Transcribing History

My name is Emma Coffey and I am a rising sophomore majoring in History. I started working at Sandusky in the fall of 2019 transcribing Confederate letters. I enjoyed working on these letters immensely because I found the entire experience interesting. I have learned about so many people’s lives during and after the American Civil War. For example, there was one soldier, Erasmus Lee Bell, who wrote a sketch in his life. In this sketch, he wrote about how he enlisted in the military when he was 18 and it follows his life during the war. One challenging aspect of this work is how I must transcribe some of the words because it might be difficult to make out certain phrases based on a person’s handwriting or how they write in cursive. However, that is also one of my favorite parts about it. I love the challenge that it brings before me because it reminds me of solving a puzzle.

Projects are one of my favorite things to do at Sandusky because they keep me busy and engaged with my work. I feel like I can learn new skills or practice ones that I already have at my disposal with these projects. These projects have taught me how to hone my time-management skills and my work ethic. This is also why I love working at Sandusky. I love learning about the different things that went on in people’s daily lives because it gives me an understanding that I might have had otherwise.

When I first started working at Sandusky, I had no idea how many opportunities would come my way. However, many have, and I have loved everything about it. I hope that my time at Sandusky will teach me valuable skills that will aid me in the future throughout college. I also hope that it will help with my professional career. I hope to form connections with the people I work with that will help me in my career field. After I graduate, I would love to work in a museum or find a teaching position. These connections that I form will help me achieve that goal.