Adoption and Name Change of William L. A. H. Reeves
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF GEORGIA, PASSED IN NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER, 1841.
NAMES.
1841 Vol. 1 — Page: 159-161
Sequential Number: 145
Full Title: AN ACT to change the Names of certain persons therein mentioned, to legitimatize the same, and to legalize and give a name; and to authorize the Superior Courts of this State to alter names of and legitimatize persons.
Section 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Georgia, in General Assembly met, and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same, That from and after the passage of this act,
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Sec. 8. And be it further enacted, &c., That the male child given to Lee Reeves by George W. Emsweller, of Washington county, shall be henceforth known and recognized by the name of William L. A. H. Reeves; and that the name of Opila Lake, of the county of Newton, be changed to Opila McCullers, and she is hereby fully legitimatized and entitled to all the rights, interests and benefits, so far as concerns the real and personal estate of her reputed father, Charles L. McCullers, as though she had been born in lawful wedlock.
Sec. 9. And be it further enacted, That whereas the application to the Legislature to change names and to legitimatize persons have become onerous to that body and expensive to the State, to remedy which be it enacted and it is hereby enacted, that from and after the passage of this act, that it shall be lawful for all persons wishing to change the name and to legitimatize any person, and to authorize them to be made heirs to the estate of such applicant, he or she may do so by petitioning the Superior Court of the county where such person may reside which is intended to be so legitimatized, setting forth the names of the party and the object of such application, with all circumstances necessary to identify the party and object, upon which petition the said Superior Court shall pass such order as will plainly set forth the object of the applicant, and cause the same to be entered upon the records of the court, which shall be binding and obligatory on the party consenting thereto, to the full extent of said proceeding, any law to the contrary notwithstanding. Be it further enacted, that the clerk shall receive the same fees for recording said proceeding as they are entitled to in other cases.
Sec. 10. And be it further enacted, &c., That all laws and parts of laws militating against this act be, and the same are hereby repealed.
WILLIAM B. WOFFORD,
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
ROBERT M. ECHOLS,
President of the Senate.
CHARLES J. McDONALD, Governor.
Approval Date: Assented to, December 8th, 1841.
Source: Georgia Legislative Documents, Galileo Digital Initiative Database, presented in the Digital Library of Georgia, http://metis.galib.uga.edu/ssp/cgi-bin/legis-idx.pl?sessionid=b1fbdecb-55e8794e53-7181&type=law&byte=21180886.