Person:Ellis Filby (1)

Research Notes

• Member Cambridge City Business Men's Association - see photo
• Member of Town Council, serving as Board president
• Held many different jobs - grocery store clerk, traveling cigar salesman, furniture salesman
• Proprietor, Perfection Peanut Company in Cambridge City
• In business with his brother-in-law, Joseph Cole, at Cole Motor Car Company, Indianapolis

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 Ellis D. Filby, in Cambridge City Tribune. (Cambridge City, Indiana).

   11 Mar 1937, p4 - ELLIS D. FILBY. Ellis D. Filby, 73 years old, a native of Cambridge City, died at his home in Waterloo, Monday morning. For many years he was affiliated in business with his brother-in-law, Joseph Cole in the manufacture of Cole automobiles. After his retirement he lived in Cambridge City until a few years ago, when he moved to Waterloo. He was the oldest son of John and Anna Filby, early residents of thsi city. In 1890 he married Lillian Cole. Mr. Filby had been a member of the local Masonic lodge since he was 21 years old. He was also a member of the Shrine lodge. Survivors are the widow and a daughter Mrs. Fred Huddleston. Funeral services were held Wednesday afternoon at the Wiseman Funeral Home here, with burial in Riverside cemetery. Rev. J.C. Smith officiatted [sic]. The Masonic lodge gave their service at the funeral.

2. ↑ Ellis D. Filby, in Fox, Henry Clay. Memoirs of Wayne County and the city of Richmond, Indiana: from the earliest historical times down to the present, including a genealogical and biographical record of representative families in Wayne County. (Madison, Wisconsin: Western Historical Association, 1912).

   Vol 2, p 460 -
   Ellis D. Filby, proprietor of the Cambridge City Cigar Company, was born in that city, April 18, 1864. His father was John Filby, born in Pennsylvania. He was a cigar manufacturer by trade and in early manhood removed to Cambridge City, Ind., where he followed that vocation until the breaking out of the Civil war. Then he enlisted as a private and served valiantly as a soldier of the Union. He died about three months after being discharged from the army. He was married to Anna M. Smith, who survives him and resides in Cambridge City, and of this union was born an only child, whose name introduces this review. Mrs. Filby is also a native of Pennsylvania. Ellis D. Filby was educated in the public schools of Cambridge City, and after his school days were completed began life's work in the store of E.R. Hastings & Son, after which he was a traveling salesman for safes, in the employ of H.D. Cary, two years. At the expiration of that period, about 1888, he started a feed and implement store in partnership with E.W. Whelan. This partnership was later dissolved, Mr. Filby taking the grocery department, and he continued in this line of endeavor until January, 1890. He then removed to Indianapolis, but in June of the same year returned to Cambridge City and formed a partnership with E.R. Hastings. Later he disposed of his interest in this business to Mr. Hastings and went on the road as a traveling salesman for the William Doney Cigar Company, in which capacity he served until 1897, and then for a time handled a line of furniture on the road. He then became associated with Frank Ohmit in the cigar brokerage business, which developed into the Cambridge City Cigar Company in 1903, in which A.W. Bradbury became a partner. On July 6, 1906, Mr. Filby purchased the interest of Mr. Bradbury, a fire having occurred at this time, and has since been the sole proprietor, doing a jobbing business in cigars, tobaccos, pipes, and smokers' articles of all kinds. Two men are kept constantly on the road and they cover all of Indiana and as far east as Dayton, Ohio. The business has grown to considerable extent under the management of Mr. Filby. His duties as a citizen have not been neglected and the office of trustee of the Fifth ward of Cambridge City is now helb by him. He is placed among the first citizens of the community and ranks among the most progressive in Cambridge City. On June 18, 1890, was celebrated his marriage to Miss Lillian Maud Cole, daughter of Joseph J. and Margaret (Thomas) Cole, of Connersville, Ind. Her parents are natives of Fayette county, Indiana, and the father is now a retired farmer, living in Connersville. A daughter, Helen Cole, has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Filby. Fraternally, Mr. Filby is a member of the Masonic order, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the Knights of Pythias, and he also has membership in the Travelers' Protective Association and the Indiana Travelers' Association.