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Source 106 – Letter of Guardianship for Viola Thomas by Judge of Probate

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Author: Judge of Probate
Title: State of Michigan – Probate Court for the County of Kent, Letters of Guardianship
Date: 20 April 1915
Curator: Christine Fisher
Note:

In the Matter of the Estate of Viola Thomas, Minor. to Charles R. Thomas of the Township of South Arm, Charlevoix County, Greeting: You have been appointed guardian of said ward, and having given a bond in the premises which has been duly approved and filed as required by law, I do by these presents commit unto you full power and authority to ask, sue for, recover, receive and take into your custody, all and singular, the real estate, goods and chattels, rights and credits which accrue to said ward… in right of inheritance, or which by any other way or means whatsoever doth of right appertain or belong to said ward; and you are to make a true and perfect inventory thereof, and return the same unto said court on or before the 20th day of May next ensuing; hereby requiring you to dispose of, manage, employ and improve the same according to law, and for the best interest of said ward; and within one year from the date hereof, and at least once in each year thereafter during the continuance of your guardianship, and at such other time as the judge of probate shall direct, to render on oath to said court a true account of the property os said ward in your hands, including the proceeds of all the real estate that may be sold by you , and of the management and disposition of such property; and at the expiration of your trust to settle your accounts with said judge of probate, or with said ward or her legal representatives; and to pay over and deliver all the estate and effects remaining in your hands, and due from you on such settlement, to the person or persons who shall be lawfully entitled thereto, and to perform all orders and decrees of said court by you to be performed in the premises.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of said court, at the city of Grand Rapids, in said county, this 20th day of April A.D. 1915.
… – Judge of Probate

Source 105 – Guardianship for Viola Thomas, Charles Thomas v Eva Gillons

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Record: Guardianship of Viola Thomas
Date: 02 April 1915 [one week before the birth of Helen J. Thomas]
Party 1: Charles R. Thomas of Ellsworth, MI
Party 2: Eva Gillons of Dorr Center, MI

State of Michigan – The Circuit Court of the County of:
Nichols, Shaw & Whitney
419-420 Houseman Building
Grand Rapids, Michigan

Articles of Agreement made and entered into this second day of April A.D. 1915, between Charles R. Thomas of Ellsworth, Michigan, of the first part, and Eva Gillons, of Dorr Center, Michigan, of the second part.

WITNESSETH, Whereas, the said Charles R. Thomas is the father of Viola Thomas, a minor of the age of seven years, and

Whereas, the said Charles R. Thomas has filed a petition in the Probate Court for the County of Kent asking to be appointed guardian of said minor, and
Whereas, the said Eva Gillons has had the care and custody of said minor from April 3, 1908 [date of death of Alta A. Brown-Thomas, Viola’s mother], until the present time and has become greatly attached to said minor, and desires to have the care and custody of said minor.

Therefore, it is mutually agreed as follows:
(1) That the said Eva Gillons hereby consents that the said Charles R. Thomas be appointed guardian of said minor and not to make any objection thereto.
(2) That the said Charles R. Thomas as the guardian of said minor agrees that the said Eva Gillons may have the care and custody of said minor for at least three months out of each and every year hereafter until said minor reaches the age of fourteen years.

(3) That while said minor is under the care and custody of said Charles R. Thomas he is to bear the entire expense for the clothing and education of said minor; and that while said minor is under the care and custody of said Eva Gillons, the said Eva Gillons is to bear the entire expense for the clothing and education of said minor.

IN WITNESS whereof said parties have hereunto set their hands the day and year first above written.

Witnesses: A. Shane, Nellie M. Taylor, C.R. Thomas, Eva Gillons

Source 015 – Official Letter: George E. Nichols, Estate of Alta Thomas

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Author: George E. Nichols of Ionia, MI
Title: Letter to Mrs. Charles R. Thomas [Iva M. (Cooper) Thomas] of Ellsworth, MI
Date: 24 March 1915
Curator: Christine Fisher
Note:

March 24, 1915
Mrs. Charles R. Thomas
Ellsworth, Michigan

Dear Mrs. Thomas:
Yours of the 2nd at hand. Charlie ought not to attempt by any means to come to Grand Rapids until he gets well so that he can do so in safety. If he should come down here he is liable to get badly hurt and laid up all summer. You tell him I say for him to keep quiet. Spring is now opening up and in the course of the next four weeks he will want to be in a position to get busy. I will look after the master of the settlement of the estate of the child [Viola Thomas], but have him send me down the administrator’s account signed by him so that notice can be given ahead for say three or four weeks and he can come down then and we will fix it up and get the whole thing arranged, but by no means should he attempt to come now, because we couldn’t clean it up if he did. I have the money in the bank here and I will look after it so there will be no trouble.
With best regards, Yours truly,
George E. Nichols, Attorney at Law, National Bank Annex, Ionia, Michigan

Source 014 – Official Letter: George E. Nichols, Estate of Alta Thomas

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Author: George E. Nichols of Ionia, MI
Title: Letter to Mrs. Charles R. Thomas [Iva M. (Cooper) Thomas] of East Jordan, MI
Date: 15 March 1915
Curator: Christine Fisher
Note:

March 15, 1915
Mrs. Charles R. Thomas
East Jordan, Mich

My dear Mrs. Thomas:
Yours of the 11th at hand. I note what you say in relation to Charlie’s condition and tell him not to worry about the statement that I sent him, or the application to the probate court for the allowance of his final account, but just let that matter stand as it is until he has entirely recovered his nerve. The thing is all right anyway and I told the Judge of Probate that Charlie was sick and it might be some time before he got around with the account and he said, all right, to take our time for it, so there is no use worrying about that.

I hope that the indication of pus doesn’t mean that he will be laid up very much longer. I know you are having a very unfortunate time but things will clear away. I have been through the same proposition in different ways when I could see nothing but a dark cloud in front of me and yet in time it has cleared itself up and everything was all right. Now you tell Charlie, in relation to the estate, that I will look into that some day when I am in Grand Rapids and find out what is being done and will report to you so he will know about it.

I hope that he will come along fast now and that you will be able to pass on your worries in a little while. I remain,
Yours truly, George E. Nichols, Lawyer, Ionia, Michigan

Source 013 – Official Letter: George E. Nichols

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Author: George E. Nichols of Ionia, MI
Title: Letter to Mrs. Charles R. Thomas [Iva M. (Cooper) Thomas] of East Jordan, MI
Date: 12 March 1915
Curator: Christine Fisher
Note:

March 12, 1915
Mrs. Charles R. Thomas
Commercial Hotel, East Jordan, Michigan

Dear Mrs. Thomas:
I have your letter of the 10th. I do hope that Charlie will come on rapidly now and I do not want to have you get discouraged. I sent you a check as requested, which I presume you have received before this, and I sent a statement of the township matter to Charlie at Ellsworth, which perhaps will reach you before you leave East Jordan.

If there is anything you want me to do about looking after the estate or getting money out of your brother, or anything of that kind, I will look after it.
Yours truly,
George E. Nichols, Lawyer, Ionia, Michigan

Source 079 – Official Letter: George E. Nichols, Estate of Alta Thomas

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Author: George E. Nichols of Ionia, MI
Title: Letter to Charles R. Thomas of Ellsworth, MI
Date: 08 March 1915
Curator: Christine Fisher
Note:

March 8, 1915
Charles R. Thomas
Ellsworth, Mich.

My dear Charlie:
I went to Grand Rapids Friday and collected from the township of Byron $5260.81. There is still due $103.70 for interest that they hadn’t figured and the treasurer didn’t have enough money to pay the whole amount with him but agreed to come in within a week and pay the $103.70. I didn’t release the judgment and shall not until the $103.70 is forthcoming, but there will be no trouble about that, I apprehend.

I am sending your account as administrator. You will notice that I set up the fact that your wife [Alta A. Brown] had no estate except the claim against the township of Byron, and the further fact that you entered into a contract with us to prosecute the case, agreeing to give us one-half of any judgment recovered and collected and our disbursements and expenses, which amount to $546.23. I have received from you $100 on Sept 7, 1910, when we were going to take the case to the supreme court. You brought in $100 to take up the bond of $100 as security for costs signed by your father and that was placed in our hands to be paid on the costs provided we did not win in the supreme court, and that $100 you are to be credited with. I also collected $216.80 costs in the supreme court and then I have collected $369 costs in this last settlement, making the total moneys I have received outside of the judgment $685.80, thus leaving in my hands a balance of $139.57 of which you are entitled to one half as I understand the contract. So the account stands like this. I will be entitled to one half of the judgment and costs, $4981.81, or $2490.90, and you would be entitled to one-half of the balance less your fees, $1170.45, and $150 commission and one-half of the proceeds now in my hands, $139.57, or $69.78, or you should be credited upon your account with me $1390.23.

If the probate court should require me to pay the money to the trust company as guardian of your daughter, I will have to do so. By making this turn and charging the statutory fees for carrying on this law suit, you will have $1390.23 to your credit in my hands.

If the court would permit the guardian to leave the money in my hands to be applied upon the contract, the $1170.45, I would be glad of it, but I don’t think the judge will do it. As soon as you can get around to it, get a justice in or a notary public and swear to your account and send it back here and I will file it and have it allowed. I shall make no entries upon my books or upon our contract until I get it all straightened up, so the figures I give you in this letter may be changed.

I hope you are improving rapidly. When I spoke of you father’s estate I didn’t mean to make you any costs or charges by having Mr. Shaw look after it. I would make no charge in the matter unless there should be some law suit or something. I only did that as a means of seeing that things moved along all right and that your interests were protected.

With best regards to yourself, your wife and the kid [Robert Thomas], I am,
Yours truly, George E. Nichols, Lawyer, Ionia, Michigan