Researching the History of Shorthand

New Jersey Historical Society

Robert Erskine was a Scottish engineer who moved to America in 1771 to run a failing ironworks. He was caught up in the American Revolution and became the first Surveyor General to the American Army. He died while making maps in 1780 and his papers are now in various locations in Northern New Jersey.

Although I have read the majority of his papers, there are some that I cannot read. This led me to research the history of shorthand. While researching the history of shorthand, I realized there was no contemporary history and decided to write one.