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Our Family
Genealogy Pages
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Generation: 1
Generation: 2
| 2. |  Joshua Coffin Lasbury was born on 17 Aug 1934 in East Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA (son of Ralph Chesick Lasbury, Jnr. and Cecilia Justice Chase); died on 7 Oct 2011 in Camden, Knox, Maine, USA; was buried on 10 Oct 2011 in Camden, Knox, Maine, USA. Other Events and Attributes:
- FindaGrave ID: 178462711
- Residence: Camden, Maine, USA; Address:
Beaucaire Ave, Camden, Maine, USA
Notes:
Died:
CAMDEN - Joshua Coffin Lasbury, 77, died Friday, Oct. 7, 2011, after a brief illness at Pen Bay Medical Center. He was born Aug. 17, 1934, in Hartford, Conn., son of Ralph Cherokee and Cecelia Chase Lasbury.
He attended Kingswood School and Hebron Academy, and University of Connecticut. From 1954 to 1958, he served in the U.S. Army, and was employed for many years in sales at various manufacturing companies from 1960 to 1984, including Clapp & Treat, West Hartford, Conn. He enjoyed hunting, fishing and gun collecting.
Surviving are his four children, Ashley A. Lasbury of Portland, Amelia L. Bittner and her husband, Daniel, Victoria L. Lasbury and her husband, Jamie R. Bloomquist, and Jessica C. Wheeler and her husband, Adam, all of Camden; sister, Abigail Fitzgerald and her husband, John, of Camden; brother, R. Chase Lasbury and his wife, Nan, of Winter Park, Fla.; 10 grandchildren, Cate, Nick, Samantha, Eleanor, Joshua, Margaret, Mason, Leah, Gabriel and Evelyn; many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents; daughter, Katherine Lasbury; sister, Cela Johnson; and brother, Benjamin L. Lasbury.
A memorial gathering was held Oct. 10. Interment will be private and held at the convenience of the family. If desired, memorial contributions may be made to Bob Gagnon Cancer Center, care of Pen Bay Medical Center, 22 White St., Rockland, ME 04841. Arrangements are with Long Funeral Home & Cremation Service, 9 Mountain St., Camden.
Joshua + Evelyn Elizabeth Cate. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
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Generation: 3
| 4. |  Ralph Chesick Lasbury, Jnr. was born on 4 Sep 1906 in East Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA (son of Ralph Chesick Lasbury, Snr. and Eloise Jane Thrall); died on 18 Mar 1979 in Winter Park, Orange, Florida, USA; was buried in South Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA. Other Events and Attributes:
- Also Known As: Ralph Cherokee Lasbury
- FindaGrave ID: 16281051
- Occupation: Tobacco Grower
- Occupation: 6 May 1956; Tobacco Grower
Notes:
Died:
OBITUARY
By George Bradgon (regular correspondent for the Tobacco International)
Lasbury, Connecticut Valley head who wrought labor reform, dies
Ralph C. Lasbury Jr., one of the colorful figures in the history of tobacco-growing in the Connecticut River Valley, died March 18 at his winter home, Winter Park, Fla. Death came suddenly from a heart attack. He was 72. Under Lasbury's direction, the valley's growers of high-priced cigar-wrapper leaf drew national attention in the improvement of migrant farm workers' working and housing conditions. He was executive director of the Shade Tobacco Growers Agricultural Association in Connecticut and Massachusetts for 26 years, until retirement in 1968. At his retirement, the then- president of the association, Gerrit Krot. declared that no man in contemporary American agriculture contributed more to the industry's welfare. Such contributions were also referred to by Krot when Doris Rockwell, Lasbury's assistant, retired at the same time. He said she "also pioneered in capably administering the association's Youth Camp Program, the biggest farm youth employment program in the country, as well as our Farm Workers Hospital, the first and still the only establishment of its kind. " A tall, spare man, Lasbury was an outspoken individualist. He worked hard and played hard, taking pride in his ability to hunt ducks and coons, and to judge and ride horses. He was also proud of the fact that, to some extent, Indian blood flowed in his veins. Comparatively few knew that his middle name was Cherokee, his paternal grandmother being a member of that tribe. This in no way conflicted with the fact that one of the gifts of the American Indian to modern society was tobacco. Outside the door to his office stood a cigar-store Indian, and on the wall behind his desk hung a picture of one of his favorite horses. At a birthday party some time ago for a now-deceased grower named Thrall, Lasbury paid one of his highest tributes when declaring, "Oliver J. Thrall is the best coon-hunter in New England." Another hobby was collecting antique duck decoys, 200 of which Lasbury once owned. He helped popularize the Morgan horse and was the owner of the former national champion gelding, Windcrest Fireball. Lasbury was the first president of the Connecticut Morgan Horse Club. One of his first memories of the tobacco business occurred when, hardly old enough to walk, he was strapped to the buckboard of his father's wagon and rode while the older Lasbury inspected his 225 acres of broadleaf tobacco, grown for use as cigar binder
Lasbury finished his high school education in Winter Park, Fla., after his father sold his tobacco farm and moved south. While completing his education at Rollins College in Winter Park, he met his future wife, Cecilia Justice Chase. Mrs. Lasbury's family established Chase Groves, near Orlando, in which citrus business the fourth generation is still in active operation.
Ralph Lasbury returned to Connecticut and was appointed the first executive director of the Shade Tobacco Group in 1942 as a result of criticism aimed by the Connecticut State Department of Labor at the conditions surrounding employment of youth in tobacco fields and sheds. Children only eight years of age worked 9 1/2 hours a day, six days a week on some farms; there was criticism of housing, unsanitary living conditions, unsafe transportation, and lack of supervision in some cases.
Lasbury was called to his job as a result of his volunteer work with the Connecticut Defense Council at the outbreak of World War II, when he was assigned to take charge of farm labor. As his first job with the shade group, he drew up corrective regulations and obtained acceptance by the growers. The regulations were put in effect voluntarily in 1942, becoming the basis for Connecticut's pioneering Farm Labor Youth Law of 1947.
During the harvest season, 1968, Senator Harrison Williams of New Jersey. chairman of the Senate Migratory Labor Committee, inspected the shade growers' labor camp in Windsor, Conn.. with its modern housing, recreational and cafeteria facilities, representing a $2,000,000 investment. The association's operation was the "most enlightened" of any employer group in the nation he had visited, Senator Wiliams said. That year the shade growers employed a peak total of 20,000 farm hands with a $27 million payroll. Beginning with Lasbury's appointment and lasting until a few years after his retirement, growers operated a unique program, bringing West Indian residents annually for the season. They formed a core of experienced farm adults. Thousands annually were thus recruited, under a contract providing round trip air fare. Jamaicans were hired for many years, until enactment of alien work laws caused a switch to Puerto Ricans. Four years ago, after protracted labor troubles, the importation program was dropped, and domestic labor substituted.
A memorial service for Ralph Lasbury will be held May 19 at. 2:00 p.m. at the Congregational Church of South Windsor, Conn., in this the town where he lived most of his life.
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Ralph C. Lasbury, Jr. Collection:
The Shade Tobacco Growers Agricultural Association
Windsor Historical Society
96 Palisado Avenue, Windsor, CT 06095
? 2005 Windsor Historical Society
Full document at http://windsorhistoricalsociety.org/fa_lasbury.html
Ralph C. Lasbury, Jr. was born September 4, 1906, in the Broad Brook section of East Windsor, Connecticut. He was the second child of Ralph C. Lasbury and Eloise Thrall. Lasbury Senior was one of Connecticut's important broadleaf tobacco growers. At one point, he had 500 acres of broadleaf growing.
As a young boy, Ralph C. Lasbury, Jr. worked tobacco every summer. After high school, he went to Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. He then worked for his father at the South Windsor Tobacco Company.
In the early 1930's, Mr. Lasbury worked for Henry Trumbull in Plainville, Connecticut. He developed a type of humus for tobacco beds and received much praise from the shade tobacco growers.
In 1939, he was appointed as the first Chairman of the Connecticut Marketing Authority in Hartford. He held that position until 1978. The Connecticut Regional Market in Hartford was one of his major accomplishments.
Mr. Lasbury was appointed to the Farm Labor Committee of the State Defense Council in 1941. He and a number of tobacco men, including William S. Fuller, Albert Newfield, Lamarr Monroe, and Charles Huntington, developed a code of standards for tobacco workers. Hours, housing, and sanitary conditions were included in the unprecedented code.
On November 30, 1942, Mr. Lasbury was hired as Executive Director of the Shade Tobacco Growers Agricultural Association. The first offices were established at 148 State Street in Hartford, Connecticut.
One of his first duties was to develop a workable labor program. His program included the establishment of attractive youth camps, adult guidance proposals, and a "day-haul" system so that local teachers and students could earn extra money. Also, many corrective regulations were drawn up. These became the basis for the Farm Labor Law of 1947.
Mr. Lasbury's job as spokesman for the tobacco growers brought him to the State Legislature. He also went to Washington to participate in Congressional hearings on tobacco labor and production problems.
One of Mr. Lasbury's proficiencies was his public relations work. He and the Association produced a documentary film on shade tobacco. The film served as a teaching tool for the public and the sales people of the cigar industry.
The 1960's saw more contributions by Mr. Lasbury to the industry. He established the first state licensed hospital in the United States for migrant agricultural workers. In 1968, Senator Harrison Williams of New Jersey inspected the Windsor Labor Camp and said that the association's operation was the "most enlightened" of any employer group he had seen in the country.
In 1968, Mr. Lasbury retired. Upon Lasbury's retirement, Gerrit Krot, president of the Shade Tobacco Growers Agricultural Association, said that "no man in contemporary American agriculture contributed more to the industry's welfare."
Besides his work in the Association, he had many other interests. Lasbury was the first president of the Connecticut Morgan Horse Club. He served as a director of the Connecticut Antiquarian and Landmarks Society. He was an avid trout fisherman and fox hunter and collected antique duck decoys.
Ralph C. Lasbury, Jr. died of a heart attack on March 18, 1979, in Winter Park, Florida. He was 72. When he died, he left his wife, Cecilia Chase Lasbury; two sons, Ralph C. Lasbury and Joshua C. Lasbury; and two daughters, Cecilia Johnson and Abigail Fitzgerald.
Scope and Contents
The collection documents a significant portion of the professional activities of Ralph C. Lasbury, Jr. over a period of fifty years as the head of Connecticut regional agricultural marketing and employer groups. Minutes, correspondence, reports, leases, fiscal reports, copies of state legislative activities, and newspaper articles document the establishment, opening, and operation of the Connecticut Regional Market, a venue for the sale of Connecticut agricultural commodities. It also contains minutes, correspondence, membership lists, reports, and negotiations on behalf of the British West Indies Employers' Association. Lasbury represented the interests of tobacco growers, traveled extensively for the Association's executive committee, and met regularly with Caribbean governmental officials.
Ralph married Cecilia Justice Chase on 2 Nov 1929 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Cecilia (daughter of Joshua Coffin Chase and Mary Cook Justice) was born on 6 Aug 1905 in Camden, Knox, Maine, USA; died on 17 May 1991 in Orange, Florida, USA; was buried in South Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
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| 5. |  Cecilia Justice Chase was born on 6 Aug 1905 in Camden, Knox, Maine, USA (daughter of Joshua Coffin Chase and Mary Cook Justice); died on 17 May 1991 in Orange, Florida, USA; was buried in South Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA. Other Events and Attributes:
Notes:
Married:
Marriage Licence number 580617
Children:
- Ralph Chase Lasbury was born on 6 Jun 1930 in East Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA; died on 17 Jan 2022 in Camden, Knox, Maine, USA.
- Cecillia Justice Lasbury was born on 30 Aug 1931 in East Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA; died on 15 Dec 2006 in Camden, Knox, Maine, USA; was buried in Sanford, Seminole, Florida, USA.
- 2. Joshua Coffin Lasbury was born on 17 Aug 1934 in East Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA; died on 7 Oct 2011 in Camden, Knox, Maine, USA; was buried on 10 Oct 2011 in Camden, Knox, Maine, USA.
- Benjamin Lee Lasbury was born on 12 Jan 1936 in East Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA; died on 6 May 1956 in Burlington, Chittenden, Vermont, USA; was buried in South Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA.
- Abigail Samantha Lasbury
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Generation: 4
| 8. |  Ralph Chesick Lasbury, Snr. was born on 22 Feb 1875 in East Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA (son of George Lasbury and Esther M. Schoonmaker); died on 11 Feb 1944 in South Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA; was buried in Windsorville, Hartford, Connecticut, USA. Other Events and Attributes:
- Also Known As: Ralph Cherokee Lasbury
- FindaGrave ID: 62058813
- Occupation: Tobacco Grower
- Military Service: 12 Sep 1918, Broad Brook, Hartford, Connecticut, USA
Notes:
NOTES FOR RALPH CHERECK LASBURY:
1910 CENSUS East Windsor, hartford, Connecticut 158A
Lasbury, Ralph, head, 36, married 9 yrs, CT, Eng, NY, tobacco farmer
Eloise, wife, 34, married 9 yrs, CT, CT, CT
Ralph jr, son, 3, CT
Lilly, dau, 2, CT
Lurah, dau, 1, CT
1920 CENSUS East Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut 132B
Lasbury, Ralph C, head, 45, CT, Eng, NY, tobacco farmer
Eloise J, wife 43, CT, CT, CT
Ralph C. jr, son, 13, CT
Lillian S, dau, 11, CT
Lura T, dau, 10, CT
Ardella S, dau, 8, CT
Clyde P, son, 5, CT
Walter T, son, 2, CT
Thrall, Clyde, brother-in-law, no age, CT, CT, CT
Catherine, sister-in-law, 45, CT, CT, CT
1930 CENSUS South Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut 238B
Lasbury, Ralph, head, 55, 1st married at 26, CT, Eng, NY, tobacco farmer
Elloise, wife 52, 1st married at 23, CT, CT, CT
Lillian, dau, 21, CT
Lura, dau, 19, CT
Ardell, dau, 17, CT
Clyde, son, 14, CT
Theodore, son, 11, CT
Thrall, Clyde, brother-in-law, 59, CT
Katherine, sister-in-law, 55, CT (Clyde and Katherine Thrall are Eliose's brother and sister)
Died:
OBITUARY
New York Times, February 12, 1944
RALPH C. LASBURY SR.
Connecticut Tabacco Grower, 69, Owned Light-Harness Racers
Hartford, Conn., Feb. 12 Associated Press
Ralph C. Lasbury Sr., South Windsor tobacco grower and packer, and owner of many light-harness racing horses, died yesterday in the Hartford Hospital. His age was 69.
Starting as a grower at at 14, while yet a schoolboy, Mr. Lasbury developed a 200 acre plantation, employed sixty field hands and had a payroll of 100 packers. In 1924 he entered the real estate business in Florida but five years later resumed tobacco growing on a 500 acre tract.
He was the owner of Earle Jr., familiarly known as the "War Horse", said to have been the most consistent horse ever to run on a track in this country. His time was 2:04 1/4.
Ralph married Eloise Jane Thrall in 1900. Eloise (daughter of Moses Thrall and Adelaide S. Pinney) was born on 31 Mar 1874 in East Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA; died on 27 Mar 1954 in South Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA; was buried in Windsorville, Hartford, Connecticut, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
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| 9. |  Eloise Jane Thrall was born on 31 Mar 1874 in East Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA (daughter of Moses Thrall and Adelaide S. Pinney); died on 27 Mar 1954 in South Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA; was buried in Windsorville, Hartford, Connecticut, USA. Other Events and Attributes:
- Also Known As: Louise
- FindaGrave ID: 62058827
Children:
- Moses Ralph Lasbury was born on 20 Apr 1904; died on 15 Aug 1905 in Windsorville, Hartford, Connecticut, USA; was buried in Windsorville, Hartford, Connecticut, USA.
- 4. Ralph Chesick Lasbury, Jnr. was born on 4 Sep 1906 in East Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA; died on 18 Mar 1979 in Winter Park, Orange, Florida, USA; was buried in South Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA.
- Lillian Sylvia Lasbury was born on 5 Feb 1908 in East Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA; died on 24 Mar 1989 in Vernon, Tolland, Connecticut, USA; was buried in Windsorville, Hartford, Connecticut, USA.
- Lura Thrall Lasbury was born on 4 Sep 1910 in Thompson, Windham, Connecticut, USA; died on 6 Aug 1939 in Middletown, Middlesex, Connecticut, USA; was buried in Windsorville, Hartford, Connecticut, USA.
- Ardelle S. Lasbury was born on 15 Nov 1911 in East Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA; died on 21 Mar 1994 in Thompson, Windham, Connecticut, USA; was buried in Windsorville, Hartford, Connecticut, USA.
- Clyde Pinney Lasbury was born on 11 Aug 1914 in East Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA; died on 21 Jul 1989 in Englewood, Sarasota, Florida, USA; was buried in Englewood, Sarasota, Florida, USA.
- Walter Theodore Lasbury, I was born on 27 Apr 1918 in East Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA; died on 3 Nov 1990 in South Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA; was buried in Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut, USA.
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| 10. |  Joshua Coffin Chase was born on 23 Sep 1858 in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA (son of Edwin Theodore Chase and Lucia Tappan Coffin); died on 7 Jan 1948 in Winter Park, Orange, Florida, USA; was cremated on 9 Jan 1948 in Winter Park, Orange, Florida, USA. Other Events and Attributes:
- FindaGrave ID: 21109912
- Education: 1878; Central High School of Philadelphia
- Occupation: Between 1878 and 1884, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Accountant
- Honours: 1935; Rollins Decoration of Honor
Notes:
Joshua Coffin Chase was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania, on September 23, 1858, to Edwin T. Chase and Lucia Coffin Chase. He attended Philadelphia Central High School and graduated in 1878. He then began working in Philadelphia, and later New York City, as an accountant and as a salesman.
In 1884 his brother Sydney successfully urged Chase to move to Sanford, Florida. Together they started the business Chase & Co., where they sold fire insurance and fertilizer. As the company expanded, Joshua and his brother began to acquire citrus groves. They set out to grow, process and market their own produce and experienced great success in this venture. Together the brothers began to acquire citrus packinghouses around the region.
On February 24, 1892, Joshua married Sarah Jane Whitner of Fort Reed, Florida. Together they had two children, Franklin and John Chase. The year 1894 proved to be a very bad year for Joshua: he suffered the death of his wife and the widespread destruction of his citrus groves during the severe frosts of 1894 and 1895. Chase & Co. suffered great losses in all facets of their enterprises. Like most growers, the Chase brothers turned to the cultivation of celery while their groves recovered.
While his brother continued to revive their business, Joshua moved to California to become the manager of the Earl Fruit Company. Later, he moved to St. Louis to manage United Fruit Company. While working with the fruit and vegetable industries in other states, he learned new ways of managing Florida citrus.
By 1904, the citrus industry in Florida had recovered, and Joshua moved back to Florida to establish a branch office of Chase & Co. in Jacksonville. He also undertook a restructuring of Chase & Co. to make their business more efficient. On May 24, 1904 he married Mary Justice Lee of Philadelphia. Together they would have one daughter, Cecelia Justice Chase.
From his new office in Jacksonville, Chase became highly involved in the sales and shipping of fruit and vegetables across the state. The brothers became very involved with railroads, with Sydney developing new rail-lines to help with the transportation of citrus. Among Joshua's greatest achievements is the effort he put into reducing freight rates on Florida fruits and vegetables. He is recognized as being the first to actively work at reducing the freight rates. His efforts culminated in the Interstate Commerce Commission's decision to force lower freight rates on Florida produce in 1907. During World War I Joshua was selected to be the Jacksonville Manager of the Hoover European Relief Campaign, designed to send aide to a war ravaged Europe.
The 1920's saw Chase & Co. facing conflicts with the newly formed Florida Citrus Exchange. Despite the disagreements between the two organizations, Joshua became the president of the exchange in 1930 and 1931.
Later in his life, Joshua and his wife moved to Winter Park, Florida, establishing themselves in an area that became known as "Millionaire's Row." He also became highly involved in philanthropic efforts, joining with his brother to become major supporters of Rollins College. Joshua also supported the Florida Historical Society, of which he was later president. He was also a president of the Southern Historical Association and served as the director for the Children's Home Society of Florida. Both Joshua and Sydney were made Honorary Members of the Florida State Horticultural Society in 1939.
After the death of his brother in 1941, Joshua continued to run Chase & Co. until his passing in 1949. Chase & Co. was well-known for never failing to make their payroll for fifty-six years, a fact which was largely attributable to Joshua Chase's talents as an accountant. Chase & Co. is still in operation today under the name of Sunniland, although the Chase family is no longer involved.
Rebecca Meyer
www.floridacitrushalloffame.com
Joshua married Mary Cook Justice on 24 May 1904 in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Mary (daughter of William Wirt Justice and Eliza Townsend Mifflin) was born on 22 Dec 1867 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; died on 28 Jun 1949. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
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| 11. | Mary Cook Justice was born on 22 Dec 1867 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA (daughter of William Wirt Justice and Eliza Townsend Mifflin); died on 28 Jun 1949. Children:
- 5. Cecilia Justice Chase was born on 6 Aug 1905 in Camden, Knox, Maine, USA; died on 17 May 1991 in Orange, Florida, USA; was buried in South Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA.
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