Fonds - Albert A. Davis fonds

Title and statement of responsibility area

Title proper

Albert A. Davis fonds

General material designation

Parallel title

Other title information

Title statements of responsibility

Title notes

Level of description

Fonds

Reference code

Edition area

Edition statement

Edition statement of responsibility

Class of material specific details area

Statement of scale (cartographic)

Statement of projection (cartographic)

Statement of coordinates (cartographic)

Statement of scale (architectural)

Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

Dates of creation area

Date(s)

Physical description area

Physical description

1 cm of textual records

Publisher's series area

Title proper of publisher's series

Parallel titles of publisher's series

Other title information of publisher's series

Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series

Numbering within publisher's series

Note on publisher's series

Archival description area

Name of creator

Biographical history

Albert Davis was born in Yovil, Somerset, England in 1856. At the age of sixteen, Davis booked passage to the United States to join an uncle in Michigan who had promised to teach Davis cigar manufacture. Davis later moved to Chicago where he was active in the Cigar Makers Union eventually serving as President. He quit this job to join a travelling stage show. Arriving in California, he quit the touring company and tried prospecting for gold. He soon discovered, however, that he could make better money rolling cigars and returned to that trade and to performing. In 1880, Davis was in a stage show that appeared in Nanaimo at the Institute Hall. After several subsequent visits to Nanaimo, he decided to settle here in 1894. Davis found employment with Phil Gable's Cigar Factory and eventually became a partner. In 1896, Davis left for the Klondyke to prospect for gold but, unsuccessful, he returned to Nanaimo. While continuing to work as a cigar maker, Davis, with partner W.K. Leighton, became a representative for shows at the Opera House owned by John Mahrer. They brought in wrestling, boxing, and plays. Gable sold his interest in the cigar factory to Davis. In 1902, Davis was a charter member of the Ancient Order of Arabic Shriners and was active in several other organizations. The Loyal Order of Moose, Nanaimo Lodge No. 1052 was founded by Davis. Davis was well known for his expertise in hand rolling cigars under the trade name "Enterprise". With the introduction of cigar making machines in 1908, Davis continued to hand roll, but on a limited scale until the federal government introduced the new Excise Laws and Tax on imported tobacco leafs and cigar boxes. After that, Davis made fewer cigars for selected patrons willing to pay a premium for hand rolled cigars. Davis died in Nanaimo on March 12, 1946.

Custodial history

Certificates were in the possession of Barbara Cowling who donated them to the Nanaimo Community Archives.

Scope and content

Fonds consists of ten cigar manufacturer licenses issued to Albert Davis by the Canada Excise and Inland Revenue agency.

Notes area

Physical condition

Immediate source of acquisition

Arrangement

Language of material

Script of material

Location of originals

Availability of other formats

Restrictions on access

Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication

Finding aids

Associated materials

Related materials

Accruals

Alpha-numeric designations

BCAUL control number: NCAI-166

Alternative identifier(s)

Standard number area

Standard number

Access points

Subject access points

Place access points

Name access points

Genre access points

Control area

Description record identifier

Institution identifier

Rules or conventions

Status

Level of detail

Dates of creation, revision and deletion

Language of description

Script of description

Sources

Accession area

Related subjects

Related people and organizations

Related places

Related genres