Going (notary) public pt 1: Public service as a side gig?

I’m becoming a notary public & blogging about it

Graphic by Andre Stackhouse.

There comes a time in a man’s life when he must bear witness to a sacred signing of fate-sealing documents.

My first encounter probably came as I got approved for a loan, a conclusive stamp pressed at the end of a very exhausting process of many very serious adult papers. It wasn’t until the first time my car was towed that I heard the show-stopping phrase, “You’ll need to get that notarized.”

The notion of notary

Most people would have simply moved on with their day but for myself I became interested in this strangely ceremonial process —who were these notaries public and what powers were held in their mystic seals? Here’s the most important details.

• A notary public is an individual licensed to bear on-the-record and impartial witness to the signing of certain official documents.
• This process is called “notarization” — documents that have gone through this process are considered “notarized.”
• Documents include wills, trusts, deeds, contracts, affidavits, and more.
• In the United States, notaries are licensed by their state government and are not licensed to practice in another…