Letter from Joshua Coffin Chase to Sydney Octavius Chase (January 23, 1911)
Dublin Core
Title
Letter from Joshua Coffin Chase to Sydney Octavius Chase (January 23, 1911)
Alternative Title
Chase Correspondence (January 23, 1911)
Subject
Windermere (Fla.)
Chase, Sydney Octavius, 1860-1941
Chase, Joshua Coffin, 1858-1948
Citrus--Florida
Chase and Company (Sanford, Fla.)
Oranges--Florida
Grapefruit
Description
An original letter of correspondence between brothers and business partners Joshua Coffin Chase and Sydney Octavius Chase. Topics discussed in the letter include the disharmony between A. Q. Lancaster and T. J. Eubank and the excessive amount of grapefruit and valencia orange acreage in South Florida.
Chase & Company was established by brothers Sydney Octavius Chase and Joshua Coffin Chase in 1884. The company sold insurance and later invested in storage facilities and fertilizer sales. Chase & Company was known mainly for its agricultural interests and maintained a series of citrus groves throughout Central Florida. The company was based out of Sanford and became one of the city's largest employers into the early twentieth century. By 1886, the Chase brothers purchased several citrus groves to expand their business, including Isleworth Grove in Windermere, Florida. Isleworth Grove covered a total of 1,300 acres along the Butler Chain of Lakes. Between 1894 and 1895, Central Florida was hit by several freezes and most of the citrus crop was destroyed. Chase & Company did not grow citrus crops again until 1904 when Joshua came back from an extended stay in California. Between 1894 and 1900, different types of pesticide equipment was created, including equipment driven by steam, machines, and horses.Randall Chase joined in the family business soon after his brother, Sydney Chase, Jr., did in 1922. Randall became the president of Chase & Company from 1948-1965. The Isleworth property stayed in the Chase family until 1984 when Franklin Chase, the son of Sydney Chase, sold the property to famed golfer Arnold Palmer.
Chase & Company was established by brothers Sydney Octavius Chase and Joshua Coffin Chase in 1884. The company sold insurance and later invested in storage facilities and fertilizer sales. Chase & Company was known mainly for its agricultural interests and maintained a series of citrus groves throughout Central Florida. The company was based out of Sanford and became one of the city's largest employers into the early twentieth century. By 1886, the Chase brothers purchased several citrus groves to expand their business, including Isleworth Grove in Windermere, Florida. Isleworth Grove covered a total of 1,300 acres along the Butler Chain of Lakes. Between 1894 and 1895, Central Florida was hit by several freezes and most of the citrus crop was destroyed. Chase & Company did not grow citrus crops again until 1904 when Joshua came back from an extended stay in California. Between 1894 and 1900, different types of pesticide equipment was created, including equipment driven by steam, machines, and horses.Randall Chase joined in the family business soon after his brother, Sydney Chase, Jr., did in 1922. Randall became the president of Chase & Company from 1948-1965. The Isleworth property stayed in the Chase family until 1984 when Franklin Chase, the son of Sydney Chase, sold the property to famed golfer Arnold Palmer.
Creator
Chase, Joshua Coffin
Source
Original letter from Joshua Coffin Chase to Sydney Octavius Chase, January 23, 1911: box 49, folder 20.84, Chase Collection (MS 14), Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
Date Created
1911-01-22
Is Format Of
Digital reproduction of original letter from Joshua Coffin Chase to Sydney Octavius Chase, January 23, 1911.
Is Part Of
Chase Collection (MS 14), box 49, folder 20.84, Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
Isleworth Collection, Citrus Collection, Chase Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
Is Referenced By
Folder referenced in Chase Collection finding guide, http://web.uflib.ufl.edu/spec/pkyonge/chase.htm.
Format
image/jpg
Extent
181 KB
Medium
1-page typewritten letter on Chase & Company letterhead
Language
eng
Type
Text
Coverage
Chase & Company Office, Jacksonville, Florida
Chase & Company Office, Sanford, Florida
Isleworth Grove, Windermere, Florida
Accrual Method
Donation
Mediator
History Teacher
Economics Teacher
Geography Teacher
Provenance
Entire Chase Collection is comprised of four separate accessions from various donors, including Cecilia Johnson, the granddaughter of Joshua Coffin Chase, and the children of Randall Chase.
Rights Holder
The displayed collection item is housed at Special and Area Studies Collections at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. Rights to this item belong to the said institution, and therefore inquiries about the item should be directed there. RICHES of Central Florida has obtained permission from Special and Area Studies Collections at the University of Florida to display this item for educational purposes only.
Contributing Project
Special and Area Studies Collections, University of Florida
Digital Collections (UFDC), University of Florida
Curator
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
Source Repository
University of Florida, Special and Area Studies Collections
External Reference
Warner, S.C. "Development of Marketing Citrus Fruits in Florida." Florida State Horticultural Society vol. 36 (1923): 198-200.
Hopkins, James T. Fifty Years of Citrus, the Florida Citrus Exchange: 1909-1959. Gainesville, Florida: University of Florida Press: 1960.
"Joshua Coffin Chase (1858-1948)." Florida Citrus Hall of Fame. Copyright 2012. http://floridacitrushalloffame.com/index.php/inductees/inductee-name/?ref_cID=89&bID=0&dd_asId=960.
"Sydney Chase Sr. (1860-1941)." Florida Citrus Hall of Fame. Copyright 2012. http://floridacitrushalloffame.com/index.php/inductees/inductee-name/?ref_cID=89&bID=0&dd_asId=600.
Transcript
CHASE & COMPANY
SEABOARD BUILDING
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA
Jan. 23, 1911.
Mr S O Chase,
Sanford.
Dear Syd:
Herewith find letters from A Q Lancaster and T J Eubank. The next time you are on the grove try to find out what Lancaster means by saying that "something is bungled about half of the time at Isleworth"? Evidently there is not complete harmony between Eubank and Lancaster, and I do not believe there ever will be. The question is which is the safest man to have on the job.
Do not let Eubank plunge too heavily in planting out that property in which he is interested, nor spend too much money there. Let us try to dispose of that place, if it can be done to advantage. Someone may come along who wants to buy a young grove that is started. There is entirely too much acreage going into grapefruit and valencias in the southern part of the state and, if we escape could damage for the next year or so, there will be a mighty poor outlet at profitable prices for either variety by the time the young groves come into bearing. Between you and me, I am getting cold feet on young orange and grapefruit groves as this January is to be a criterion of future seasons. You can see yourself from the California correspondence just what we are up against. Do not miss any sales on any of our scattered orange groves if you have Chance to sell such as the Kelley Grove, the Bellair Grove or Swamp Chase.
Yours affectionately,
J.C.Chase
jccb
1:00
SEABOARD BUILDING
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA
Jan. 23, 1911.
Mr S O Chase,
Sanford.
Dear Syd:
Herewith find letters from A Q Lancaster and T J Eubank. The next time you are on the grove try to find out what Lancaster means by saying that "something is bungled about half of the time at Isleworth"? Evidently there is not complete harmony between Eubank and Lancaster, and I do not believe there ever will be. The question is which is the safest man to have on the job.
Do not let Eubank plunge too heavily in planting out that property in which he is interested, nor spend too much money there. Let us try to dispose of that place, if it can be done to advantage. Someone may come along who wants to buy a young grove that is started. There is entirely too much acreage going into grapefruit and valencias in the southern part of the state and, if we escape could damage for the next year or so, there will be a mighty poor outlet at profitable prices for either variety by the time the young groves come into bearing. Between you and me, I am getting cold feet on young orange and grapefruit groves as this January is to be a criterion of future seasons. You can see yourself from the California correspondence just what we are up against. Do not miss any sales on any of our scattered orange groves if you have Chance to sell such as the Kelley Grove, the Bellair Grove or Swamp Chase.
Yours affectionately,
J.C.Chase
jccb
1:00
Document Item Type Metadata
Original Format
1-page typewritten letter on Chase & Company letterhead
Collection
Citation
Chase, Joshua Coffin, “Letter from Joshua Coffin Chase to Sydney Octavius Chase (January 23, 1911),” RICHES, accessed May 23, 2024, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/2720.