The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1900-03-02
COLONIAL RECORDS.
The Bill To Place Them in
State Custody and Clas-
sify Them.

A dispatch to the Sun from
Annapolis says: 1t has been the
policy of the State to care for its
early records in the Land Office,
and already those of the Provin.
cial Court, such as land grant,
rent rolls and chancery court
proceedings are stored there-the
Land Office being a fire. proof
building-and it is in accordance
with this policy that it is desira-
BILE to remove all the early rec
Ords there. The entire proceed
ings of the early Provocative
Court, dating from 1886, and
consisting of wills, inventions,
accounts, testamentary proceed
ings, distribution books, as also
original wills and a vast quaint
ty of valuable loose papers, are
now in the Register of Willis Of
flee of Anne Arundel County.
The placing of them in that office
was at the order of the Governor
and Council, not to become the
property of that county, but as a
temporary measure only. The
records belong to the entire State,
and are all of the counties then
existing. At one time, when An
napOlis was in danger of bonn
bardment, these records were re-
moved to Prince Georges County
for safe keeping, and later on
were brought back to Annapolis.
The State has never released it's
right to these, it's earliest and
among its most valuable possess
siOns i'll historic Importance.
The bill before the Legislature
seeks to place them where they
will be under the custodianship
of the State, where they properly
belong, and at the same time to
make the one office, i. g. the Land
Commissioners office, as complete
a repository as is possible for all
matter relating to the Colonial
period. 1t also makes it incum-
bent upon the Land Commissions
er to receive from all the counties
their records appertaining to the
same period for safe keeping
Charles County some years since
took the precaution of sending its
court proceedings there, and
there are fragments from some of
the other cOunties) as we'll as to
receive from individuals who may
want to deposit them in a place
of safety, papers of historical i'm
pOrtance. 1t provides for the
collection from the various offices
of the State the records which
are now in the storerooms unpro.
tected from destruction from fire,
which has already made sad
havoc. Many of the books and
papers mentioned are now fast
crumbling into dust in attics and
cellars, uncared for, ofttimes for
gotten and indeed their very exis.
tence unknown, save to a limited
number of persons. 1t is desired
also to restore, by the process
used in other States for the pres.
ervatiOn and restoration of their
records, those books and papers
needing such attention, as we'll
as to classify, icodify and index
them.
There is a great demand for all
data which can throw light upon
the States Colonial history, both
as colony and in family and
genealogical matters. Inquiries
on these subjects come from
every State in the Union.
There is no desire to create a
new office, but simply to place all
these early records under one re-
spOnsible person in the Land
Commissioners Office, and to con-
tinue the work of indexing under
the same system that has been
inaugurated after much care and
study-tO do this at the least pos.
sible cost to the State. The fees
for researches and copies are by
no means incOnsiderable and it is
designed to turn them over to the
State.
1t is absolutely necessary to
have books of this nature in a
quiet place, where research can
be carried on without the distur-
Dances and noise incident to or.
binary offices.
Acts Approved by the Gov
ernOr.