(1) JURISDICTION.—When the records in any county or any material part thereof have been destroyed by fire so that a connected chain of title cannot be deduced therefrom, the chancery court in the county has jurisdiction to inquire into the condition of any title to or interest in any land in the county and to determine and establish the title against all persons known or unknown.
(2) PLAINTIFF.—Any person claiming a freehold estate in any land in the county who, or whose grantors, were in the actual possession of the land at the time of destruction of the records and who is in possession thereof at the time of filing the complaint may file a complaint to establish and confirm his or her title to an estate in such land. Tenants in common or persons owning as aforesaid an undivided interest in the lands may join in the action.
(3) COMPLAINT.—The complaint shall state the description of the lands, the character and extent of the estate claimed by the plaintiff, from whom and when and by what mode the plaintiff derived the title, the names of all persons owning or claiming any estate or possessory interest in the lands or any part thereof, all persons who are in possession of the lands or any part thereof, all persons to whom any of the lands have been conveyed, and the date or dates that the conveyances were recorded since the time of the destruction of the records and before the filing of the complaint and if no such persons are known to plaintiff, he or she shall so state.
(4) DETERMINATION OF TITLES, ETC.—The court may determine in whom the title to any land described in the complaint is vested, whether plaintiff or any other party, but the judgment shall not affect any lien to which the land is subject, but shall leave all liens to be ascertained or established or enforced as is provided by law.
History.—ss. 1, 2, 3, 7, ch. 4952, 1901; GS 1987-1989, 1994; RGS 3255-3257, 3262; CGL 5063-5065, 5070; s. 24, ch. 67-254; s. 357, ch. 95-147.
Note.—Former ss. 71.14, 71.15, 71.17, 71.21.