Letter from Joshua Coffin Chase to Sydney Octavius Chase (September 25, 1923)

Letter from Joshua Coffin Chase to Sydney Octavius Chase (September 25, 1923)

Chase Correspondence (September 25, 1923)

Windermere (Fla.)

Chase, Sydney Octavius, 1860-1941

Chase, Joshua Coffin, 1858-1948

Chase and Company (Sanford, Fla.)

Sanford (Fla.)

An original letter of correspondence between brothers and business partners Joshua Coffin Chase and Sydney Octavius Chase. Topics discussed in the letter include Sydney's visit to Sanford, an enclosed copy of a letter from the Commissioner of Internal Revenue to Sydney regarding the Isleworth Grove Company returns, and planning a trip to Washington, D.C.

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, Joshua Coffin

Original letter from Joshua Coffin Chase to Sydney Octavius Chase, September 25, 1923: box 49, folder 20.84, Chase Collection (MS 14), Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.

1923-09-25

Digital reproduction of original letter from Joshua Coffin Chase to Sydney Octavius Chase, September 25, 1923.

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.

Folder referenced in Chase Collection finding guide, http://web.uflib.ufl.edu/spec/pkyonge/chase.htm.

image/jpg

212 KB

1-page typewritten letter

eng

Text

Isleworth Grove, Windermere, Florida

Chase & Company Office, Sanford, Florida

Washington, D.C.

California

Donation

History Teacher

Economics Teacher

Geography Teacher

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.

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.

Special and Area Studies Collections, University of Florida

Digital Collections (UFDC), University of Florida

Cepero, Laura

University of Florida, Special and Area Studies Collections

"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.

"Franklin Chase, 'Towering Figure in Citrus Industry.'" The Orlando Sentinel, September 30, 1986. http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1986-09-30/news/0260060057_1_chase-isleworth-golf-florida-citrus.

Sept 25 1923

Mr. S. O. Chase,
Sanford, Florida.

Dear Syd:

This will acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 24th reporting your return to Sanford on Sunday evening without any mishap. I am very glad that you had no further occasion to change a tire. It certainly was hot work Saturday evening.

Also note copy of letter you received from the office of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue regarding the Isleworth Grove company returns.

In event Weill & Blakely are unable to adjust this matter on a proper basis, there is only one thing for us to do, and that is to take all of the necessary papers to Washington and both of us appear before the Commissioner in order to arrive at a basis of settlement.

We both know that the Isleworth grove Company was formed originally as a holding company for our real estate interests. At that time we did not think it necessary to use more than a nominal amount as capital stock, as we intended to make use of the Company as a title clearing organization.

As we found that a mistake had been made, we disincorporated, and if there were any mistakes made at that time, it was due to bumm advice from Landis. However, the matter has been handled, and we must now take care of any adjustments.

When in California, Frank Chase appeared to think that we could do more by going directly to Washington on the final show-down than could be accomplished through experts.

Yours very truly,

JCC/s

1-page typewritten letter