Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 5.djvu/262



. And be it further enacted, That the transfer directed by the first section of this act shall be made by the draft of the Commissioner of Pensions upon the agents for paying pensions, and in favour of the Treasurer of the Untied States; and that the form of said draft shall be prescribed by the Secretary of War.

, April 6, 1838.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the clerks of the circuit court of the District of Columbia, and their deputies, in their respective counties, shall be, and are hereby, authorized and required to admit to record any conveyance whereby a right, title, or interest, in real estate is conveyed, or purports to be, lying within the limits of their respective counties, upon the certificate under seal of any two justices of the peace of any State or Territory of the United States, or of the District of Columbia, annexed to such deed, and to the following effect, to wit:

——————County [or Corporation, &c.] to wit:

We, A B and C D, justices of the peace in and for the county [or corporation, or parish, or district,] aforesaid, in the State [or Territory or district,] of —————— do hereby certify that E F, a party [or E F and G H, &c. parties,] to a certain deed, bearing date on the ———— day of —————— and hereto annexed, personally appeared before us in our county [or corporation, &c.] aforesaid, the said E F [or E F and G H, &c.] being personally well known to us, as [or proved by the oaths of credible witnesses before us to be] the person [or persons] who executed the said deed, and acknowledged the same to be his, [her, or their] act and deed. Given under our hands and seals, this ———— day of ——————

A. B. [.]

C. D. [.]

Provided, That, when such acknowledgment shall be taken before any justices of the peace beyond the limits of the District of Columbia, there shall accompany such certificate of acknowledgment a certificate of the clerk or other public officer having official cognizance of the fact, under his official seal, that such persons were, at the date of their said certificate, in fact, justices as they purport to be.

. And be it further enacted, That every conveyance, covenant, agreement and other deed, (except deeds of trust and mortgages,) which shall be acknowledged or proved, and certified, according to law, and delivered to the clerk of the proper court, to be recorded within six months after the sealing and delivery thereof, shall take effect and be valid as to all persons from the time of such acknowledgment or proof; but all deeds of trust and mortgages, whensoever they shall be delivered to the clerk of the proper court to be recorded, and all other conveyances, covenants, agreements, and deeds, which shall not be acknowledged, proved, or certified, and delivered to the clerk of the proper court to be recorded within six months after the sealing and delivering thereof, shall take effect and be valid, as to all subsequent purchasers for valuable consideration, without notice, and as to all creditors, from the time when such deed of trust or mortgage, or such other conveyance, covenant, agreement, or deed, shall have been so acknowledged, proved, or certified, and delivered to the clerk of the proper court to be recorded, and from that time only: Provided, however, That if two or more deeds containing the same property, after having been so