TOBACCO INSPECTION RECORDS

Record of proceedings of the justices of the county courts at meetings held for the pur-
pose of designating the location of tobacco warehouses, building and repairing them when
necessary, nominating tobacco inspectors for appointment by the governor, approving of bonds
of inspectors, examining their accounts and conducting other activities relating to the inspection
of tobacco. (See Chapter 1, Acts of 1747; Chapter 26, Acts of 1789).

ORIGINAL PAPERS

A wide variety of original documents may be found among the records of the clerks of the
circuit courts and of the Baltimore City courts. Many of these papers are recorded or otherwise
noted in the volume records described above. Typical examples of these papers are original
deeds, mortgages, land commissions, corporation charters, civil commissions, bonds, returns
of marriage licenses, election returns and so forth.

In addition, there are numerous other papers that relate to court cases or actions. Prac-
tically none of the papers dating before 1800 have survived, except for sizeable collections for
Somerset and Frederick Counties. This may be due in part to the fact that court cases were
recorded in full in the early Judgments and Court Proceedings and thus there was less need
to preserve the papers. No doubt, the normal attrition of time has also been a factor in this loss.

Since the passage of Chapter 119 of the Acts of 1817, which directed that only certain
types of cases be recorded, the tendency has been to do less and less recording. The result
has been that the papers have become increasingly important and, for this reason, better pre-
served. There are two principal types of court papers:

1. Law Papers, which consist of various papers filed in civil or criminal
cases or actions.

2. Equity Papers, which consist of papers and exhibits filed in equity cases.

In listing the original papers, principal attention will be concentrated on these two series.

Basic Records of the Orphans' Court

ORPHANS COURT PROCEEDINGS (MINUTES OF THE ORPHANS COURT)

Record of the orders, decisions, actions and other proceedings of the Orphans' Court. In
some counties, the early volumes of this record also served as a place for recording such
instruments as guardian bonds, indentures and certificates of freedom; later these were estab-
lished as separate series.

ORPHANS COURT DOCKETS

Calendar and brief record of cases tried before the Orphans' Court.

ADMINISTRATION DOCKETS (ADMINISTRATION KEY, ESTATE DOCKETS)

Brief record of instruments filed in the settlement of estates. Earlier records vary from
county to county as to both title and content, but usually list the names of the decedent and
his executor or administrator, and give the date and reference to the recording of certain key
instruments, such as administration bonds, inventories and administration accounts.

Under the provisions of Chapter 34 of the Acts of 1908, the Register of Wills was "re-
quired to keep a proper docket showing the grant of letters testamentary or of administration
and a short entry of every paper or proceedings filed in the Orphans' Court .... and every

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