As I remember, at least one probable branding iron showed up in the diggings
in Colonial Williamsburg back in the day.  Sorry I don't have a reference
handy, but if you contact the folks at the archaeology lab at CW I'm certain
they'd point you in a good direction.
Cheers,
Tim
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Timothy James Scarlett
Assistant Professor of Archaeology
Program in Industrial History and Archaeology
Department of Social Sciences
Michigan Technological University
1400 Townsend Drive
Houghton, Michigan 49931-1295 USA
Tel (906) 487-2359 Fax (906) 487-2468 Internet [log in to unmask]
MTU Website: http://www.industrialarchaeology.net
SHA Website: http://www.sha.org  SIA Website: http://www.sia-web.org
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To be vital... a thing must be founded on something far deeper than style,
it must go back to the beginning and meet as nearly perfectly as possible
the need which alone gives it a reason for existence.
     --Gustav Stickley