Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

CIGAR BOX

Date Range From

1910

Date Range To

1920

Materials

WOOD, BRASS

No. Pieces

1

Height

3.9

Length

15.2

Width

9.8

Description

"10 CIGARS FACTORY NO. 10 PORPORT NO. 13-1 NOTICE (MANUFACTURES OF THE CIGARS HEREIN CONTAINED HAS COMPLIED WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE LAW (THE FOLLOWING UNDER CAUTION IS TO BE STRICTLY OBEYED. PENALTIES PROVIDED BY STATUTE OF CANADA; 1ST- THIS PACKAGE ITO BE OPENED IN SUCH A MANNER AS TO BREAK THE STAMP. 2ND- THE PACKAGE IS NOT TO BE USED AGAIN WHEN THE PRESENT CONTENTS ARE REMOVED. 3RD- THE CONTENTS ARE NOT TO BE REMOVED EXCEPT FOR IMMEDIATE SALE, AND 4TH- WHEN THE PACKAGE IS EMPTY THE STAMP AND PACKAGE MUST BOTH BE DESTROYED." "BANKER" ON PAPER LABEL ON BASE. PAINTED DESIGN OF 2 BIRDS AND TREES IN GOLD, GREY, BLACK & RED ON COVER INTERIOR OF BOX PAINTED BLACK. BRASS FITTINGS, PART OF STAMP ON BOX. INSIDE HAS REMNANTS OF PAPER LINING. BRASS CLASP ON FRONT TO HOLD LID SHUT. SOMECHIPPING AND WEARING OF FINISH ON CORNERS AND EDGES.

Subjects

CONTAINER

Historical Association

DOMESTIC

History

*UPDATE* IN 2014 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF MILITARY OBJECTS, INCLUDING THOSE DONATED BY M.J. BENNETT. BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION WAS FOUND IN BENNETT'S ATTESTATION PAPERS AND RECORDS FROM THE GLENBOW ARCHIVES. MICHAEL JOHN BENNETT WAS BORN IN 1881 IN WHITNEY, ENGLAND AND SERVED IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN WAR BEFORE IMMIGRATING TO CANADA IN 1910 WITH HIS WIFE, ALICE MAY BENNETT (NEE EDWARDS). THEY WERE LIVING IN MEDICINE HAT WHERE BENNETT WORKED AS A CARPENTER WHEN HE ENLISTED WITH THE 175TH BATTALION CEF ON JANUARY 26, 1916. BENNETT SURVIVED THE WAR AND HE AND ALICE HAD SIX CHILDREN. THE FAMILY LIVED IN SHAUNESSEY AND LETHBRIDGE AND BENNETT WORKED AS A STREETCAR DRIVER, CARPENTER AND HOTEL OPERATOR. HE WAS A MEMBER OF THE KIWANIS CLUB AND LETHBRIDGE HISTORICAL SOCIETY. BENNETT DIED IN 1982. M.J. BENNETT'S GRANDSON, TREVOR BENNETT, PROVIDED SOME FURTHER FAMILY HISTORY IN 2002 (SEE P20020071009). SEE PERMANENT FILE P19672995000 FOR HARDCOPIES OF BENNETT'S ATTESTATION PAPERS AND GLENBOW ARCHIVES FONDS DESCRIPTION. *UPDATE* IN 2017, COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT ELISE PUNDYK CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF BOXED TEXTILES AND ACCESSORIES, INCLUDING A SNUFFBOX DONATED BY MICHAEL JOHN BENNETT IN 1970. ON 11 DECEMBER 2017, PUNDYK CONDUCTED AN INTERVIEW WITH BENNETT’S ELDEST GRANDDAUGHTER, ALICE MAY DUHAMEL. THROUGH THIS INTERVIEW FURTHER INFORMATION WAS RECORDED ABOUT THE DONOR AND THE USERS OF A NUMBER OF ARTIFACTS DONATED BY MICHAEL JOHN BENNETT. ABOUT THE DONOR, DUHAMEL SAID, “WE CALLED HIM ‘POP’. THAT’S BECAUSE [ONE OF THE GRANDCHILDREN], MICHAEL, COULDN’T SAY ‘GRANDPA’, [SO] HE SAID ‘POP’. HE’S ‘POP’ TO EVERYONE IN THE COUNTRY. UP UNTIL HE WAS ONE HUNDRED AND ONE OR SO.” SHE CONTINUED, “POP WAS IN ENGLAND [WHEN] HE MARRIED HIS WIFE - [AND MY] GRANDMOTHER - ALICE MAY EDWARDS BENNETT. [SHE] CAME TO CANADA IN 1911 IN SEPTEMBER ON THE SHIP AND LANDED IN CANADA. GRANDMA BROUGHT UNCLE JACK, WHO WAS THE OLDEST, AND MY MOTHER… [MICHAEL AND ALICE] HAD SEVEN CHILDREN: JACK, EDNA MAY, FRANK JAMES, HARRY HUGH, ART – I DON’T KNOW, DORIS ALICE, AGNES MARY, AND SYDNEY EDWARD. MY MOTHER WAS EDNA.” ALICE COULD NOT RECALL THIS CIGAR BOX. ON 13 FEBRUARY 2018, PUNDYK CONDUCTED AN ADDITIONAL INTERVIEW WITH ANOTHER GRANDCHILD OF MICHAEL AND ALICE BENNETT, MIKE BENNETT, ALONG WITH HIS WIFE, DIANE. BENNETT SAID, “I DON’T EVER REMEMBER SEEING [THE CIGAR BOX]. BUT MY GRANDFATHER WAS A REAL HEAVY CIGAR SMOKER UNTIL HE WAS ABOUT EIGHTY-THREE. AND SOMEONE TOLD HIM IT WASN’T GOOD FOR HIS HEALTH –[A] DOCTOR OR A NURSE – AND HE QUIT COLD TURKEY. HE LIVED TO A HUNDRED AND ONE AFTER THAT. AND WHEN HE MOVED FROM LETHBRIDGE TO B.C. TO LIVE WITH HIS DAUGHTER - MY AUNT - HE HAD A RECLINING CHAIR THAT WAS TOO BIG TO TAKE, SO HE GAVE IT TO ME. EVERY TIME I SAT IN IT, IT WOULD SMELL LIKE CIGAR SMOKE ‘CAUSE [WHEN YOU SAT] ON IT THE CIGAR SMELL WOULD COME AROUND IT. [IT] REMINDED ME OF HIM ALL THE TIME.” “HE PROBABLY STORED HIS CIGARS IN THERE. [THAT] WOULD BE MY GUESS,” BENNETT CONTINUED, “HE ALWAYS BOUGHT [HIS CIGARS]. THE ONES I ALWAYS REMEMBER HIM BUYING WERE WHITE OWLS. HE ALWAYS LIKED TO SMOKE WHITE OWLS. [THE] ODD TIME HE WOULD GET A FANCIER ONE, BUT HE WAS AN ECONOMICAL PERSON, SO HE DIDN’T SPEND A LOT OF EXCESS MONEY ON THEM.” PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE P19705622000 FOR MORE INFORMATION INCLUDING FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTIONS, INCLUDING INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNTS OF THE BENNETT FAMILY HISTORY.

Catalogue Number

P19705196000

Acquisition Date

1970-01

Collection

Museum

Less detail