§12-13-43. Maintenance of general direct and reverse indexes of instruments filed for record; liability of probate judge for failure to comply with provisions of section.

The probate judge of each county in this state shall keep in his office four well-bound books of suitable size and grade of paper in which to make a general direct and a general reverse index of each instrument filed for record in his office, and two of said books shall be used for conveyances of real property and two for conveyances of personal property and all other instruments entitled to record in his office. In the general direct indexes he shall enter, in regular alphabetical order, under appropriate title, the name of each maker of the instrument, the name of each person to whom made, the date and character of such instrument and the date filed for record; and, in the general reverse indexes, in like alphabetical order, under its appropriate title, he shall enter the name of each person to whom the instrument is made, the name of each person by whom the instrument is made, the date and character of such instrument and the date filed for record. Instruments containing conveyances of both real and personal property shall be entered upon each set of indexes.

Immediately on receipt of any instrument to be recorded, the probate judge shall make the entries required by this section; and, after recording the instrument, the books and page in which the record is made shall be noted opposite each name thus placed in such general direct and in such general reverse indexes.

Failure to comply strictly with the provisions of this section shall subject the probate judge to a penalty of $100.00 for each failure, to be recovered by any person who institutes a civil action for the same, besides damages to any person injured by such failure.

(Code 1907, §5422; Acts 1915, No. 664, p. 725; Code 1923, §9582; Code 1940, T. 13, §285.)