The Title Company, Inc., traces its beginning to November 8, 1880, the earliest date found so far on an abstract made by our predecessor, Josiah L. Pettingill.

Pettingill was an insurance agent and conveyancer - one who draws up documents for property transfers. He later began to draw up abstracts - brief histories of pieces of real estate - and in 1884, while serving as La Crosse County Clerk, bought a set of abstract books.

Pettingill was prominent in county politics serving as clerk from 1873 to 1884. He was a member of the county board, serving as chairman in 1894 and 1895 and again from 1904 to 1906. He also was La Crosse postmaster from 1897 to 1902.

In 1931, the La Crosse County Title Company was formed with Pettingill serving as president and major stockholder. Pettingill lived a few months after the corporate conversion and was succeeded as president by his son, Claude C. Pettingill.

He followed in his father’s footsteps and served on the county board. A real estate broker and lawyer, he was a charter member of the Greater La Crosse Board of REALTORS® and a member of the board of directors of First Federal Savings and Loan Association of La Crosse.

Claude Pettingill died in 1948. Early in 1949, Thomas J. Holstein, then working for the Dane County Title Company in Madison, purchased the company from the heirs of Pettingill and became president. In 1963, his son William T.D. Holstein joined the company.

On June 1, 1985 William T. D. Holstein and Michael F. Wille, the owners of newly incorporated The Title Company, Inc., purchased the assets and the right to use the names of La Crosse County Title Company and it’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Vernon County Title Company, Inc. Holstein served as president of the new company until February 1986 when Wille purchased controlling interest and took over as president. In April 1989 Holstein sold his remaining ownership of the Company. In October 1989 he resigned and moved to California ending the 40 year affiliation of the Holstein family with the Company.

In January 1995 the Company purchased the assets of Professional Title Service, Inc., which operated in Chippewa, Eau Claire and Dunn counties, and opened an office in Eau Claire. In August of 1995 the Company opened an office in Prairie du Chien.

In March 2002 the Company opened an office in Menomonie to serve Dunn and Barron counties. In June of 2003 construction was completed on an office in Whitehall to better serve Trempealeau county.

Thomas J. Holstein was a former President of the Wisconsin Land Title Association and the American Land Title Association. William Holstein and Michael F. Wille were former Presidents of the Wisconsin Land Title Association. William Holstein was Affiliate of the Year in 1988 and Michael F. Wille was REALTOR® of the Year in 1992 for the La Crosse Area REALTORS® Association.

Continuing in the tradition of the Company’s involvement in the real estate industry, James Gull was selected Affiliate of the Year in 1994 for the La Crosse Area REALTORS® Association. In an unusual selection, the REALTORS® Association of the Chippewa Valley selected The Title Company, Inc. as Affiliate of the Year for 2000 because of the involvment of Laura Provos, Carol Wiste, Cathy Losby and Stan Hawkins.

Michael F. Wille was involved with the American Land Title Association serving as the Chair of the Finance Committee on the Board of Governors. He also served as president of an errors and ommisions company, Title Industry Assurance Company, that serves the title industry. In addition he has served as Chairman of the Title Industry Political Action Committee. He was posthumously inaugurated as president of the American Land Title Association in 2006. Marilyn J. Wille, a veteran of the title industry and long-time employee, has taken over as president of THE TITLE COMPANY, INC.