The Abstracts of Title for 715 Atlantic

Scanned and cataloged by Norm Werner

I’m not sure when the practice of doing full Abstracts of Title fell out of favor, but at one time it was common practice to have a full copy of all of the title history for a property done when it changed hands. This was tedious work, initially done by hand copying and later by typing up a copy (all of this was well before the invention of the copy machine). See the pictures below to see what a cover page and definition page looked like.

In then records that come with the house, it appears that 2 full abstracts were done for 715 Atlantic – one in 1915 and one in 1920. There were also many “extensions” of existing abstracts done over time. Extensions referred back to the last full abstract, or to the last valid abstract and extension, and then “extended” forward in time to report any changes that had been recorded since the referenced abstract.  

The Mathews Abstract Company did the first of the two full abstracts that were in the Abstract package at the house in 1915. The Baird Abstract Company did the second abstract in 1920.

Extensions in the package were done in 1924, 1927, 1946, 1952, 1956 & 1960.

By the 1940’s these abstract extensions were little more than reports that nothing significant had happened, although the 1956 extension does refer to the repossession of the property due to non-payment on a land contract. That was the second time that a Sheriff’s action was required. The first happened in 1851 when Aaron Phelps lost the property in a Sheriff’s sale to William Hebbard.

The viewer may either proceed through the abstracts chronologically or jump directly to a specific abstract or extension. The abstracts were scanned in at 150 dpi and converted to JPG files. Those files were then converted to the PDF files that you will be viewing.

1. The 1915 Abstract done by the Mathews Abstract Company of Pontiac, MI

2. The 1920 Abstract done by the Fred Burton Abstract Company of Pontiac, MI

3. The 1924 Abstract extension done by the Union Title and Guaranty Company

4. The 1927 Abstract extension done by the Oakland County Abstract Office, Crawford & Crawford, Pontiac, MI

5. The 1946 Abstract extension by the Fred Burton Abstract Company

6. The 1949 Abstract extension by the Abstract and Title Guaranty Company

7. The 1952 Abstract extension by the Abstract and Title Guaranty Company

8. The 1956 Abstract extension by the Abstract and Title Guaranty Company

9. The 1960 Abstract extension by the Abstract and Title Guaranty Company – this is the final extension in the packet