New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-12-21
Title Searching in N. Y.
County Sin1pLfed

New York The work OF abstraCting the
CONVEYANCE lbers has been finished. The
number Of instruments in those libers was
6S1 295. Each of the instruments was alb
stracted i'm duplicate and a carbon copy
retained I'm binders; the originals were
distributed 10 locators who have placed
them in blocks and, where possible, in the
city lot affected by the instruments. After
being located and after the locations were
verified the abstracts were passed TO type
writer's who made in loose leaf form an
index under each block of all the convey
ances affecting that block, arranged by
date Of record. The loose leaves were
then assembled in wel-bound volumes.
The services OF a force Of craftsmen
has been necessary in order to make plans
and maps Of farms and 10 draw outlines
OF the city blocks as well as to copy the
many maps attached to deeds recorded in
the conveyance Nbers. 1t has been neces-
sary also TO reproduce from descriptions
contained in deeds the outlines OF
many old maps not now in the Regis
ter's Office. but which were used in the
sale of property. The work accomplished
in the form in which it is already used
has been of great service TO many search
ers Of land titles who have declared that
* is the most satisfactory and useful sys-
tenn of indexing real estate records which
they have known.
4 report covering three years shows
that the reindexing department up TO De-
cember 10. 1918. has distracted 6l2& IL
struments and verified the same number.
located 4S9,sO5 parcels and verified 42o,dO
locations. made 4G7 4S2 index entries, and
verified Ssi,367 entries in the typewriter
index. There have also been distracted
34.S13 instruments in the mortgage libers.
and the work OF completing the abstract
ing Of the mortgage libers will be contin-
ued during the ensuing year.
The map division has drawn 1871 iiber
maps and 2,2l1 key block and 527 miscel-
lsneous maps.
Register Grifenhagen extends an INVITA-
ton TO all lawyers and others interested
in real estate to inspect the books con-
tanning the new index.
"The completion of the locality plant
! marks an epoch In the history Of the
Registers Once" said Walter Fairchild,
Special Deputy Registrar OF New York
County. yesterday.
'"The Registers office in New York
County was organized l0l years ago,
added Commissioner Fairchild. during
which time over one million deeds OF con-
veyance have been recorded and about
all equal number Of mortgages. Until the
| year 1890 these instruments were re-
corded unfortunately, without any re-
gard TO the particular property affected
| by any instrument. The only means OF
/ discovering what instruments affected
! any given lot of land was to search the
| names Of grantors and grantees who
were known to have owned the land and
( pick out the necessary instruments.
! In 1890 the number of deeds among
! which a conveyancer was compelled 10
/ search in order to discover his chain
I Of title exceeded six hundred thousand.
So enormous became the work of search
! ing a title and so complicated and dan
gerous the procedure that In 1890 the
1 block system was inaugurated by law.
which required instruments affecting lots
within any given city block TO be separ-
ately indexed. This reform reduced the
| area OF search from the extent OF the
1 entire county to that of the single city
block in which n specified lot is located.
! so that since 1890 an examiner Of title
need concern himself only with instru-
ments affecting titles within the area Of
one block.
THE law Of 1880, however, made no
| provision for the immense number of in
! struments then already on record. and 1t
was rot until 1911, under the administra-
ton of Register Grifenhagen, that the
! task was begun of bringing order out of
| the chaos existing as to titles prior 10
| 1890 In the last three years the reindex-
! ing department organized by Register
Grifenhagcn has distracted all the 10000
deeds recorded prior to 1890 and has
sorted. located and arranged them &C
cording to the locality affected by each
| instrument The result of this labor
has been crystallized In the form Of a
| typewriter index. The abstract slips so
prepared have been examined by an ex-
/ pert staff of locators, who have marked
upon each slip the number OF the block
in which property described Is located
After proper verihcation the slips are