(765 ILCS 45/17) (from Ch. 116, par. 21)

Sec. 17. Whenever any deeds or other instruments, in writing affecting the title to any of the lands in any such county, shall have been filed for record so short a time before such destruction of the records, as aforesaid, that no proof of them remains either on such records, or among the abstracts, copies, minutes or extracts specified in Section 8 of this Act, it shall be the duty of the person or persons having filed the same or claiming the benefit thereof, within 60 days from the time this Act takes effect, to re-file for record such deeds or other instruments or copies thereof, or if that cannot be done, then he shall, within 60 days, make and file a petition to establish such deed or other instrument of writing, under the provisions of this Act. In all cases when any original deed and the record thereof has been lost or destroyed, it shall be lawful for any person having a duly certified copy of said record to cause the same to be recorded, which record shall have the same force and effect as now belong to the record of original deeds.

(Source: P.A. 91-357, eff. 7-29-99.)