FRANK BROWN, ESQUIRE, GOVERNOR.

CHAPTER 441.

AN ACT to appropriate a sum of money to provide for the
indexing of certain volumes of the proceedings of the
Prerogative Court oi the Province of Maryland, and admin-
istration accounts, inventories and balance books, and for
the re-arrangement of original wills of early settlers of
Maryland, and their preservation against destruction by fire.

631

WHEREAS, There are at this time in the office of the regis-
ter of wills of Anne Arundel county, formerly belonging to
the office of the Commissary General of the Province of
Maryland, forty-seven volumes of the proceedings of the pre-
rogative court of the said province; also seventy-four volumes
of administrators' accounts; one hundred and twenty six vol-
umes of inventories, and six volumes of final distribution on
balance books from all the counties of the State, in existence
prior to the war of the Revolution, containing valuable histor-
ical matter, now inaccessible to the public, for the reason that
a large proportion of said volumes are without indexes; and
whereas, also there are on file in the said register of wills' office
at this time fifteen thousand original wills of the early settlers
of the province of Maryland, covering the period from 1635
to 1777, A. D., also of great historical interest, but which for
lack of suitable appliances for their arrangement and exami-
nation are also virtually inaccessible to the public; and be-
cause of the flimsy and combustible character of the room
where they are stowed, are in great danger of being destroyed
by fire; therefore,

Preamble.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of
Maryland, That the register of wills of Anne Arundel
county, and the Governor of the State, be and they are hereby
authorized and empowered to have indexed in proper books to
be purchased by them for that purpose, the aforesaid forty-
seven volumes of the proceedings of the prerogative court of
the province of Maryland, seventy-four volumes of the ad-
ministration accounts, one hundred and twenty-six volumes of
inventories, and six volumes of distribution or balance books,
and to arrange in patent file holders and jackets, to be pur-
chased by them for that purpose, fifteen thousand original
wills of early settlers of the province of Maryland, as afore-
said.

Index to vol-
umes in
office or
register of
wills.