Most kids will discover or implement some form of secret writing. For me and my “gang” it was writing words using very long letters written close together. Writing this way made the words initially look like just a bunch of lines and only those in the “know” knew to tilt the paper in order to read the hidden message. To make it “super-secret”, you could turn the paper 90 degrees and write another set of long narrow letters over the original ones. Again, the paper would have to be tilted in order to let your brain connect the lines and read the words.
Here’s an example:
Initially the message doesn’t look like much, but…
when you look at it from the edge of the paper, the words become easier to read.
Then turn the page and look again from the edge and you see the second part of the message.
Admittedly, these were much more effective when younger hands could make straighter lines, but you get the idea.
Although these cryptic writings looked really cool, they took a long time to produce so they tended to be exceptionally brief and, sad to say, equally dull – even by adolescent standards. The fun was in creating the message.
The Trend
Who Used it?
As it turns out, cross-writing, also known as crossed-letters, wasn’t a new thing. In fact, writing over written lines was at least 100 years old when I was using our less-than-notable version, above.
In my work I have come across many letters written in similar fashion like the one at left. The author of this letter used pieces of paper folded in half and wrote on all four sections of each paper. Not unusual. But when it was filled, they turned the paper 90-degrees and continued writing the rest of their message over their previous writing.
Of course, writing letters this way wasn’t for the purpose of passing secret messages. Instead, there were much more practical reasons for using cross-writing in the late 19th century.
Why Was It Used?
The Post
One reason cross-writing appeared was the early U.S. postal system. The United States wrestled with creating a system for the new nation that served a much dispersed and remote citizenry and would be self-sustaining. Many Americans did not live near the major cities or small towns that were part of the early mail routes. Instead, individuals relied on neighbors or other acquaintances to let them know when a piece of mail was waiting for them.
But knowing about the mail was only half the battle. Collecting one’s post was not a convenient task. It required a family member, neighbor, hired-hand, an enslaved person, servant or relative stranger to make the often-daunting trek to wherever it was delivered. That could mean a long ride of hours, or even days, each way, with whatever may befall them along the way such as weather, a broken wagon wheel, a thrown horseshoe, etc. (Thankfully unsolicited “junk mail” wasn’t yet invented.)
Because of these hazards and trials, it was likely that you would wait until you had other compelling needs and could combine picking up the mail with other errands.
The Cost
The other reason people used cross-writing was cost. Much like today, the price of mailing an item was intended to cover the expenses of the service. Currently, U.S. postage stamps cost $.50 each for a regular first-class letter. However, before 1845, a single-sheet letter could cost more than a fourth of what a (nonfarm) laborer made in a day. Interestingly, unlike today, the cost for mailing a letter was the responsibility of those who received the letter, rather than those who sent it.
The required cost meant that it was an expensive endeavor for the average person and so was used infrequently or only in the most urgent situations. It also meant that sending a letter was done more often by the affluent individual or business.
Consequently, cross-writing came into vogue to ensure all the important and time-sensitive news about the business, family weddings and funerals, or professing one’s love for another, fit onto a single page. The cross-written letter in the example above, between “Dearest Tom” and “Ellen Parker”, actually used two sheets of paper to describe family issues and financial matters surrounding a family marriage. Must have been important stuff for that expense.
How Do You Read It?
Let’s say you come across one of these documents in your family papers, how do you read it? The answer is: with some difficulty. While tilting the page like with my childish example, may help, in most instances you should not expect to be able to just sit down and start reading it.
Cross-writing documents are some the most difficult personal history papers to transcribe. Even with tilting the page, the different script styles, abbreviations and spellings mean it will likely take the most experienced historian, under the best of circumstances, many hours or even days to wade through one of these fascinating documents. Add fading, damaged, or blotchy ink, such as this example, to those challe nges and deciphering can go from extremely difficult to impossible no matter what angle you look at it.
At that point, it may be best to gather what you can and leave the rest to the unknowable mind of its writer. Revisiting it again later with fresh eyes may also help.
Still, despite all these difficulties and challenges, transcribing these types of documents is not only a rewarding effort, and fun especially if you like puzzles, but is an important one. They can help us rediscover lives of our ancestors through wonderfully everyday historic moments. So go ahead, tilt the paper and read the “secret” messages they hold.