Seven Come Eleven - Joseph A. Bray's Cigar Box

Kathleen Elizabeth (Bray) Cray passed on September 30, 2018. She was the daughter of Maurice Bray (1896-1969) and Mary K. Donovan. I had been in correspondence with Kathleen for a couple years regarding the family genealogy. She had urged me to visit her in Newport Beach, California. I was making arrangements to visit San Diego that December for the i4GG conference, and thought I could connect up with Kathleen then. But after several attempts failed to reach her, I contacted her friend, Lissa.  Lissa informed me of Kathleen’s unexpected and sudden death just a couple weeks earlier and invited me to visit. She also invited Kathleen’s nephew Gary to meet us at the same time. Gary and Lissa permitted me to keep several of the ancient postcards and photos that relate to the Bray side. I am so grateful to Lissa and Gary for the opportunity to present and preserve the items shown here. 

Kathleen kept some of the most precious artifacts in an old cigar box that had been among her father Maurice Bray’s possessions. The cigar box was made by or for Maurice’s father, Joseph A. Bray (1867-1912). Joseph ran the O.K. Saloon in Red Lake Falls, Minnesota in the late 1890’s, and by 1904 he’d moved up to the new town of Blackduck, Minnesota, where he was a proprietor of a "refreshment parlor" until his death in 1912.

The top of the closed cigar box showing the stamped logo

The cigar box bears a partial seal (torn) from the Cigar Makers International Union of America. A second fragmentary seal, on the opposite side of the box, has a portrait and the number 12, and the letters CIG from Cigar but is too incomplete for me to identify. The box is wooden, and stamped with a filigree design featuring the words “J.A. BRAY’s BUNCH,” below which appears “FACTORY NO 418 DIST MINN 12”.

Did everyone who bought cigars at Bray’s establishment receive them in a box just like this?  We suspect so! You can read more about Joe and his other saloon operations in Alberta, Canada here.

An example of a complete CMIU seal

On the end, pasting over to the back, is another colorful sticker bearing the words “J.A. BRAY’S BUNCH.”

On the back is the sticker of the Black Duck Cigar Company, including an image of a tobacco farm and the words “TABACOS SUPERIORES” and a notice from the Factory 418 denoting the proper manufacture of the cigars.

The underside and end of the cigar box

A newspaper article from The Pioneer, Bemidji, Minnesota, indicates that one H.C. Mickey “returned from Minneapolis last night, where he has purchased the necessary fixtures and stock for his cigar factory. He will occupy rooms over Bray’s saloon.” Was that Factory Number 418, directly above the saloon? Possibly not, because the photo in our cigar box likely dates to late 1904 – early 1905, as we will see below.

Bemidji Daily Pioneer, May 17, 1907

Pasted to the cover inside is a photo of the seven eldest children of Joe and his wife Rebecca Brunelle, the same photo shown here.  The photo is stamped with the words “J.A. BRAYS BUNCH.” The photo is surrounded by a border in a beautiful art-deco style featuring some gold-colored foil accents. Below the photo is pasted what appears to be the bottom two-thirds of a cigar band, bearing the text “Seven, come Eleven.” Perhaps this band was on every cigar sold in Joe’s saloon!

The inside of the cigar box showing the J.A. Bray’s Bunch photo and the “Seven, come Eleven” cigar band.  The crown-shaped seal has nothing to do with cigars and is thought to have been pasted in many years later.

Seven Come Eleven is an old jazz standard. Internet searches attribute one version to Charlie Christian, who played with Benny Goodman and recorded an instrumental jazz song by that title in 1939. A country song by the same name has lyrics attributed to Johnny Horton, a 1950’s country/honky-tonk artist. Both of these are far too late - Joe died in 1912. Perhaps these lyrics did not originate with Horton? They seem very relevant to Joe! (see below).

In any case, it looks to me like Joe Bray was very much hoping for eleven children. He would eventually have nine altogether but one, Rebecca, named for her mother, died in 1910 at age eleven from diphtheria. Joe was so proud of his children that he sent their picture to President T.R. Roosevelt. When Joe received a letter back from the Roosevelt along with Roosevelt’s signed selfie, Joe alerted the Minneapolis Tribune, who printed his story and the children’s photo in a two-column spread, but twice mocked his propagative pretentions. The Bemidji paper then followed up on the Tribune story, pronouncing the children “bright intelligent looking.”

The February 12, 1905 Minneapolis Tribune article

Brays, some questions: Have you ever seen another example of a cigar box from J.A. Bray’s saloon? Does anyone know the name of the Blackduck, Minnesota establishment?  It is much mentioned in the Bemidji Daily Pioneer, but never named. Whatever became of Joe’s prized photograph of Teddy Roosevelt, signed by the president himself?

And everyone: What do you know about Seven, Come Eleven? When did the phrase first originate? How about the lyrics below, are there any instances of these words before Horton?

Let me hear from you in the comments below!

Seven, Come Eleven

lyric attributed to Johnny Horton

Seven come eleven this is my lucky day
Now baby won’t you fade me cause love is on the way
With you here close beside me I’ll rattle and I’ll roll
Seven come eleven I know I’ll make my goal

Oh baby you’re a natural a specialty of mine
Come on and play the odds now I’m gonna play the line
Seven come eleven I think I’ll let it ride
I won’t see Little Joe now if you will be my bride

Just tell me that you love me I’ll put these bones away
You’ll be my only natural we’ll plan our weddin’ day

Oh baby you’re a natural a specialty of mine
Come on and play the odds now I’m gonna play the line
Seven come eleven I’ll never seven out
Don’t be an acey ducey don’t keep my mind in doubt

Just put your arms around me and say you’ll be my spouse
Cause seven come eleven and now I’ve broke the house