Mr. P.J. Muerer moved his family to Pawnee, OK in the early 1890's. Soon after his arrival, he built a small, wood-framed building about a half-block from the present day location and opened the doors to Meurer Abstract and Title Company in late 1893.
Mr. Meurer operated the business until his death in 1906. He left the business to his daughter, Mollie Meurer. "Miss Mollie" as she was called by most of Pawnee, continued to operate the business in that location while she was building a larger building a little closer to the county courthouse. During the construction of the office, Miss Mollie became ill and in July of 1925 she died before its completion. After Miss Mollie's death, her close assistant Mary Spelman trained Mollie's nephew, Joe Rowland to take over the business while she continued to work there.
Miss Spelman worked there until her death in 1963. Another long-time employee Dorothy Smith began working at Meurer Abstract company in the late 1940s. Mr. Rowland continued to operate the business until his death in 1950.
Joe Rowland had only one living heir, his brother Edward. Edward Rowland, not knowing the abstract business, asked Miss Spelman to manage the office in his behalf. She continued to do so until December of 1962 when Mr. Rowland deeded the business to Tony and Paul Thomas, a father and son. They ran the business together until 1981 when full operation was taken over by Paul Thomas. Mr. Thomas, along with Mrs. Smith and another long-time employee, Mrs. Ruth Kistler, kept the abstract company going until 1982 when Mr. Thomas sold out. Several owners were involved for the next three years while Mrs. Smith continued to manage the business. In 1985 the business was purchased by Meurer Abstract and Title Company, Inc. Mrs. Smith stayed on as office manager until her death in 1994. Dorothy Smith had completed 47 years of service to the company. The company has always been known as Meurer Abstract and Title Company since its creation in 1893 and has always strived to do a quality job for the citizens of Pawnee County. Mr. Meurer opened the doors with the motto: "We show what the records show." That motto is still used today.
