COMMISSIONER OF THE LAND OFFICE

J. Randall Walcroft, Commissioner, 1963
Malcolm W. Waring, Administrative Assistant

State Office Building, Annapolis Telephone: Colonial 8-3371

The Commissioner of the Land Office is appointed by the Governor,
with the consent of the Senate, to hold office during the term of the
Governor (Const. 1867, Art. VII, sec. 14). The Land Office keeps
records pertaining to boundaries of land, including records of all war-
rants, certificates, and patents for land from the settlement of the
Province of Maryland in 1634. Every clerk, after he records any deed,
mortgage, release of mortgage, or lease of real estate, must make or
have made a 35 mm. microfilm copy of every such record and transmit
it to the Commissioner of the Land Office at the end of each year. The
Commissioner hears and determines all disputes which may arise con-
cerning the validity of surveys. The Land Office is now engaged in
making, filing, and recording plats for current subdivisions of land;
copies of such plats are sent to the Supervisors of Assessment upon
request. All plats filed with the Clerks of Courts before June 1, 1945,
have been microfilmed by the Land Office (Code 1957, Art. 17, sees. 57,
58, 61, 62; Art. 64, sees. 1-53).

All land now included in the limits of the State of Maryland was
granted to Cecil, Lord Baltimore, in 1632. In 1680, the Proprietor
established a Land Office, and four years later "The Land Council."
This body was authorized to hear and determine all matters relating to
land. Four years later, when Maryland became a crown colony, the
Land Office closed. In 1716, after a long contest with the Governor,
Council, Secretary, and Assembly, the Lord Proprietor emerged with
his rights restored, and the Land Office reopened. After the Revolution,
the State assumed control of the Land Office (Acts Feb. sess. 1777,
ch. 16). From 1781 until 1841, there was a Land Office for the Western
Shore and another for the Eastern Shore. The Constitution of 1851
created the office of the Commissioner of the Land Office.

Appropriations 1959 1960

General Funds $27,380 $28,870
Staff: 6.

WAR RECORDS DIVISION
Harold R. Manakee, Director
620 Park Avenue, Baltimore I Telephone: Mulberry 6-3750

Under delegation of authority from the Board of Public Works, the
War Records Division of the Maryland Historical Society was estab-
lished in 1945 to assemble and publish data about Maryland's partici-
pation in World War II (Acts 1945, chap. 728). The Division maintains
and services a small specialized library of such materials, including
a file of the military service records of each Marylander who served
in the armed forces during World War II. Five books have been pub-
lished and one other is in preparation. The appropriation for the War
Records Division is part of that made for the Maryland Historical
Society.

Appropriations 1959 1960

General Funds $11,025 $11,025
Staff: 3.