Arthur Brown, who was at that time the county clerk of Washtenaw County, founded the Washtenaw Abstract Company in 1893. The company succeeded the abstracting business of C.H. Manly, which had been founded about 1881 with offices in the county courthouse.
The Washtenaw Abstract Company's offices were initially located in the county courthouse, but were moved in 1895, when Brown's term as clerk ended, to the Lawrence Block in Ann Arbor, where Brown's law office was also located. In 1911, the company's office was moved to 106 North Fourth Avenue, Ann Arbor, where it remained until the company was taken over by Lawyers Title Insurance Corporation in 1961. In 1998 Lawyers Title was in turn taken over by Transnation Title Insurance Company.
From the guide to the Washtenaw Abstract Company records, ca. 1824-1954, (Bentley Historical Library University of Michigan)
