What Tobacco did your Ancestors Smoke?
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My dad was a long time cig smoker .... Marlboros. Sadly, they killed him age 66.
My grandfather (father's side) lived to age 76. Aunts said he'd only light one cig a day, that being the first one as soon as he got up in the morning, then simply used one to light another all day. In their house, there were always ashtrays at the kitchen table & "the adults" (IIRC) commonly smoked even during meals.
My other grandfather (mother's side) began smoking age 8. Told me he mostly smoked cigs then with whatever tobacco he & his buddies could scrounge, even harsh homegrown stuff. I think he also began smoking pipes at a young age. Worked for the telephone company, spent years up on telephone poles stringing wire. Told me he smoked Bugle tobacco, those little bags with a drawstring, and could roll his own cigs with one hand while hanging on to the poles. He gave up the cigs in his 50's (heart problems) but kept smoking a pipe. Had smoked many different types of pipes (always Billiards until he switched to Canadians) & in his younger years smoked various tobaccos, including his interesting story about trying pure perique. But what I remember, for many years, was that he only smoked Edgeworth Ready Rubbed, both in the pouches & the cans. Said he couldn't smoke aros because he inhaled, a carryover from many years of cig smoking. He ordered 7 new pipes (Dr Grabow or Yello-bole or John Rolfe) every New Year. Had a rack for a 7-day rotation. Smoked (example) his Monday pipe all day, many bowls, then it went into the rack until the following Monday to "dry out". Upon receiving his new shipment of pipes each January, the last year's pipes (which he claimed were "all burnt out", which I don't really believe because he took such good care of his pipes) were then "consigned" to his coal burning stove in his garage, right next to his workbench. Seemed to me like a fitting end to those pipes, although I wish I now had them. My sentiment & nostalgia for our friendship .... our thousands of games of Checkers, always with his pipe going .... carries on today with my pipe racks holding 5 wonderful Canadians .... my "tribute" to him.
My grandfather (father's side) lived to age 76. Aunts said he'd only light one cig a day, that being the first one as soon as he got up in the morning, then simply used one to light another all day. In their house, there were always ashtrays at the kitchen table & "the adults" (IIRC) commonly smoked even during meals.
My other grandfather (mother's side) began smoking age 8. Told me he mostly smoked cigs then with whatever tobacco he & his buddies could scrounge, even harsh homegrown stuff. I think he also began smoking pipes at a young age. Worked for the telephone company, spent years up on telephone poles stringing wire. Told me he smoked Bugle tobacco, those little bags with a drawstring, and could roll his own cigs with one hand while hanging on to the poles. He gave up the cigs in his 50's (heart problems) but kept smoking a pipe. Had smoked many different types of pipes (always Billiards until he switched to Canadians) & in his younger years smoked various tobaccos, including his interesting story about trying pure perique. But what I remember, for many years, was that he only smoked Edgeworth Ready Rubbed, both in the pouches & the cans. Said he couldn't smoke aros because he inhaled, a carryover from many years of cig smoking. He ordered 7 new pipes (Dr Grabow or Yello-bole or John Rolfe) every New Year. Had a rack for a 7-day rotation. Smoked (example) his Monday pipe all day, many bowls, then it went into the rack until the following Monday to "dry out". Upon receiving his new shipment of pipes each January, the last year's pipes (which he claimed were "all burnt out", which I don't really believe because he took such good care of his pipes) were then "consigned" to his coal burning stove in his garage, right next to his workbench. Seemed to me like a fitting end to those pipes, although I wish I now had them. My sentiment & nostalgia for our friendship .... our thousands of games of Checkers, always with his pipe going .... carries on today with my pipe racks holding 5 wonderful Canadians .... my "tribute" to him.
No idea if grandfathers smoked at all. No pipes.
Father dabbled with pipes for a spell from about late 50s to early 70s. He can't recall trying any brands or blends except Prince Albert.
Father dabbled with pipes for a spell from about late 50s to early 70s. He can't recall trying any brands or blends except Prince Albert.
My maternal Grandfather, Herb, used to take out this block of tobacco and a jackknife and carve off a pipeload into his hand, and rub it out some and load it into his pipe. The baccy was Days 'o Work.
Dad typically smoked Camels and Luckies, and sometimes a pipe, but I don't know if he had a favorite blend.
Dad typically smoked Camels and Luckies, and sometimes a pipe, but I don't know if he had a favorite blend.
My grandfather smoked George Washington until he couldn't buy it anymore and then smoked Carter Hall.
My dad was a cigarette smoker.
My dad was a cigarette smoker.
Great posts! My grandfather was a boat builder after the Navy and I have reason to believe that he smoked a pipe daily and worked with it in his teeth. The type of man that I'm sure there were a lot of coming from depression era kids who had 1 pipe and had no need for multiple of anything in his life.
My dad smoked anything. Loved menthol cigarettes, swisher sweet cigars, and cherry pipe tobacco.
My grandfather smoked during the war so I guess whatever was packed into his rations. After the war he quit and became strongly anti tobacco in spite of nearly everyone in my family being heavy smokers. Here’s his cigarette case that he used back then:
My grandfather smoked during the war so I guess whatever was packed into his rations. After the war he quit and became strongly anti tobacco in spite of nearly everyone in my family being heavy smokers. Here’s his cigarette case that he used back then:
My Dad smoked a special blend from Paul's Pipe Shop in Flint, MI called 1946.
My grandfather smoked SWR or Carter Hall- he wasn’t too fond of aromatics. I learned the “stuff and puff” method from him, and it’s served me well all these years.
My father was strictly a cigarette smoker.
My father was strictly a cigarette smoker.
All granddads and dad are long dead. Don't believe there was pipe smoking. Certainly not serious smoking!
Pop had the occasional Cuban cigar, otherwise nothing.
I only knew one grandparent, my dad's mum, and she smoked Carroll's, the most popular cigarette in Ireland. She smoked ten of those a day and lived to 84. My old man smoked Golden Virginia, RYO, he must have done about 30 of those devils a day, inevitably, died of lung cancer at 66. Had three uncles who smoked a pipe, one St Bruno, another I believe Erinmore, the other, not sure.
My Grandpappy on my Ma's side smoked Half & Half and my Pappy on my Pa's side smoked whatever he could get his hands on. My Pa was primarily a cigarette smoker, smoking Marlboro reds without the filter. He's still going strong at 71. Now my Grandpappy died at 110 and my Pappy died at 87.
I think my grandfather smoked a variety, found an old MacBaren Plumcake tin and old Bells Three Nuns, still had the price tag on the back. $1.49 for a 4oz tin, made in Scotland too so it was probably still the VaPer blend. Crazy, today its $20 for 50 grams and its not even the same blend, made with less expensive components at that lol.
My grandfathers both fled the scene prior to my birth. My father owned three pipes, all smoked, but I never saw him smoke one. His exclusive tobacco of choice was Marlboro Red in the box. The ones in the soft pack were a hair longer and a touch less firmly packed.
Come to wheeeere...
The flavor iiiiiiisss.....
Come to wheeeere...The flavor iiiiiiisss.....
He stopped smoking a pipe while I was in early grade school (mid seventies), and went to cigars.
I remember the stars, and want to say either red or blue, but I’m not sure.
When I saved his pipes from his garage in late ‘22 he was already over 90 and hit and miss on his memory, and last I visited (Sept ‘23) I asked again to no avail. He just liked me smoking with him on the porch so he could smell what I was smoking.
My paternal grandfather smoked Half and Half (American Tobacco Company) and Prince Albert (R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company), and to my young nose both smelled delightful!
I am told that my maternal grandfather (who died well before I was born) smoked Briggs Pipe Mixture (P. Lorillard Company). In my collection I have a Briggs barrel just like the one pictured here:
I am told that my maternal grandfather (who died well before I was born) smoked Briggs Pipe Mixture (P. Lorillard Company). In my collection I have a Briggs barrel just like the one pictured here: