Liz, I am so confused on this whole thing, the names that you gave me are no where near my great great grandfather's, his name was Charles Garcia and he was born in Spain. He came to America as a stowaway on a ship, I don't know what port he originally came into. He did marry a woman named Addie and their first child was born in Atlanta, Georgia. I don't know if my grandmother has her facts messed up or what but I am getting a little discouraged. Maybe he just worked in a cigar factory, but he was pretty wealthy at the time that she was born because her and her whole family lived with him. My grandmother has alot of medical conditions and is on alot of medicine, so maybe she is not remembering things right I don't know. Was this man McElvy the person who started Havatampa ? Could he have bought a really small cigar company from a Spanish immigrant and made it what it is know as today ? I have no idea what else to do. I know very little about this part of my family, and on the 1920 census it has Charles Garcia as head of household and at the age of 46, and it lists his occupation as a cigar maker. Maybe I am just on a wild goose chase and my grandmother has her facts all confused. April BASSRA@concentric.net -----Original Message----- From: LIZGERLITS@aol.com <LIZGERLITS@aol.com> To: FLORIDA-L@rootsweb.com <FLORIDA-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Friday, November 27, 1998 5:03 PM Subject: Re: HAV-A-TAMPA Cigar Company >April, > >Curiosity got the best of me, so I went ahead and looked up the little info I >have regarding HAV-A-TAMPA Cigar Company. Here is the basic info....... > >Thomas William McELVY, born 1895 in GA, was vice-president of Hav-A-Tampa >Cigar Company until his death in 1966. > >Daniel Hoyt Woodbery, born ca 1892 in Gadsden Co, FL, was president of >Havatampa Corp. from 1947 until about 1972. Then his son-in-law, Doyle E. >Catlton, Jr., became chairman of the board of Havatampa Corp. Mr. Woodbery >died in 1973. He started with the firm at the age of 18 in 1910. He began as a >bookkeeper for Eli B. Witt, founder of what later was to become Havatampa. >Woodbery became president of the Witt wholesaling and cigar operations when >Witt died in 1947. In 1962, Woodbery engineered a merger of Witt's wholesaling >operations, the Havatampa operations and several wholesale houses into the >current Havatampa Corp., one of the top 500 companies in the US. > >In 1972, the firm moved near Brandon from Ybor City. Ybor City had been >Havatampa's home for more than half a century. > >I was wrong about McElvy being the founder. Oh, well! Anyway, McElvy and >Woodbery were cousins and I am their cousin. > >Which one of these men was your g-g-grandfather? Maybe you and I are >cousins??? > >Hope this helps. > >Liz Gerlits >Palm Bay, FL > >