Chap. 254.—An ACT to amend and re-enact Section 5194, as amended. of th:

Code of Virginia, relating to the recordation of certain contracts, deeds an

other instruments, and the indexing of such instruments in the office wher

they are recorded. [S21]
Approved March 16, 1944

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That section fifty-one hundred ninety-four, as amended, of tli
Code of Virginia be amended and re-enacted, as follows:

Section 5194, Contracts, deeds and other instruments which ar«
void as to creditors and purchasers until recorded.—Every such contrac
in writing, and every deed conveying any such estate or term, and every
deed of gift, or deed of trust, or mortgage conveying real estate or good:
and chattels and every such bill of sale, or contract for the sale of good:
and chattels, when the possession is allowed to remain with the grantor
shall be void as to all purchasers for valuable consideration withou
notice not parties thereto and lien creditors, until and except from the
time it is duly admitted to record in the county or corporation whereir
the property embraced in such contract, deed, or bill of sale may be. bu
the mere possession of real estate shall not of itself be notice to purchas.
ers thereof for value of any interest or estate therein of the person ir
possession. A recordation under this section shall not affect the rights o:
a creditor acquired under section fifty-two hundred twenty-four.

The clerk of each court in which any such instrument 1s by law re-
quired to be recorded shall keep a daily index of all such instruments ad.
mitted to record in his office, and, immediately upon admission of any
such instrument to record, the clerk shall index the same either in thie
daily index or the appropriate general index of his office. All instruments
indexed in the daily index shall be indexed by the clerk.in the appropriate
general index within ninety days after admission to record. During the
period permitted for transfer from the daily index to the general index,
indexing in the daily index shall be a sufficient compliance with the re-
quirements of this section as to indexing.