Welcome to Pottawatomie County Abstract Company
In the 1870's, abstracting of real estate titles in Pottawatomie County was provided by M. S. Beal and his brother under the Company of Beal Brothers at their office in the then county seat of Louisville. They created a set of books taken from the county records and kept current as continuing filing occurred. Thus, their books, which allowed them to operate an abstract company independent of the county records, were known as the Beal books. Meanwhile, the Skene books were being created and abstracting services were also provided by the Skene Company.
After the books had undergone several changes of ownership, and in the early 1900's, E. C. Brookens and E. S. Francis, Attorneys, acquired both the Beal books and the Skene books and established the Pottawatomie County Abstract Company. This Company has since conducted business under that name and is now over 100 years operating as such.
In 1920, H. L. Hart, a 1912 graduate of Georgetown Law School, having just returned from military service in World War I, purchased a one-third interest in the abstract company, and, with Mr. Brookens and Mr. Francis, formed the law partnership of Brookens, Francis and Hart. The three continued the dual businesses of the law practice and the abstract company with Mr. Hart's primary function being with the abstracting part of the business.
In 1933, Mr. Francis sold his share of the abstract company to Mr. Brookens and Mr. Hart, and in 1937, Mr. Brookens sold his interest in the abstract company to Mr. Hart's son, T. E. (Tom) Hart, and the law partnership was dissolved.
In 1958, H. L. Hart retired and sold his interest to T. E. Hart who became the sole owner. Tom Hart, a Past President of the Kansas Land Title Association, along with his wife, Doris, continued to operate the abstract business until 1982, when the Hart's sold the company to Roy H. Worthington of Manhattan. At that time, Steve Kimball became the manager and later a partner in the Pottawatomie County Abstract Company
The Pottawatomie County Abstract Company is located in a frame building across the street East from the Pottawatomie County Court House and is located in Westmoreland, Kansas. It is a one-story building which was built in the 1920's. The Pottawatomie County Abstract Company shares the building with a local attorney.
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