Intermediate/Advanced Article
Cross-Writing in Letters
In the 1800s, a scarcity of paper, particularly in the form of rags for papermaking, was a real issue, influencing letter writing practices. The primary material for paper in the 1800s was rags (linen and cotton). As paper consumption increased, particularly with the rise of newspapers, a shortage of rags developed. This was especially true in the United States, which was a major paper consumer and relied heavily on imported rags. To make the most of limited paper and postage costs, people developed the technique called cross-writing.
Cross-writing involved writing both horizontally and vertically on a page. The intent was to maximize space and reduce the number of sheets needed. This type of writing was a technique where multiple sets of writing are superimposed on the same page. In most cases careful spacing and using only two directions left the document legible. Cross-writing in letters is also known in genealogical lingo as crossed letters or cross-hatching.
It was a practical way to fit more information into a limited space. After writing across the page, they would turn the paper 90 degrees and write between the existing lines. The result looked like a lattice of interwoven scripts. Though initially bewildering to read, recipients grew accustomed to it. While cross-writing proved to be a functional technique for the era, it also could make letters harder to read. However, for the sake of thrift and necessity it became common place. This practice was not unique to the United States. It was also common in Britain and elsewhere.
Cross-written letters appear throughout United States history, from early 19th-century personal correspondence to and from to Civil War soldiers’ missives and pioneers’ letters from the frontier. During this era, infrastructure and materials shaped letter-writing habits. Many people on the expanding frontier lived far from urban centers or post offices. Mail delivery was infrequent and required effort. It was not uncommon for individuals to face the prospect of traveling for hours or days to receive their letters. This infrequency meant that when a letter was written, it tended to be long, catching the recipient up on all recent news. Under these circumstances, cross-writing was the only solution to ensure as much information would fit into a single page.
The practice became especially popular for personal and family correspondence where the sender had much to say but hoped to keep postage to one letter. In some cases, people also wrote in the margins of the page or used every available blank space in a similar effort to conserve paper. Cross-writing was essentially an innovative workaround to the limitations of the three major realities of 19th-century communication: expensive postage, scarce paper, and irregular mail service.
Pioneers and settlers moving westward readily embraced the concept of cross-writing. On the frontier, both paper and postal access were limited. Emigrants heading west or living in remote territories might not see a mail courier for months, so they would write long letters and journals in the meantime. Some emigrant diaries and letters from long journeys show cross-hatched pages, indicating the writers wrote over their earlier entries to save space.
Emigrants on wagon trains or aboard ships going to destinations such as California or Oregon often kept “crossed” journals when fresh paper ran out
. Settlers’ letters to family back East often used cross-writing if the sender had many stories to tell but needed to conserve paper for the long trek to the nearest post office. These letters could be challenging to decipher but were treasured communications bridging the vast distances of the expanding nation. This practice was also employed by the wealthy and educated people when they were faced with these same circumstances.
Cross-writing played a significant role in the Civil War. The technique was readily used for both soldier, officer, and civilian correspondence. Both Union and Confederate soldiers in the field faced paper shortages and irregular mail service, especially in the Confederacy as the war went on. They sometimes wrote letters to loved ones using every available inch of space writing in one direction, then turning the paper and writing across it to make the most of limited stationery.
For families separated by war, postage costs and logistics were also a concern. A soldier might carry only a small amount of paper in his pack, so when writing a long letter home he might cross-write rather than use up an extra sheet. Similarly, those on the home front writing to soldiers often tried to conserve paper so that their letter could be sent as a single folded sheet.
By the early 20th century, cross-writing had largely disappeared as a writing technique. This disappearance was due to the cost of postage becoming more affordable, and paper becoming much cheaper with industrial production. Envelopes and additional pages became affordable for most people. As a result, the incentive for writing across the page waned. Reading cross-written letters was laborious, so once it was no longer necessary, the practice faded away.
Today these crossed letters survive in archives as a fascinating testament to the thrift and ingenuity of their writers. Cross-writing was a clever adaptation to the constraints of an earlier era – a practice born out of thrift, necessity, and the desire to communicate as fully as possible. In the United States, crossed letters connected families across long distances, delivered love and news during wartime, and recorded the experiences of those on the frontier. Today, they offer us rich historical insights, if we can manage to read them.
For more information on this topic, Please consult the following links.
Bryan L. Mulcahy
Reference-Genealogy Librarian
Fort Myers Regional Library
bmulcahy@leegov.com8/12/2025