BY

George W. Warvelle, LL. D.

Professor Of The Law Of Real Property At The Illinois College Of Law; Formerly Dean Of The Chicago Law School. Author Of "Principles Of The Law Of Real Property," "Vendors And Vendees," "Abstracts," "Ejectment," ETC.

There is now in general use throughout the United States, in connection with sales and conveyances of land and other forms of real property, what is popularly known as an "Abstract of Title." Both the name and the ideas which it denotes are borrowed from the legal system of Great Britain, yet, like many of the terms derived from English law, an American abstract is something very different from its English prototype.

An Abstract may be defined as a condensed history of the title to land, consisting of a synopsis or summary of the operative parts of all of the various instruments of conveyance which in any manner affect said land, or the title thereto, or any interest therein, together with a statement of all liens, charges and incumbrances thereon, or liabilities to which the same may be subject, and of which it is in any way material for purchasers to be apprised.1 It is usually arranged in chronological order and is intended to show the origin, course, and incidents of title without the necessity of referring to the original sources of information.

In England the abstract is compiled from the original documents, to which it stands in the nature of a well arranged index, but in the United States it is prepared from the documents only as they appear upon the public records.

1 Warvelle on Abstracts (3d Ed.), p. 2. This is the leading work upon the subject. References thereto in this article are made with the special permission of author and publishers.