As a rule of thumb, most seals were reserved for a small number of people who had seal rings or seals. These seals usually belonged to the upper classes, and thus were a reflection of their social status. For example, one ancestor of mine signed his name and then sealed the document with his seal ring in 1653. (Some of the seals were reflections of family crests as well.) -----Original Message----- From: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Diane Ethridge Sent: Thursday, January 18, 2007 10:03 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Use of seal Would the use of a seal on letters & documents signify a particular status of the individual involved or would every family have had an identifying seal? Thanks, D. Ethridge TX 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