Sorry I can't help you; the documents I've looked at all have a large X and "her mark" if they could not write their name. Have you seen this in several places, or might it have been used in a certain locality? Nancy ------- I was never lost, but I was bewildered once for three days. --Daniel Boone On Jan 12, 2007, at 5:24 AM, Clara Callahan wrote: > In colonial Virginia was it common for females who could not write > to use the first letter of their maiden names as their mark on > legal documents? > > For example, If a piece of land was sold by a man named Gunther > to a man named Jones and if the witnesses were named John Doe and > Joseph Doe and if Gunther's wife relinquished dower and made her > mark "D," would it be reasonable to think that her maiden name > might be Doe? > > Clara > > To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the > instructions > at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html