QUERY: HELP DECIPHER NORTH CAROLINA STATE TREASURY NOTE SIGNATURE

The attached is an image of a genuine 1862 10 cents North Carolina State Treasury note.

I would like any readers ideas as to what the signed name is. I have extensively researched the records in the NC State Archives and it is most definitely NOT that of any of the 63 signers that legitimately signed Treasury notes for North Carolina. This was in a small group of "trash" notes on EBAY a couple of years ago that I bought solely to obtain this note. I have never seen another note with a signature like this.

The serial number looks to be contemporary, and for this series is high, 810 T. Each signer (there was 33 for 1862 dated 10 cents notes) started at "1" for every note in a (serial lettered) sheet and continued on though his allotment.

This suggests a couple of possibilities:

1. The note was signed by a clerk or other unauthorized individual from an issuing location. If this is the case, it would have originated from the NC State Treasury Office, The Bank of NC in Raleigh, The Bank of Cape Fear from the either the Salem, Salisbury, or Asheville branch. I have not been able to make any "match" with any names associated with either of these locations.

2. Was "autographed" from a numbered sheet of remainders after the War was over, and the signature is a fantasy.

At any rate, if a reader would care to hazard a guess as to what the name is, I'd love to hear from them. I would like to write an article about this note and signature for future publication. As a bonus, there is no prize, but I'll include all the "translations" along with the submitters name in my article. Please, no "Billy Bob Smith" stuff, just real ideas!

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