Rothrock.] O JO [Nov. lit, 



feits all right to her estate and also the right to appoint a 

 testamentary guardian of his children" (P. L. 430; also His- 

 tory of Chester County, p. 698). This legislation in favor of 

 humanity has well been said to be "an advance on the statute 

 book of any civilized nation, and was necessary, as these pro- 

 tections were not covered by our Act of 1848, passed to secure 

 to married women their own property." 



In 1856 he "secured the passage of sections enabling a de- 

 serted or unsupported wife, or one divorced from bed and board, 

 to protect her reputation by action of slander and libel, and to 

 sue for her earnings and property, and to receipt for and give 

 refunding bonds for legacies and shares of decedents' estates" 

 (P. L. 315). He was the author and ardent advocate of an 

 "Act for the greater security of title and more secure enjoy- 

 ment of real estate." This became a law in 1856, and embraces 

 so many important points that I quote in full what his son has 

 said about it. It "cuts off all the exceptions to land limitations 

 of twenty-one years after thirty j'ears; requiring all ejectments 

 for land and liens acquired by levies on real estate to be indexed, 

 to give notice to purchasers and mortgagees ; all trusts relating 

 to land to be manifested b} r writing, except when they arise by 

 implication; specific performance, etc., to be demanded within 

 five years; wills duly proved to stand unless objected to within 

 five years; surviving executors and administrators to exercise 

 testamentary powers of sale; regulates subrogation to liens ; and 

 provides that, in partition, the highest bidder is to have the choice 

 of shares (P. L, 532). He also drew up the Act of 1859, which 

 requires action within a year after entiy made on land to stop 

 the running of the statute of limitations in favor of the pos- 

 sessor, and to bar the remainder after the tenant in tail is 

 barred" (P. L. 603). 



As a citizen his activit} r was always in a safe direction. To 

 illustrate this, I quote again from his son. "He was also the 

 author of many Acts of municipal legislation, passed with a 



