Ray Trucks to Charles W. Chesnutt, 27 November 1931
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LAKE COUNTY ABSTRACT CO.
RAY TRUCKS ATTORNEY-AT-LAW, MANAGER
BALDWIN, MICHIGAN1
ABSTRACTS OF TITLE
TITLE INSURANCE
TAX PAYMENT SERVICE
MEMBER
AMERICAN TITLE ASSN
MICHIGAN TITLE ASSN
November 27, 1931
Dear Property Owner:
1931 TAXES ARE NOW DUE.
You are getting the enclosed tax statement right on time, so that you may save penalties being added.
Above all things, protect your real estate holdings by paying your taxes promptly; many people have lost title to their land by neglect to pay their taxes in time.
LAKE COUNTY2 is known as the HEART OF HAPPYLAND and an investment in real estate here is not only an investment for profit, but an investment in recreation and health. Irrespective of what may happen to stocks and bonds, you will know that your real estate is here the same as always, and your only care is to see that your taxes are taken care of and to know that someone is looking after them for you.
To be absolutely sure that your tax money will get here in time to save the penalties, you should get the money and tax statement in the mail not later than JANUARY 2nd, 1932.
We wish to thank you for your past patronage and trust that we may continue to serve you, as it is only by the large volume of satisfied property owners that we are able to give you this service for the small sum of one dollar per year per description.
Our services are also available for the making of joint deeds, contracts, deeds and mortgages necessary for the transfer and sale of your property, as well as the probating of estates and any other matters affecting your interests in this county.
IMPORTANT: Return the enclosed statement with your check or money order made payable to RAY TRUCKS, BALDWIN, MICHIGAN.
Sincerely yours, Ray Trucks Pd Jan 2/32Correspondent: Ray Trucks (1884–1965) was a White lawyer in Baldwin, Michigan, who owned Lake County Abstract Co., the only law and real-estate charter firm in town. He also sold and managed real estate and held public office as Prosecuting Attorney (1914–1920) and Probate Judge (1921–1925) for Lake County, which included the Idlewild community where the Chesnutts had a summer home.
1. Baldwin, Michigan, is a village that serves as the county seat of Lake County, less than four miles from Idlewild, Michigan, where the Chesnutts bought land in 1924 and built their summer cottage. In 1930, about five hundred people lived in Baldwin, but it had a railroad station, a weekly newspaper, and amenities for tourists from the surrounding area. [back]
2. After discovering Idlewild in 1921, the Chesnutts spent every summer at this location in Lake County, Michigan, about 380 miles west of Cleveland. Idlewild was a popular lakeside resort for hundreds of Black families from the urban Midwest from the 1910s to the 1960s, when racism excluded them from many White resort towns. In the spring of 1924, Chesnutt purchased a plot of land, and had a lakeside cabin built (14240 Lake Drive), which was completed in 1926. [back]
