The Hartford herald., 1879-02-05

Issued from the year 1915 to 1875 {
2.Ol2 surveys for laud south of Wa
ker's line, mace from the year 1929 {
1877; and OF 20, ,352 rl1.s ard .rl
veys, made on orders from the count
courts, Issued from the year 1885 {
1871. These surveys are to. land !,
Gated in every county in the State, sr'
are the original evidences OF tius 1
those holding the icntJ under the PAL
ents issued from sand survey. There
fore, Lrgument Is not necessary 70 -. !,
gest the Necessity for preserving ~,
perpctuating these important eyi
dences OF title to lands.
The i,liccs, commenced to the Gran
Books Tor lands west g: the Tennetse'
river, is to he completed, snt indice'
viii have to be made to tbs "ieac
Right" Survey Books; also m inde,
to the Kentucky Land Warrants
surveys that are recorded; AN inde-
to the Te.licC surveys, and an index
to the county court order surveys thai
are recorded. There will also have tC
be- made iIGices 10 the ulreco.deG
plsts and surveys, when they are re
corded. These ind.css are all very
mach needed 10 expedite the bushes,
cf Tie Office. There are but few days
that pass without an examination OF
some Of these turveys from causes in,
cidental to the business of the office,
and in many Instances it Is very diff
cult 10 fiud some of them, for want Dl
indices to the Service Books. These
ind;ces sie To the Register, in the
transaction of the business Of this of
fee, what the i::dices to the record OF
deeds in county, or 10 the orders OF
the county court, are to the clerk Of
the county in theperformance Of hisdu-
ties. | would have had some of these
;naices made, rad not llY time aud
tlat of my ASSISTANTS been full employ
ed IN doing other work, more urgent
10 ha done. Some OF the indices 10
the Grant Books are falling to pieces
80 much from Use and age that new
ones vii! nave to be made.
There are needed in the Office care
i,tllg made cro->-iniices to the surveys
made on "keu,ucky Land Warrants,
to the saryeys made south of Walkers
line, to the Tellico surveys. and to the
surveys mNGe On county court orders.
1t viii take SIX books of five Guires
each TO make these cross-indices, aud
the tjme uad labor required to make
them viii be much greater than o>e
who have not done such work would
concede 10 be necessary and they are
no' tie most needed of any of the in
,!ices yet 10 be made except those to
the giants
The iuiiceS To the record, of this of.
fee ought to he 81 perfect that any bus
inesS nj II can find anything that is of
record in il; hUi, on the contrary, it
is y fact we'll known by all VINO have
had to make examinations of these
records, that the ind,ccs are so imper-
feet and incomplete, that there are
hundreds of grants, surveys, and en-
tries 6f record in the office, which can
only bc found by persons who under
stand all the details of the records
with the office. | will 10
no man an inj u>lice when | say that
there j. bu; one person living vino has
acquired such knowledge. and his in
formation las huon acquired by having
served - j clerk in the office for more
than thirty years. l have applied
my>2ii' closely for over two years in
the discharge ot the duties connected
wi,h the oilire; | have tried to learn
ail the details of The records; during
that time have had the benefit OF
Mr.. Sharps advice and Instructions /;
bu, in making examinations for some
of the records. or tor information
/ frequently find it necessary
to call him to nv assistance.
Such state OF iacts, in one of the
departments of the State government,
and in an Office. the records OF which
are of - much importance TO the peo-
pie, should not exist. rhe cause of it,
or who is responsible therefor, are
questions Not necessary to be con~id-
cred. Tho uScertainmont of one Or
bolh would not change an evil that can
only be remedied by years of labor.
The incomplete condition of the re-
cords should not be attributed to the
of any particular Reg
ister; eact. one who has served within
the last forty years should share part
OF the responsibility for the records
show that each of them have left to
his successor more work to be done
than he found to do when he took
charge of the office. The records
show that the amount of work per-
formed by each Register during that
period to have heeu about the same.
1t NAV be matter of interest to
YOU, and to the Legislature, to know