Leto Atreides deed to Duncan Idaho.jpg"
type: deed
date: 1829-08-01
state: Caladan
county: Habbanya
book_volume: "Deed Book 21"
page: 177
grantor: Leto Atreides and wife Jessica
grantee: Duncan Idaho
acreage: "50 acres"
consideration: "$250"
---
```

### Heading

A single `#` heading derived from the document title / filename.

### Description

A brief, plain-language summary of the physical document and its contents. Include:

- What type of record it is and where it comes from (book, page, archive)
- General condition and legibility observations
- Notable features (e.g., multiple hands, later annotations, damage)

Keep this to 2-4 sentences.

### Transcription

An exact transcription of the text as it appears on the page. This section contains **only** what is on the page: the words, their order, and visual descriptions of non-textual elements. No summaries, no interpretive commentary, no editorial notes.

Use footnote markers `[fn1]`, `[fn2]`, etc. to flag anything that needs discussion, and place the commentary in the Transcription Notes section.

#### Conventions

**Layout and formatting:**
- Preserve paragraph breaks where they appear in the original
- Do not attempt to reproduce exact line breaks within a paragraph
- Use `---` to indicate a visual separation or change of section on the page (e.g., between the deed body and the acknowledgment)
- Use blank lines between distinct blocks (signatures, recording notations, etc.)

**Page errata:**
- Include page numbers, headers, footers, and any other marginal notations exactly where they appear relative to the body text
- Place page headers/numbers at the top of the transcription, before the body text
- Place footers at the bottom, after the body text
- Marginal notes should be indicated with `[margin: text]` at the nearest point in the body text

**Abbreviations:**
- Preserve abbreviations as written
- Expand on first occurrence only: `Wm [William]`
- Do not expand common/obvious abbreviations after first use

**Annotations for uncertain or missing text:**

| Annotation | Use |
|---|---|
| `[illegible]` | One illegible word |
| `[word?]` | Best guess at one word |
| `[word or word?]` | Multiple guesses for one word |
| `[illegible, ~N words]` | Short illegible run, approximate word count |
| `[illegible passage]` | Long illegible run; describe in Transcription Notes |

**Annotations for physical features:**

| Annotation | Use |
|---|---|
| `[his mark]` or `[her mark]` | A mark made in lieu of a signature |
| `{seal: text}` | Text or content within a seal or containing mark |
| `{seal}` | A seal with no legible content |
| `[inserted above: text]` | Interlineation (text added above the line) |
| `[struck: text]` | Visible struck-through or crossed-out text |
| `[damaged: description]` | Physical damage (torn, stained, faded) preventing reading |
| `[description of non-text element]` | Any other visual, non-textual element on the page |

**What does NOT go in the transcription:**
- Summaries or restatements of content
- Interpretations of legal meaning
- Commentary on handwriting quality (save for Description or Notes)
- Historical context
- Corrections to spelling or grammar

### Transcription Notes

All editorial commentary goes here. This includes:

- Footnotes referenced in the transcription (`fn1.`, `fn2.`, etc.)
- Discussion of difficult readings and why a particular guess was chosen
- Identification of hands (if multiple scribes)
- Observations about unusual spellings, legal formulae, or period conventions
- Cross-references to other documents or records
- Anything else that aids understanding but is not part of the original text

## Example Output

```markdown
---
source: "Leto Atreides deed to Duncan Idaho.jpg"
type: deed
date: 1829-08-01
state: Caladan
county: Habbanya
book_volume: "Deed Book 21"
page: 177
grantor: Leto Atreides and wife Jessica
grantee: Duncan Idaho
acreage: "50 acres"
consideration: "$250"
---

# Leto Atreides and wife Jessica deed land to Duncan Idaho, 1829

## Description

Deed record from Habbanya County, Caladan, Deed Book 21, Page 177. The document is an indenture conveying 50 acres from Leto Atreides and wife Jessica to Duncan Idaho. The text is in a single clerk's hand with generally fair legibility; the lower portion containing the acknowledgment and recording notation is more difficult to read.

## Transcription

[margin: Halleck & wife to Duncan Idaho]

177

This Indenture made this 1st day of August in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twenty nine between Leto Atreides and Jessica his wife of the County of Habbanya and State of Caladan of the one part and Duncan Idaho of the County of [Carthag?] [fn1] and State of Caladan of the other part ...

## Transcription Notes

fn1. The county name for Duncan Idaho is difficult to read. "Carthag" is the best reading based on letter shapes and the fact that Carthag County borders Habbanya to the east.
```

## Processing Instructions

- IMPORTANT: Process each image one at a time
- The sidecar file should have the same filename as the image but with a `.md` extension
- Use the image filename to inform the frontmatter and heading, but always verify against the actual document content
- When in doubt about a reading, prefer `[word?]` over silently guessing
- Err on the side of more annotations rather than fewer