This section is from the book "Popular Law Library Vol6 Real Property, Abstracts, Mining Law", by Albert H. Putney. Also available from Amazon: Popular Law-Dictionary.
Attestation of a deed was not necessary at common law, and is not necessary in this country except where made so by statute. The Common law made no provision for the registration of deeds, and even to-day in England registration is required in only two countries in that country. Each of the states in this country have a complete system of registration. The failure to registry a deed will not invalidate it as between grantor and grantee, but such registration is necessary to protect the grantee against the claims of third parties.
8 Warvelle on Real Property, page 273.
9 For a complete discussion of the subject of covenants, the student is referred to Warvelle on Real Property, pages 273, 282.
"In most of the states, in order that a deed may be recorded, and furnish constructive notice to subsequent purchasers, it must be acknowledged and proved before some officer authorized to take such acknowledgments, and the certificate of acknowledgment must be endorsed, in the deed. And it is also provided by statute in some states that a transcript of the record of a duly acknowledged deed will be received as primary evidence of the contents of such instrument in the courts of those states, without further proof thereof. It must be observed that the acknowledgment is intended to evidence the due execution of the deed and not to supply any of its deficiencies. And if the deed in itself is inoperative on account of some serious deficiency it cannot be cured by admissions in the certificate.' '
 
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