Mike; Not only do the land records in Somerset indicate that the man and his wife dealt with their property separately, but the land records in Dorchester do as well, I have found this even into the 1800's. The property was conveyed by the husband to the person(s) purchasing it and in the end part of the deed, the wife was interviewed in secret to say that her husband was indeed selling the property and that she was in agreement with the transaction, that she was not coerced into making the transaction and that she gave her right and dower interest in the said transaction. When you see the signature line on a legal document with the name of the individual along with "his mark" that person could not read or write or they could understand the "written" words but could not legibly sign their name.. Tom Tom Bradshaw 5106 Rhodesdale Vienna Road Rhodesdale Maryland 21659 410-463-4366 cell 410-943-1212 home cadet125@comcast.net