In Early Times, if You Could Not Write, you Left Your "Mark" on Official Documents

Most people could not read/write back in the 17th and 18th centuries - it was a luxury only few had time for or could afford. However, they would leave their "mark" on official documents. Many times this was a simple "X" placed next to their name the court clerk wrote for them on important documents like wills and land records. However, some got a bit more personal. Here is an example: Nehemiah Hitch (c1724-1775) of Somerset Co., MD (modern Wicomico Co.) used a fancy, scrolled "N" as his mark - here are the two examples I found in the records. The former is from 1767 when he witnessed the will of his brother John Hitch. The latter from his own will written in 1774. Note the same style of the mark - a stylistic "N." I plan to expand more on this subject later. Both are from photos I took of the original documents at the Hall of Records in Annapolis, MD in the 1990s.

In contrast, below the two Nehemiah Hitch 'marks', we see the marks of Samuel Hitch, John Hitch (both as Heatch) and Cornelius Lynch (as Linch) from the will of William Hitch on 1730. Each are simply "+" marks.