Whenever any debt secured on real estate or personal property by a mechanics’ or crop lien has been assigned, transferred, or endorsed to another, in whole or in part by the original payee thereof, such payee, assignee, transferee, or endorsee may cause a memorandum or statement of the assignment to such assignee, transferee, or endorsee to be recorded, which memorandum or statement shall be signed by the assignor, transferrer, or endorser, or his duly authorized agent or attorney, and when so signed and the signature thereto attested by the clerk in whose office such encumbrance is recorded the same shall operate as a notice of such assignment and transfer. Such assignment, transfer, or endorsement shall reference the book and page where the original debt secured on real estate or personal property is recorded. And where such transfer by the payee is so entered in the proper book, subsequent transfers may likewise be entered in the same manner and with like effect. Provided, however, this section shall not apply to conditional sales contracts of personal property.