As a result, many of the official certificates also carried information about tattoos and scars, as well as any other specific identifying information. This also perhaps led to an increase and proliferation of tattoos among American seamen who wanted to avoid impressment.
Consequently, many official documents contained data on tattoos and scars, as well as other identifying specifics. This could have led to a rise in tattoo usage among American seamen aiming to evade impressment.