Henry Tibbe Corncob Pipe Factory

Washington, Missouri 

Henry Tibbe, a Hollander, produced the first lathe-turned corncob pipe in 1872 in a shop (no longer standing) at 209 West Second Street,  in which he made spinning wheels. In 1878,he moved into a building (no longer standing) at Front and Jefferson streets. In 1883 he moved to the Front and Cedar street building. His son, Anton A. Tibbe, continued the business after his father's death in 1896. In 1907, it became the Missouri Meerschaum Company.

Legend has it that a local farmer whittled a pipe out of a corncob and liked it so much that he asked Henry Tibbe to try turning some on his lathe.

Meerschaum is a turkish clay used in high grade pipes. In German, the word means "sea foam". Tibbe liked his light, porous corncob pipes and their cool smoke to that of the more expensive meerschaum pipes and thus called his pipes, "Missouri Meerschaums". Tibbe and a chemist friend devised a system of applying plaster to the outside of the corncob then sanding the bowl smooth after it dried. In 1878, Tibbe patented the process.

* Information courtesy of pipes magazine * For a more detailed process of corncob pipe making click on the link.

In 1918, my maternal great-grandfather, John Florian Filla, was employed by the Missouri Meerschaum Company. I learned this from his WWI registration card.

courtesy of the City of Washington, Missouri

courtesy of vintagepostcards.com

 

Today's Soundtrack: The Arkansas Traveler

While researching the corn cobb pipe factory in Washington, Missouri, I found an image that looked extremely similar to a Ferrer photo I had seen before. I brought this to the attention of my cousin, Kristin (Klinck) Petersen, of Dixie Roots blog, and she did all of the necessary research. I did my thing......music!

Here is the photo that I found:

 

Here is the photo that Kristin had:

Emma (Johnson) Ferrer and mystery man.

 

 Therefore, we must research to the tune of "The Arkansas Traveler"!

Philip and Carolina Filla

Philip and Carolina (Schatton) Filla are my 2nd great-grandparents. My knowledge of Philip is limited at best, but what I do know is that he was born in 1930, presumably in Prussia, Poland. I do not know who his parents were or if he had any siblings.

Thanks to June Kappelmann, the wife of my mom's first cousin, Don Kappelmann, I have the handwritten death notices for Philip dated 2 September 1898.

I have also obtained Philip's first and last immigration papers. 

First papers dated 12 September 1874

Final papers dated 27 May 1885

I have a bit more information on Carolina. I know that her parents were Albert Jos Shatton and Katherine Konek. I do not know if they immigrated to America or if they stayed in Poland. 

June Kappelann also provided for me three obituaries on Carolina Filla. What we learn from the collection is that Philip and Carolina married in 1857, Poland when Carolina was 22 years of age. They immigrated to America in 1865 and settled in Washington, Missouri. Born to Philip and Carolina were seven children, three of whom died in infancy, and one in childhood. The remaining three children lived well into adulthood, they were:
Gustave Filla
Hedwig (Hattie) Theresa (Filla) Westermeyer
John Florian Filla (my great grandfather)

In an effort to understand why on Philip's first papers it is stated that his former allegiance was with The King of Prussia, but in his last papers it was with The Emperor of Germany, I did a little historical research.

Thanks to ancestry.com for this lesson in history.

"Beginning in 1792, then in 1793, and again in 1795, the territory of Poland was parceled out to the primary powers bordering its territory, namely Prussia (Germany), Austria, and Russia. Between 1795 and 1918, Poland would no longer exist as a country."

" Poles would continue to fight for independence resisting control. Several rebellions for independence were launched against Russia, Prussia, and Austria. None were successful. In 1863, Russia's solution was to try and destroy the Polish culture by declaring Russian the official language. The Poles struggle persisted and near the end of the century, they had successfully established political parties in all three regions."

Here is a land map marking border changes:

I hope someday that research will lead me to the region of Poland they were from so that I can have a better understanding of their ethnic roots. 

Walter Joseph Filla WWII US Army TEC-5

Walter Joseph Filla, 7 March 1920 - 26 October 1988, was born to John Florian and Frances A (Brueggemann) Filla, in Washington, Missouri.

The youngest of seven children, he was drafted into service during World War II.

Record of his marriage to Mary Elizabeth Brannock taught me that he was stationed at Camp Gordon Johnston in Carrabelle, Florida.

Walter and Mary were married in December of 1942.

Map of Camp Gordon Johnston courtesy of Florida State Archives.

Training at Camp Gordon Johnston courtesy of Florida State Archives.

Chow line at Camp Gordon Johnston courtesy of Florida State Archives.

Courtesy of Museum of Florida History at museumoffloridahistory.com:

With the outbreak of WWII, amphibious warfare training centers were hurried into construction. Utilizing a twenty-mile stretch of Gulf Coast beach between Alligator Point and St. George Island, and including St. George and Dog Islands, construction on Camp Carrabelle was begun in July 1942. Officially designated the Amphibious Training Center (ATC), the camp covered over 100,000 acres of training area. Support troops arrived on September 10, 1942 to begin preparation for the trainees in November. Medal of Honor winner Col. Gordon Johnston was honored posthumously in January 1943 when the name of the facility was changed to recognize his distinguished service. The first unit to pass through this rugged, commando-style training was the twenty-eighth infantry division. 
The ATC disbanded in June 1943 and was replaced in September with the Armed Service Forces (ASF) Training Center. This training was geared toward harbor craft companies and amphibian truck (DUKW) companies, which were needed in the Pacific. Allegedly referred to by columnist Walter Winchell as the "Alcatraz of the Army", the camp was home to upwards of 30,000 troops during the later months of the war. Paratroopers from Fort Benning, Georgia conducted airborne exercises in the area. 
In addition to the training function, German and Italian POWs were moved to this site in March 1944. Camp Gordon Johnston later became the second largest POW base camp in the state with branch camps at Telogia, Dale Mabry Field and Eglin Field. Prisoners housed at this site principally performed work in the military camp.
Officially closed in March 1946, a few structures and other evidence remains of what was the largest community in the region during the war. Two Florida Historical Markers commemorating those who served at Camp Gordon Johnston have been placed in the area. One such marker is found at the American Legion Hall on Oak Street in Lanark Village. Another is located in the Carrabelle Beach Park on US98. Contemporary maps, which locate select base sites, are available at the Camp Gordon Johnston Museum in Carrabelle.  

German POWs at Camp Gordon Johnston courtesy of Florida State Archives.

 Walter's rank was TEC-5, which mean he was a "Technician Fifth Grade". Those who held this grade were addressed as Corporal. The wearers of this rank were often called "Tech Corporal" and they were easily distinguished by the "T" imprinted on the standard chevron design for that pay grade.

Walter is on the right. 

I have heard two stories regarding this injury, primarily that he was injured sliding into base while playing baseball.

Full uniform next to his sister, Marcie.