Philadelphia Conveyancers' Association

The Philadelphia Conveyancers' Association, more formally called the Conveyancers' Association of the City of Philadelphia, was a professional association of full-time conveyancers based in Philadelphia. The Association formed in 1870, was formerly chartered by the state in 1871, and was active until at least 1875. The stated purpose of the association was to attempt to elevate the profession of conveyancing, which had been steadily developing into a large profession in the city during the course of the 19th century. One of their earliest mentions is in an Ordinance of the City of Philadelphia allowing members of the Association to access the Recorder of Deeds office free of charge.[1] Several of its members were active in the formation of some of the nation's first title insurance companies.

According to the first edition of Ladner's Conveyancing in Pennsylvania, the professional conveyancers working in Philadelphia in the mid-19th century were a "splendid set of men, proud of their calling and jealous of their unblemished reputations." The examinations to enter the conveyancers' associations were considered more difficult than lawyer's bar examinations. Many of these conveyancers later went on to form the first title insurance companies in response to changing market conditions. By the time the book was first published in 1913, Ladner was of the opinion that the "old time conveyancers" had "practically disappeared" due to the advent of title insurance companies.[2]