Vintage Humidor

[Toasted Coastie]

I'm thankful for you that this little piece of family history is alive and well. Now you can hand it down with a little story to tell. I often wonder where my humidors will be in a few hunderd years.

Don't know where your humidors will be, but I know where one of you ashtrays will!

 

[ironpeddler]

Nice job Tom. Family history is so important along with the stories behind them. I'm sure that will never see an attic or basement again. That was a great decision to only do a mild restoration to it as to retain it's historical charm.

Thanks for the journey, it is so cool to see everyone here at CP help find answers to the box's riddles.

PS...Nice selection of smokes to Christen it with! :thumbs: How appropriate that you're only putting Cuban cigars in it based on it's history....perfect

 

[NorCal_Aaron]

Thanks for sharing sir, great story and piece of family history!!!

 

[DesertRat]

Nice piece of family history there, Tom. You might try looking on genealogy sites for info on your Mr. Henderson as well.

I'll also do a newspaper article search for you for the Tampa area and see what pops up in the archives.

Danny

 

[Doc Wylie]

Nice piece of family history there, Tom. You might try looking on genealogy sites for info on your Mr. Henderson as well.

I'll also do a newspaper article search for you for the Tampa area and see what pops up in the archives.

Danny

Thanks! That would be great, Danny.

 

[DesertRat]

Ok, Tom. Following up with the union negotiation angle I pm'd you on your granduncle and thinking along the lines that the box could have been a gift from either the union(s) or the city of Tampa (given that the box was specifically made for him), I narrowed my search to the years of 1910 to 1945 figuring these would be his most active years as far as his career goes (age 25-60).

Unfortunately, the database I use can only search major national newspapers and not the smaller regional or local papers.

The years I searched were generally labor dispute free with the few exceptions noted below. None of these mentions a federal mediator but it seems likely that one would have been involved and it possibly could have been your granduncle. Either way this gives you some date ranges as to when the box may have been given to him.

OPA SUES CIGAR MAKERS :Action Against 11 in Tampa Asks $1,858,652 Damages. (1945, June 29). New York Times (1857-Current file),26. Retrieved January 4, 2009, from ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851 - 2005) database. (Document ID: 306096732).


Lastly, one significant event that occurred involving the Tampa cigar industry and the Federal government was summarized in this article from 1903 although your granduncle would have only been 18 at the time, so it is unlikely he would have held a high enough position at the time to get involved had he even worked for the feds then. It is possible however that an event of this type made it necessary for the feds to keep an eye on the cigar unions moving forward and thus could have been an impetus for your uncle to make periodic trips to the Tampa area. (all entirely speculation on my part, of course )

APPEAL TO THE PRESIDENT :Members of Tampa Cigar Workers' Union Warned to Leave the City.. (1903, March 13). The Washington Post (1877-1954),1. Retrieved January 4, 2009, from ProQuest Historical Newspapers The Washington Post (1877 - 1992) database. (Document ID: 259164092).

 

[DesertRat]

John M. Henderson (City Clerk) ------------------------------ June 1898 - April 1907
(Source: Council Minute Book #4, page 406)
Linkification

Edited to add: John M. Henderson died suddenly in 1907 and was replaced by Franklin Pembley who was appointed by the mayor.

Tom, this has to be the Henderson on your box since he is the only Henderson to serve in that position and the Tampa archives are complete with no gaps in the history. In genealogy circles the initial's "Jno." are always used to represent the name Jonathan or John". So I'd have to say the box was indeed manufactured in the 1906-1907 time frame.

 

[Doc Wylie]

John M. Henderson (City Clerk) ------------------------------ June 1898 - April 1907
(Source: Council Minute Book #4, page 406)
Linkification

Edited to add: John M. Henderson died suddenly in 1907 and was replaced by Franklin Pembley who was appointed by the mayor.

Tom, this has to be the Henderson on your box since he is the only Henderson to serve in that position and the Tampa archives are complete with no gaps in the history. In genealogy circles the initial's "Jno." are always used to represent the name Jonathan or John". So I'd have to say the box was indeed manufactured in the 1906-1907 time frame.

I had that thought as well, Danny. But given the dates that John Henderson was City Clerk, I'm not sure this box is that old. I'm wondering if they used that imprint for many years if Henderson was the original signer of whatever law or regulation is being cited.

After your earlier post and PM, I went searching and found the box with Uncle Tom's scrapbooks so I'll start looking through them and see if I can find any reference to a gift box of cigars. They gave him a huge party in 1955 when he retired, so perhaps there will be some mention of it. On the topic of whether he was involved in any labor disputes in Tampa, I spoke with my mother (92 years old) who said she did not remember any specific companies but that the Labor Department did send him around the country, including Tampa and St Petersburg. Again, perhaps the scrapbook with shed some light.

Thanks again for all your research! :thumbs:

 

[Doc Wylie]

Checked out the scrapbooks. Lots of stuff about his retirement accolades but no photos showing the box in the background or any mention of being gifted with a fine box of Cuban leaf cigars. I guess I'll never know the story behind the box... but it's sure making a stately resting place for some very fine sticks that several of you have given me. In that regard it's a true treasure! :thumbs: