According to Pennsylvania Genealogical Research, George K. Schweitzer: Each county is governed by 3 elected county commissioners who conduct elections, maintain county institutions, pay county expenses and levey and collect taxes. Records kept by them include minutes, tax lists and assessments, veterans' burials, soldicers' discharges, military enrollment and slave registers. The Prothontary functions as the clerk of the Court of Common Pleas (keeping its records) and also keeps records of the cases tried by justices of the peace. The records include judgments, case files, naturalizations, sheriff's orders and physicians' registers. The Clerk of the Court serves the Oyer and Terminer court and Jail Delivery and the Court of Quarter Sessions of the Peace. These records include minutes, dockets, trial summaries, case files, transcripts, coroner's inquests and slave returns. The Register of Wills and the Clerk of the Orphans Court makes arrangements for and keeps records of the proceedings of the Orphans' Court, records wills, births, deaths, marriages, guardianships, adoptions and supervises the settlement of estates.