January, 2007
H.B. Wilkinson Title Company
Celebrating 125 Years
Established in 1883
H.B. Wilkinson Title Company, Inc., an Illinois Corporation, and it’s predecessors, is one of the oldest firms offering land title services in Northern Illinois. According to “History of Whiteside County, Illinois”, written by William W. Davis and published in 1908 by The Pioneer Publishing Company, Henry B. Wilkinson began his career in Morrison, IL as an Abstractor in 1883 when he succeeded his uncle, H.R. Sampson, in the abstract business. Wilkinson conducted his business as a sole proprietorship until 1901 when he formed a Company. The business was then conducted under the firm name of Wilkinson & Company Abstractors and continued for an additional twenty-six years until Wilkinson’s retirement in 1927. Carl A. Ritchie and Lee E. Powell purchased the business in 1927 forming a partnership named H.B. Wilkinson Title Company. Both men were previously employed by Henry B. Wilkinson. The partnership continued to operate the abstract and title services business until January 2, 1957 when the Company incorporated as H.B. Wilkinson Company, an Illinois Corporation. The new Corporation was formed with the desire to perpetuate the existence of the only complete tract book title records in Whiteside County. The tract indices, which are still used today, were originated at the time when Mr. Wilkinson owned the business and comprise a complete history of the land titles in Whiteside County.
On January 1, 1958, Lee E. Powell retired from the Company after thirty-four years as an Abstractor. In 1967, Carl A. Ritchie, who had been the President of the Company for many years, retired after forty-eight years. Following the retirement, the ownership of the company was sold to Charles Seda and Paul Klimstra, who became President and Secretary, respectively, of the Corporation. On January 2, 1971, the Company was sold to John D. Mennenoh and Grace R. Shaw of Peoria. Mr. Mennenoh had been with the Chicago Title Insurance Company for fourteen years prior to purchasing the Company. He was a graduate of Bradley University and John Marshall Law School. He was the past President of the Illinois Land Title Association (1975-1976), Whiteside County Bar Association and the Rotary Club of Morrison. In 1975, the Company opened its second office in Mount Carroll to service the title and abstract needs of Carroll County, Illinois.
In 1989, H.B. Wilkinson opened a third office in Galena, Illinois to service Jo Daviess County. The same year they opened an escrow/closing office in Sterling to better serve Whiteside County customers. On Jan. 3rd, 1996, Mr. Mennenoh sold the Company to Gregory M. Kosin and Daniel D. Mennenoh, who continue to operate the Company to the present. Mr. Kosin and Mr. Daniel Mennenoh have opened 6 more locations since taking ownership of the Company. They include: Dixon, IL in May of 1998, Oregon, IL in May of 1999; they purchased Stephenson County Abstract and Title Company in Freeport in July of 2002, opened Rock Island, Illinois in April of 2003, Rochelle, Il in May of 2003 and on September 1st, 2004, the Company opened it’s tenth location in Rockford, Illinois to service Winnebago and Boone County Markets.
Setting aside historical facts, the key to the Company’s growth will always be its people. All of the Company’s land title records would be useless without people who are sincerely interested in serving other people. The Company’s business is a land title service which provides an essential service to sellers and buyers of real estate, to real estate developers and builders, to mortgage lenders and real estate brokers, and to many others who have an interest in real estate transfers. The essential purpose for the service is to insure that the acquisition or transfer of a person’s interest in the property can be effected with a maximum degree of efficiency, security and safety. H.B. Wilkinson Title Company, Inc. provides Northwest Illinois and all of Iowa with an innovative range of title insurance, escrow closing, construction escrow and real estate information services.
