The post about the fonts, got me thinking. What is the historical nature of the types of plat records you all have in your respective states?
Here in Virginia, our earlier records are surveyors plat books with the plat drawn in the book by the surveyor, sometimes the county surveyor, sometimes not. They are very nice to look at and use. Most of the local records go back to circa 1865, civil war era, due to the Union burning the courthouses. Some records escaped, hidden by the clerk, etc, but most are gone.
Later on, (1930s or so) plats were transcribed into the plat and deed books by the county clerk. I believe the originals were sent to Richmond. This was done until the mid-seventies, when I am assuming copiers became more common. The clerk transcriptions bother me, they are full of errors, transpositions, and missing dimensions. I don't know how many times I've seen a dimension of 136' 25" for 136.25'. Everything is hand written, and subject to legibility issues after copying.
For me, I am always amazed when I see an original surveyor drafted plat from before the '70s. The accuracy and detail are great, it's just rare that I get to look at them. I don't get to see too many originals drawn on oil skin, or cloth as I have been told, and occasionally, there is a blueline leroy pasted onto a deed page.
Around here the more rural the county, the later they obtained a copier. Typewriters were in use from early on, but I have seen transcribe plats until 1979.