Wake County was established by the General Assembly in 1771, and today the county is 549,000 acres, or 860 square miles. From east to west, it measures 46 miles. From north to south, it measures 39 miles. ​The office of Register of Deeds originated in the 1600s – the earliest days of North Carolina. In an effort to attract more people to the region, Lords Proprietors offered individuals grants of land. Written rules were established to offer protection to the new landowners, and registers of deeds were appointed to record the land grants. Wake County’s Register of Deeds office is the custodian of documents recorded from 1785 to the present day. The office processes about 230,000 documents each year. It records real estate documents, births and deaths. The office also issues marriage licenses, certified birth and death certificates, and other documents.