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| August 9, 1862 signatures of soldiers in Company B for receipt of $100. bounty paid to them. Document from the Middlesex County Historical Society. |
A person’s handwriting, or signature is as unique as their fingerprint, so much so that even identical twins who share the same appearance and genetic markers, do not have the same handwriting. For this reason, signatures are considered to be hard to forge.
There is even a branch of study called “Forensic Graphology” that studies the handwriting involved in various crime scenes such as those found in ransom notes, poison pen letters, or blackmail demands.
Signatures are extremely personal, so I was thrilled to stumble across this original document from August 9, 1862 in the Middlesex County Historical Society while I was volunteering there. Each soldier signed his name for receipt of a $100 bounty paid to them.
Daniel has one of the most beautiful signatures on the page, then again, perhaps I’m partial. Too bad we aren’t taught how to right like this anymore.
Note: the original document is actually two-pages. I chose to post only the one pertinent page.