To Carolyn's eyesight explanation (which is a good one), I'll add
another possibility: severe arthritis of the hand, for which there was
also no treatment.

Maybe there are other possibilities, but I do know that I have one
ancestor who regularly signed his court records until very late in
life, when he started using a mark.  So just because someone signed
with a mark did not always mean that they were illiterate.

Lou

-----Original Message-----
From: Research and writing about Virginia genealogy and family
history.
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Carolyn M. Getting
Sent: Monday, April 09, 2001 3:14 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Use of mark on wills


I have often thought about this.  Remember in those days, glasses were
not always
readily available, plus diseases of the eyes were not treated and
perhaps the
person was either blind or near blind when it came time to sign the
will.  I've
noticed before these inconstancies and concluded on my own, that some
was due to
eye sight not lack of the knowledge to read or write, but the
inability due to
eyesight.

My thoughts anyway.  God bless.

Carolyn,
just an old Texas Gal.

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