Larry,

I have run into several accounts of the registry of livestock marks within
the early court records of the region.  I'm sure that AJ would have had
several registered marks (according to the type of stock he was marking) in
several different counties and unfortunately, the court records for those
counties will only be indexed (if at all)by his name.  Off the top of my
head, I recall the registry of both ear cutting and branding in those
records.  Good luck with the iron.  I hope it doesn't belong to a
neighboring plantation.

Dan Allen