Lawyers Title Insurance Corporation records

Transcription

1 Lawyers Title Insurance Corporation records Descriptive Summary Repository: Georgia Historical Society Creator: Lawyers Title Insurance Corporation. Title: Lawyers Title Insurance Corporation records Dates: Extent: cubic feet (157 boxes, 2 oversize folders, 1 card index file cabinet) Identification: MS 1599 Biographical/Historical Note Lawyers Title Insurance Corporation was founded in 1925 in Richmond, Virginia. The company opened its first branch in Atlanta, Georgia in In 1943, Lawyers Title purchased the Atlanta Title and Trust Company and became the only title insurance company in the state. The company soon opened branch offices in several other Georgia cities including Savannah and Augusta. The Savannah office was opened in 1952 and closed in 1998, at which time some its files and a property index of title histories were donated to the Georgia Historical Society. In March 2009, the Commonwealth Land Title Insurance Company purchased Lawyers Title Insurance and closed the Augusta, Georgia, office. Upon the closure of the Augusta office, the old Savannah Office name index and order books were donated to the Georgia Historical Society. Scope and Content Note The Lawyers Title Insurance Corporation records, 1939 to 1979, consists of title insurance policy files primarily for Savannah and Chatham County, but also include Camden County, Bryan County, Bulloch County, Effingham County, Emanuel County, Evans County, Glynn County, Jeff Davis County, Liberty County, McIntosh County, Tattnall County and other Georgia locations. Also included in the collection is a map book for the city of Savannah, order books, index lists, and property and name index cards. The insurance policy files contain the original policies along with accompanying material such as correspondence and in some cases land plats. The records are divided into four series: Individual Policies, Master Policies, Urban Renewal Projects, and Atlanta Title and Trust Company. Title insurance protects the insured against loss due to previously unreported land title defects, such as forgeries, claims by missing heirs, recording errors, etc. These are not insurance policies on properties, they are insurance policies on the titles of the properties. The policies may include preliminary reports on the property, such as blueprints, annotations on the condition of the property, or other building attributes. The policies often list the owner(s) of the property for which there is title insurance. Urban Renewal Project files are title insurance records on properties acquired by the mayor and aldermen of Savannah for the purpose of creating public housing projects. Currently, there is no index to individual properties, though the records are open for research. Atlanta Title and Trust Company records, 1922 to 1923, are for select Savannah properties and often include the title searches, blueprints of properties, and other information regarding the property or owner. To access policies for property in the City of Savannah, researchers must first locate the property in the Lot and Block Atlas of Savannah, Georgia (published by Dolph Map Co., November 1949) or in the name indexes (if the property owner's name is known). The map book is arranged by ward and only covers Savannah. If there is a handwritten number on a particular property in the map book, there is a policy for it (if there is no number, there is no policy). Note the handwritten number on the property in the map book and go to the property index cards. The index cards are arranged in numerical order corresponding to the map pages. Locate the correct numerical section of the cards and find the card corresponding to the handwritten number on the property map. Note the title insurance policy number on the card and consult the inventory to determine in which box the policy is stored.

2 To access policies for property in areas outside of the City of Savannah, researchers must use the name index. The name index is more comprehensive than the property index. It is arranged alphabetically by surname and covers properties in Chatham County (including Savannah) and many other surrounding counties. Note the title insurance policy number on the card and consult the inventory to determine in which box the policy is stored. The policy files and indexes are arranged in the original order of the creator and largely stored in their original housing. Index Terms Atlanta Title and Trust Company (Atlanta, Ga.) Bryan County (Ga.) Bulloch County (Ga.) Camden County (Ga.) Chatham County (Ga.) Effingham County (Ga.) Emanuel County (Ga.) Evans County (Ga.) Glynn County (Ga.) Insurance policies--georgia. Insurance policies. Jeff Davis County (Ga.) Land titles--georgia. Lawyers Title Insurance Corporation (Savannah, Ga.) Liberty County (Ga.) McIntosh County (Ga.) Plats (maps) Real property--georgia. Tattnall County (Ga.) Title Companies--Georgia. Administrative Information Custodial History Records and property index was acquired from the creator on the day the Savannah office closed, 10 June 1998; Savannah office name index and order books acquired the day the Augusta office closed, March Preferred Citation [item identification], Lawyers Title Insurance Corporation records, MS 1599, Georgia Historical Society, Savannah, Georgia. Acquisition Information Gift of Lawyers Title Insurance Corporation, 1998 and Restrictions Access restrictions The collection is open for research. Publication Rights Copyright has not been assigned to the Georgia Historical Society. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Division of Library and Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Georgia Historical Society as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.

3 Separated Material 1 box of rolled maps were separated from the donation in 1998 and cataloged with the Georgia Historical Society collection of maps, MS 1361-MP. Sponsorship Encoding funded by a 2008 Archives-Basic Projects grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Container List Individual Policies 1 AG AG AG AG AG AG AG AG AG AG AG AG AG AG AG AG 66022

4 9 AG AG AG AG AG AG AG AG AG AG AG AG AG AG AG AG T T T T T T ; T ; T T T T T T

5 22 T T ; T T T T ; T T V V V V ; V V V V V V V V ; V V V V V V W W W W W W27-500; W W70-031

6 34 W W W W70-300; W W ; W W W W W W ; W W W W W W W W ; W W ; W W W W ; W W W W W W ; W W W W W W ; W W ; W W

7 46 W W ; W W W W ; W W ; W W W W ; W W W W ; W X X X X X X X X X X X X ; X X X X X X ; X X

8 58 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X Y ; Y Y

9 70 Y Y Y Y Y Y ; Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y ; Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y ; Y Y

10 82 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y ; Y Y Y Y Y Y ; Y Y Z Z Z Z ; Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z

11 94 Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z S Policies 103 S 97100

12 S S S S S Policies From Other Offices ,535-B ,614-B - T , 899-B - S ,269-B - P ,193-F - P ,675-B - P ,990-B - N ,212-B - N ,757-B - K ,542-F - J ,956-B - H ,365-F ,070-B - N ,129-B 104 Z Z ; Z Z ; Z Z Z Z ; Z Z

13 ; ;

14 ; ; ; Master Policies (MP) 127 P S S T

15 129 T V V W W W W X X X X X Y Y Y Y Y Z Z Z Series 3: Urban Renewal Projects

16 144 Series 4: Atlanta Title and Trust Company : 145 NE 31st St. and Paulson St. 803 E. 33rd St E. 33rd St. 725 E. 35th St. 601 W. 37th St. 520 E. 39th St. NW Corner of 40th and Paulson Sts. 604 E. 40th St. 530 E. 41st St E. 42nd St. 123 W. 44th St. 313 W. 44th St. 36 E. 45th St E. 49th St. 117 E. 54th St. 118 E. 55th St. 821 E. Anderson St. 823 E. Anderson St Barnard St. Atlanta Title and Trust Company NE 31st St. and Paulson St. 803 E. 33rd St E. 33rd St. 725 E. 35th St. 601 W. 37th St. 520 E. 39th St. NW Corner of 40th and Paulson Sts. 604 E. 40th St. 530 E. 41st St E. 42nd St. 123 W. 44th St. 313 W. 44th St. 36 E. 45th St E. 49th St. 117 E. 54th St. 118 E. 55th St. 821 E. Anderson St. 823 E. Anderson St Barnard St. NE 31st St. and Paulson St. 803 E. 33rd St E. 33rd St. 725 E. 35th St. 601 W. 37th St. 520 E. 39th St. NW Corner or 40th and Paulson Sts. 604 E. 40th St. 530 E. 41st St E. 42nd St. 123 W. 44th St. 313 W. 44th St. 36 E. 45th St E. 49th St. 117 E. 54th St. 118 E. 55th St. 821 E. Anderson St. 823 E. Anderson St Barnard St.

17 146 Atlanta Title and Trust Company 213 E. Bolton St. 606 Drayton St. [100 E. Duffy St. see 1102 Ott St.] E. Duffy St E. Henry St. 635 Maupas Ave. 914 Maupas Ave Ott St. and 100 E. Duffy St. SW corner Park Ave. and Ott St. 775 E. Park Ave. 213 E. Bolton St. 606 Drayton St. 100 E. Duffy St. see 1102 Ott St E. Duffy St E. Henry St. 635 Maupas Ave. 914 Maupas Ave Ott St. and 100 E. Duffy St. SW Corner Park Ave. and Ott St. 775 E. Park Ave. Series 5: Order Books and Index List OS 1 Order book, OS 2 Order book, Order Books Index Lists Open cases no policies issued,

18 148 Order book, Name Index 149 A-Buzby 150 B & V X-ray-Dukes 151 Dulaney-Hancock 152 Hand-Kenreich 153 Kein-Meguior 154 Miller-Punzel 155 Purcell-Shaver 156 Shaw-Ur 157 Urban Builders of Savannah-Z