MICHIGAN
NOTARY HISTORY
The practice of a notary public dates back to ancient
Roman times when few people learned to read and write.
A "notarius" was appointed as a public official
to create written documents of agreement or wills and to
hold them for safekeeping.
Using
wax seals with individualized engravings or symbols were
used as signatures at the end of written agreements was
began. In later centuries, ribbons were woven into holes
placed in the margin of multiple page documents to tie
the pages together. Wax seals were placed over the knots
to ensure no pages were added nor removed. Hence, this
was the origin of the notary seal and certificate.
In
Colonial America, persons of high moral character were
appointed as public notaries to certify and keep documents
safe.
It
is remarkable that in our age of sophisticated technology,
the notary practice still includes the use of a seal and
signature of the notary. Little has changed over the centuries.
Perhaps it evidences the high level of security proper
notarizations provide.
Every
day thousands of documents are prepared, signed and submitted
for processing or filing for countless transactions: real
estate deeds, automobile titles, loan applications, buy/sell
agreements, applications for visas or college admission,
credit applications, business licenses, service contracts
and thousands more. Literally millions of dollars are on
the line in these transactions.
Reliance
on signatures poses growing risks and the incidence of fraud by forgery or false
identification continues to increase. Proof of authenticity of signatures on
business or legal records is increasingly important for protection against fraud.
Notarization of signatures is often essential to the "due diligence" and "standard
of care" of the parties to ensure the integrity of the documents. By law,
numerous transactions require notarized signatures. We
offer this important service to Southwest Michigan's citizens. We are ready and
able to fulfill any and all of your notary needs with express mobile service.
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is the Official Web Site of Dave's Notary Service of Southwest
Michigan
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