1(1) 2When the records, or any material part thereof, in any county in this state, concerning the title to property have been heretofore destroyed by fire so that a connected chain of title cannot be taken therefrom, the judge of the circuit court of such county, if requested by the board of county commissioners of such county by resolution of such board, shall appoint three competent and trustworthy persons as commissioners to examine into the state of the records in such county, and in case they find any abstracts, copies, minutes, extracts, maps, or plats from such records, existing after such destruction as aforesaid, and find that such abstracts, copies, minutes, extracts, maps, or plats were fairly made before such destruction of the records by any person or persons in the ordinary course of business, and that they contain a material and substantial part of such records, they shall certify the facts found by them in respect to such copies, abstracts, minutes, extracts, maps, or plats, and also (if they are of that opinion) that such abstracts, copies, minutes, extracts, maps, or plats tend to show a connected chain of title to the lands in said county, and shall file such certificates with the county clerk of the proper county, and the board of county commissioners thereof may, with the approval of the judge of the circuit court of the county, purchase from the owners thereof such abstracts, copies, minutes, extracts, maps, or plats, or such parts thereof as may tend to constitute a connected chain of title to the lands in said county, including all judgments and decrees that form part of such chain of title, paying therefor such reasonable price as may be agreed upon between them and such owners; provided, that such price shall be approved by said board of three commissioners appointed by such circuit judge as aforesaid, and also by said circuit judge; or such board of county commissioners may, with such approval and upon such conditions, procure a copy of said abstracts, copies, minutes, extracts, maps, or plats, instead of the originals, to be paid for in like manner, upon approval of the price thereof by said circuit judge and said board of three commissioners as aforesaid.
374(2) 375The compensation of said three commissioners to be appointed by said circuit judge as aforesaid shall be fixed and allowed by the board of county commissioners and shall be paid by the county.
