How consistently did individuals, who were unable to write, use the  
same mark when signing documents?

	Below are two instances where a man named Peter Beller signed a  
document using a mark, and I would love to have input from the List  
Members to help me judge the likelihood that the signers were  
different men.
	
	The first instance is the signature on the 1728 Lancaster Co. PA  
Naturalization Petition. To sign, this Peter Beller made his mark, a  
“B” and a recorder wrote in the rest of the name on the petition,  
incorporating the Mark as the initial letter of “Beller” as can be  
seen in this image of the original signature.
	  .

	The instance second is the signature on a 1756 Halifax County VA bill- 
of-sale. The court record indicates that to sign, he made his mark, a  
“P B”, and the clerk copied the mark as can be seen in this image. In  
other cases where marks were used, the same clerk reproduced the  
unique marks, so I think that Peter Beller’s mark was like the “PB”  
shown in the image.
	
	
	Eager to hear from anyone who has faced a similar decision,
Byron Bowman 
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