Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-03-09
REG1sTRIEs OF DEEDS. AND THE LEG
ISLATItRE,

ton to disturb the laws relating to registry of
deeds A bill providing for registries in the
several towns has been defeated, and very
properly, too, we think, -whereupen another,
more obnoxious than the first, has been re-
ported and passed to a third reading in the
House This bill requires separate set of
books for each town, to be kept in each of the
existing registries, in which the deeds of land
lying in the town shall be recorded 1t pro-
vides also for separate set of books for re-
cording those deeds which do not name the
town where the land lies, and still another set
for deeds of land lying in two or more towns,
with separate index to each of these volumes,
which must of necessity be of the old-fashion-
ed COX team" kind. For the unskilled, this
proposition assumes the guise of propriety,
and is the more likely to mislead, because
thorough knowledge of the details of the bust
ness in registry, is required to discover its
deformities, some of which we will endeavor
to expose.
OF the 1897 deeds, &C., recorded in this
county in 1856, "a were of land in New Brain
tree, and 1867 of land in Worcester 1--WE take
the town having the smallest number of deeds
recorded that year, with that having the larg
est number, which will illustrate the matter
fairly. Of these recorded deeds, 456 do not
name the town in which the land lies, and in
ISL cases the land lies in two or more towns.
For each of these classes of deeds, separate
set of books, with suitable induces, is required
by the bill in question; and, in looking for a
single conveyance in any given year, the vol
umes containing the deeds in which the town
is not named, and those where the land is in
two or more towns, must be examined, as well
as those for the town. Consequently, in look
ing through one year for a conveyance of land
in New Braintree, under the proposed system,
sic books must be handled. Under the
present system, only two books need
be opened. In extending the examination
through twenty years, for New Braintree, for.
ty-six books must be handled under the pro-
posed plan, and only twenty-one at present.
In making similar examination of Worcester
records for year, ten books must be handled
under the proposed system, and no more
than two under the present system. And if
the examination of Worcester records should
extend through twenty years, one hundred and
sixty-eight books must be handled under the
arrangement proposed, while only twenty -one
need be opened now for the same purpose.
Desiring to consider this matter carefully we
take another view. A count of names upon
the induces compared with the number of deeds
cd in Uiv will OH
so per cent more grantors than deeds. Ofall
the deeds recorded, about II per cent falls in
each of the letters B. H. and w. Suppose
there are recorded "a deeds naming New
Braintree, 456 naming no town, and 181 nam.
ing one or more towns, total Gel deeds. Add
so per cent and we have 991 grantors, IA per
cent OF 100 of which are indexed in each of
the letters above named, making 100 names to
look over, under the proposed plan, in each of
these letters, in examining the records for New
Braintree through single year, and 2180
names for 20years. In examining the records
for Worcester in the same letters Alb names
in each letter must be looked over for one
year, and $3.50 for 20 years and this must be
done with the old form of the index. Under
the present system of general alphabetical in
dex, those names for which search is being
made, need only be looked over, whether the
examination be for longer or shorter period
tn an those named. 1t would be about as wise
for the Legislature, as matter of public con-
venience, to destroy the alphabetical arrange
ment of words in Websters dictionary, divide
it into fifty or more volumes, and add to each
volume an equal portion of the New York
directory, and oblige people to use it as die
tionary, as to pass the bill to which we refer.
Has it occurred to our Legislators, that all
deeds made to married women, of property to
be held by them without the intervention of a
trustee, to their sole and separate use, &C., are
required by law to be recorded in the registry
of deeds for the county in which the husband
resides, and if he be not resident of the
commonwealth then to be recorded in the
county where the grantor resides? Has it oc-
Cured to them that the law now requires that
marriage contracts, by which the wife holds
real estate, &C., shall be recorded in the regis.
try of deeds for the county in which the hus-
band resides, and if he be not a resident with.
in the state, then in the county where the wife
resides Suppose the husband or the grantor
in a deed of this kind resides in this county,
and the land conveyed is in some other.-or
suppose the parties to marriage contract re-
side in this county, and that real estate stu
ated in some other is secured to the wife.
land these are not rare cases, in which set of
the books required by this bill would these pa
pers be recorded?
Again, assignments made by judges of in
solyency, by which titles pass from the insol-
vent to the assignee, are uniform all over the
state, and convey call the estate, real and per-
sonal, of the said insolvent." That estate
may be all in one town, or it may be in many
towns, or it may be in several counties. In
which of the books provided for in this bill
shall these be recorded
There are many other features of this bill
quite as absurd as any we have pointed out
indeed, it is only tissue of contrivances for
inconvenience and disorder, without a single
redeeming feature. But, we do not care to
pursue the subject further at this time. Be-
sides, we have said enough to show the folly
of the proposed legislation. Our present sys-
TEN OF records is the result of centuries of
study by the men most interested in the sub
'ee.' and u.s. in our judgment, as nearly perfect
~ can De made at present. Our Legislators
wan sest exhibit their wisdom by letting it
Ney "one' We trust the good sense of
the senate will take care of this mottor 70 :.
snOuia nVe to reach that body, and will only