In 1933, work began in compiling a set of abstract records for Lewis and Clark County. Working from the records in the county courthouse, they had to start with the oldest available records affecting real property, transcribing them to geographic record books known as "tract books". Every deed, mortgage, lien, attachment, easement, right of way, and any other pertinent records were hand copied to the specific lot, tract, or mining claim affected in order to have the complete set of records required by the 1931 law.
Helena Abstract and Title Insurance Company was incorporated on April 25, 1935 and was issued a Certificate of Authority by the Abstracter's Board of Examiners on May 11, 1935. The original incorporators were R.N. Lodge, Vera Lodge and Harry Swope. F.B. "Fritz" Weed joined the firm in October of the same year. The company operated in the Penwell Block on 6th Avenue until February 4, 1936, at which time the name was changed to its present name, Helena Abstract and Title Company.
In 1945, Helena Abstract and Title Company purchased "The Montana Audit Company", an abstract company that was operating prior to the 1931 Abstracter's Law and consolidated the records of the two companies and moved to the 5th floor of the Power Block.
In 1884 Seymer and Nickolaus Kessler were both granted Letters Patents for lots on the west side of Helena. George Seymer purchased Nickolaus Kessler's share of the land from him soon after and began selling portions of his land to others, as well as setting aside a certain portion of the land for a park (hence the name Seymer Park).
This collection consists of an abstract of title for lots 1-33 of Cramer's Subdivision, Lewis and Clark County, Montana. The abstract (1951) was created by the Helena Abstract and Title Company on behalf on Robert Mills to clarify his claim on the Cramer subdivision lots. The document gives a detailed history of ownership for properties which include the site of the Montana Wesleyan University.
Additionally, there is an abstract for lots in the Valley View Addition originally purchased by Brown Farrell in 1870 and an abstract showing portions of the original townsite of the City of Helena directly east of the courthouse square in 1872.
Also included are two Abstract of Titles for lots in Block 2, Block 5 and Block 6 in an area lying east of the center of Ten Mile Creek where it flows through the said Block 2. Portions of the land were eventually purchased by Peter Kessler, Montana Central Railroad Company, and the Helena and Red Mountain Railroad Company.
An abstract for the Hauser addition of Helena beginning in 1869 as well a abstract of title for an 1871 title that became 1008 6th Ave are included. The latter of these two address the handling of the estate and guardianship of a widowed blind woman in 1959 who was seen as "incompetent" due to her disability, making her "unable to look after her affairs". This court order provides a glimpse into the legal challenges people with disabilities faced prior to the civil rights movement.
Furthermore, the collection contains an abstract of title for lot 5 in Block 19 of the Northern Pacific addition, which was established by Allen M. Wilkinson in 1870. The collection also includes an abstract of title for lots 8-10 in Block 8 of the Lockey addition. Lots 8-10 were originally purchased by R. Lockey and his associates in 1872.
Arranged by series.
Collection is open for research
The Montana Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Research Library before any reproduction use. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.
Item description and date. Name of Collection. Collection Number. Box and folder number. Montana Historical Society Research Center. Archives. Helena, Montana.
Acquisition information available upon request.
Processed in 2010, 2015. Additional materials added 2019, 2022.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the Montana Historical Society Archives catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search under these terms.
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection