The City of Kankakee was incorporated in 1853. At that
time, Thomas P. Bonfield, an outstanding lawyer of his day
opened the first abstract office in the County.
W. R. Hickox, Sr. purchased the business in 1860 and
through succeeding members of his family carried on the
business.
Thomas S. Sawyer established an abstract office in 1888
that was thereafter continued by members of his family.
In 1910 the two businesses were merged and became the
Kankakee County Title and Trust Company. In 1916 the company
purchased the present building. The company expanded its
activities in 1950 and became a representative of Chicago
Title and Trust Company, making Title Insurance available for
this community since that date.
Kankakee Title is the only company having records dating
back to the 1850’s, which enables staff to accurately provide
title services from its own records. The only other source of
title records dating this far back is the collection of
records maintained over the years by the County.
Kankakee Title provides numerous services for individuals,
attorneys, realtors, and financial organizations. In early
years, the vast majority of the work performed by Kankakee
Title was in updating abstracts of the history of the title to
pieces of property. The abstract of title is the legal history
of the land that contains information obtained from the county
land records and placed in chronological order.
In recent years the use of abstracts has in most cases been
replaced by title insurance policies. Kankakee Title continues
to represent and write policies through Chicago Title and
Trust Company, the largest insurer throughout the state of
Illinois.
Kankakee Developer Michael Pinski purchased Kankakee County
Title & Trust Company in an asset sale on September 29,
2006, beginning a new chapter in the company’s long history.
As if to recognize this new chapter, the company name was
changed to Kankakee County Title Company. The company is also
frequently referred to simply as, “Kankakee Title.”
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