With the exception of the 50 cent 'shinplasters' - which had printed signatures - every single Confederate Treasury Note was hand-signed. For the First Issue of Treasury notes in 1861, the signing was undertaken by the men who served as the Register and the Treasurer.  However, this was not sustainable due to the rapidly increasing quantity of notes issued, and the Treasury Note Bureau was authorised to hire clerks to perform this task. Between 1861 and 1865, a total of 367 men and women were employed to sign Confederate Treasury Notes.

In the first year, only men were able to hold this position of responsibility. However, as the War progressed, most male clerks were enlisted in the military, and the note signing responsibilities transitioned to women. Early notes were issued from Montgomery, Alabama, but soon Richmond, Virginia, became the home of the Confederate Government, and its Treasury department. The note-signers worked from Richmond, until April 1864 when the Treasury Note Bureau was relocated to Columbia, South Carolina, which was deemed a safer location given the worsening state of the War.

Mike McNeil and Charles Derby have recently undertaken extensive research on the Signers and their lives, and this has been incorporated into their comprehensive book on the subject,  published in 2024.

For further information, please contact Charles Derby.