Be it enacted by the people of the State of Illinois represented in the General Assembly that the Governor, at the present session of the General Assembly shall by and with the advice and consent of the senate, appoint a commissioner in each of the Counties of Calhoun[,] Pike[,] Adams[,] Schuyler[,] Fulton[,] Peoria[,] Hancock[,] M^cDonough[,] Warren[,] Knox[,] and Putnam who shall respectively take and subscribe an oath faithfully and carefully to perform such duties as may be ^as are^ required of them him by this act which oath may be administered and certified by any justice of the peace of the proper County

Sec[Section] 21 It shall be the duty of ^The^ county commissioners courts of the above named counties at their March term next or as soon thereafter as may be convenient to provide a sufficient number of blank books substantially bound and suitable for recording deeds therein; which books when provided shall be delivered to the aforesaid commissioner of the proper county who shall receipt for the same

Sec 3. As soon as such book or books shall be delivered to said commissioner he shall therein record in each book his commission and oath of office and shall proceed in due time to all the recording offices in this State where deeds or title papers for lands lying in the county of such commissioner have been by law required or permitted to be recorded; and shall from the books of said offices make out and record in a fair and legible manner in the books or books so furnished him all deeds and title papers to lands lying within the county for which such commissioner shall

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be appointed which have been recorded in any such recording office as aforesaid After which, such commissioner shall return the said book or books so delivered to him to the recorder of the County for which he shall be appointed And it shall be the duty of the said recorder to make a certificate to that effect at the end of each book The said recorders shall estimate the number of deeds which such Commissioner shall have transcribed into such book or books and shall certify the same; which certificate on presentation at the auditor[’]s office shall entitle such commissioner to a warrant on the hearing for the sum of twenty five cents for each deed by him transcribed as aforesaid to be paid out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated

Sec 4 It shall be the duty of all recorders and other persons or officers who may have the care[,] custody[,] or control of any of the books in which deeds to lands lying within any of the aforesaid counties have been recorded to permit such commissioners to make transcripts of all & every such deed and for that purpose to use the books in which such deeds may be recorded

Sec 5. The Governor shall have power to fill all vacancies in said office of commissioner and when the Counties of Mercer and Henry shall be organized a commissioner shall be appointed in each of those Counties; and such proceedings shall be had

Sec 6. The said Commissioners in transcribing the deeds and title papers aforesaid into the books so provided as aforesaid, shall immediately after transcribing each deed[,] title paper[,] acknowledgment[,] and certificate, note in the said books at what time, in what office book and page the same was originally recorded; and when such transcribed record book shall be delivered to the several recorders of the Counties aforesaid they shall to all intents and purposes be considered as books of records of deeds for the counties to which they may respectively belong and copies of such transcribed records certified records shall be [evide?] by the recorder to whose office they shall belong shall be evidence in all courts and places in the same manner that copies of deeds regularly recorded in the recorders office are evidence and with the like effect

Whereas previous to the organization of counties North of the Illinois river the deeds to lands lying in that section of the state were required to be recorded in the county of Madison and Whereas also many title papers have been required to be recorded in the counties of Pike[,] Adams[,] Schuyler[,] Fulton[,] and Peoria to lands not lying within the present boundaries of those counties in consequence of which great inconvenience and trouble have been experienced by the citizens of all the counties in the Military bounty land District and more particularly of those counties therein more recently organized in ascertaining the titles to land Therefore