Black’s Law Dictionary 1st Edition, page 838:
NOTARY PUBLIC. A public officer whose function is to attest and certify, by his hand and official seal , certain classes of documents , in order to give them credit and authenticity in foreign jurisdictions; to take acknowledgements of deeds and other conveyances, and certify the same; and to perform certain official acts, chiefly in commercial matters, such as the protesting of notes and bills, the noting of foreign drafts, and marine protests in case of loss or damage.
Black’s Law Dictionary 2nd Edition, page 831:
NOTARY PUBLIC. A public officer whose function is to attest and certify, by his hand and official seal, certain classes of documents, ‘ in order to give them ‘ credit and authenticity in foreign jurisdictions; to take acknowledgments of deeds and other conveyances, and certify the same; and to , perform certain official acts, chiefly in commercial matters, such as the protesting of notes and bUls, the noting of foreign drafts, and marine protests in cases of loss or damage. See Kirk sey v. Bates, 7 Por�. (Ala.) 531, 31 Am. Dec. 722 ; First Nat. Bank v. German Bank, 107 Iowa, 543, 78’N. W. 195, 44 L. R. A. 133, 70 Am. St. Rep. 216; In re Huron, 58 Kan. 152, 48 Pac. 574, 36 L. R. A. 822, 62 Am. St. Rep. 614; Bettman v. Warwick, 108 Fed. 46, 47 O. C. A. 185
Black’s Law Dictionary 3rd Edition, page 1257:
NOTARY PUBLIC. A public officer whose function is to attest and certify, by his hand and official seal , certain classes of documents , in order to give them credit and authenticity in foreign jurisdictions; to take acknowledgements of deeds and other conveyances, and certify the same; and to perform certain official acts, chiefly in commercial matters, such as the protesting of notes and bills, the noting of foreign drafts, and marine protests in case of loss or damage. See Kirksey V. Bates, 7 Port. (Ala.) 531, 31 Am. Dec. 722 ; First Nat. Bank V. German Lank, 107 Iowa, 543, 78 N. W. 195, 44 L. R. A. 133, 70 Am. St. Rep. 216 ; In re Huron, 58
-Note or memo·randum. The statute of frauds Kan. 152, 48 P. 574, 36 L. R. A. 822, 62 Am. St. Rep. 614 ; Bettman V. Warwick, 108 F. 46, 47 C. C. A. 185 ; Patterson V. United States, 120 C. C. A. 650, 202 F. 208, 210
Black’s Law Dictionary 4th Edition, page 1209:
NOTARY PUBLIC. A public officer whose func- tion it is to administer oaths; to attest and certify, by his hand and official seal, certain classes of doc- uments, in order to give them credit and authen- ticity in foreign jurisdictions; to take acknowledg- ments of deeds and other conveyances, and certify the same; and to perform certain official acts, chiefly in commercial matters, such as the protest- ing of notes and bills, the noting of foreign drafts, and marine protests in cases of loss or damage. Kip v. People’s Bank & Trust Co., 110 N.J.L. 178, 164 A. 253, 254.
Black’s Law Dictionary 7th Edition, page 1085:
notary public (noh-ta-ree), n. A person autho rized by a state to administer oaths, certify documents, attest to the authenticity of signa tures, and perform official acts in commercial matters, such as protesting negotiable instru ments. – Often shortened to notary. – Abbr. n.p. PI. notaries public. – notarize, vb. – notarial, ad).
“A notary public is an officer long known to the civil law, and designated as registrarius, actuarius, or scriuarius.” John Proffatt, A Treatise o n t h e Law Relating to the Office and Duties of Notaries Public § 1, at 1 (John F. Tyler & John J. Stephens eds., 2d ed. 1892).
” The notary public, or notary, is a n official known in nearly all civilized countries. The office is of ancient origin. In Rome, during the republic, it existed, the title being tabelliones forenses, or personae publicae; and there are records of the appointment of notaries by the Frankish kings and the Popes as early as the ninth century. They were chiefly employed in drawing up legal documents; as scribes or scriveners they took minutes and made short drafts of writings, either of a public or a private nature. In modern times their more characteris· tic duty is to attest the genuineness of any deeds or writings, in order to render the same available as evi dence of the facts therein contained.” Benjamin F. Rex, The Notaries’ Manual § 1, at 1-2 (J.H. McMillan ed., 6th ed. 1913).
Black’s Law Dictionary 8th Edition, page 3362-3363:
NOTARY PUBLIC
notary public (noh-t<<schwa>>-ree), n. A person authorized by a state to administer oaths, certify documents, attest to the authenticity of signatures, and perform official acts in commercial matters, such as protesting negotiable instruments. — Often shortened to notary. [Cases: Notaries 1. C.J.S. Notaries § 2.] — Abbr. n.p. Pl. notaries public. — notarize,vb. — notarial,adj.
“A notary public is an officer long known to the civil law, and designated as registrarius, actuarius, or scrivarius.” John Proffatt, A Treatise on the Law Relating to the Office and Duties of Notaries Public§ 1, at 1 (John F. Tyler & John J. Stephens eds., 2d ed. 1892).
“The notary public, or notary, is an official known in nearly all civilized countries. The office is of ancient origin. In Rome, during the republic, it existed, the title being tabelliones forenses, or personae publicae; and there are records of the appointment of notaries by the Frankish kings and the Popes as early as the ninth century. They were chiefly employed in drawing up legal
documents; as scribes or scriveners they took minutes and made short drafts of writings, either of a public or a private nature. In modern times their more characteristic duty is to attest the genuineness of any deeds or writings, in order to render the same available as evidence of the facts therein contained.” Benjamin F. Rex, The Notaries’ Manual§ 1, at 1–2 (J.H. McMillan ed., 6th ed. 1913).
“In jurisdictions where the civilian law prevails, such as in the countries of continental Europe, a notary public is a public official who serves as a public witness of facts transacted by private parties … and also serves as impartial legal advisor for the parties involved…. In colonial Louisiana, the notary public had the same rank and dignity as his continental civilian ancestor…. Although notaries still constitute a protected profession in present-day Louisiana, holding office for life provided they renew their bonds periodically in compliance with the governing statute, the importance of their function has diminished over the years to the point that it has been said that a Louisiana notary is no longer a truly civilian notary. Indeed, the trained lawyer is nowadays the Louisiana, and American, counterpart of the continental civilian notary.” Saul Litvinoff, 5 Louisiana Civil Law Treatise: The Law of Obligations 296–97 (2d ed. 2001).