On the West coast of the pond, back in the 18th and 19th centuries, people's "marks" are frequently registered in a deed book where they live. Is that true on the East Coast of the pond? IOW -- I have a signature mark of a man in Maryland in the 1750s; I'd like to confirm/refute that he's the same person as a man of the same name in England earlier for whom I can find no signature. Is there some way to find the "mark" of the 2nd man? Thanks. Cheryl

Cheryl wrote:   > On the West coast of the pond, back in the 18th and 19th > centuries, people's "marks" are frequently registered in a > deed book where they live. > Is that true on the East Coast of the pond?  IOW -- I have a > signature mark of a man in Maryland in the 1750s; I'd like > to confirm/refute that he's the same person as a man of the > same name in England earlier for whom I can find no > signature.  Is there some way to find the "mark" of the 2nd man?       I'm happy to be corrected, but I would think that nineteenth-century marks were largely 'x'.   However, early marks (at least in the area that I study) were highly individual in earlier centuries - often the initial letter of forename or surname, and sometimes quite elaborate. I'm not aware of any book that lists such marks, but I have wondered on this list before whether individuals used marks based on the smit marks on their farms. The latter are recorded after 1817 - and I imagine could go back centuries.   http://www.geog.port.ac.uk/webmap/thelakes/html/topics/smitfram.htm   I wasn't aware that books of marks were kept across the Pond. That's very intriguing - and could be a key to some new gateways. Maryland especially - as many Cumbrians settled there, and Cumbrians certainly used distinctive marks.     Chris