When the record of a deed or other instrument conveying title to real estate, authorized or required to be recorded, or a will and the probate thereof, is lost or destroyed by fire, riot, or civil commotion, and the original of such deed or other instrument, or will and the probate thereof, or a certified copy thereof, cannot be found, any person claiming title to such real estate or any interest under such will may bring an action in the court of common pleas of the county in which the loss occurred to establish the fact of the existence, contents, and record of such deed or other instrument, or will and probate thereof, prior to such loss or destruction, and the decree in the case shall be entered in the office where the original record existed.

Terms Used In Ohio Code 2729.07

  • Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
  • Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
  • Person: includes an individual, corporation, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, and association. See Ohio Code 1.59
  • Probate: Proving a will
  • Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.

Any person having or claiming an interest in such real estate or being in possession thereof, as well as the parties to such lost deed or other instrument or their privies, and all persons interested under such will, may be made parties defendant in such suit. Service of summons shall be made in the same manner as in other suits concerning real estate.