A gambler down on his luck drew a lone jack to fill out his poker hand; or perhaps it was a gambler holding a lone jack who bluffed his way to a small fortune. Either version of this legend makes for good reading. The end result, nontheless, was that the $5000 poker pot eventually became a successful tobacco company. The John W. Carroll family of Lynchburg, Virginia are best remembered for their Lone Jack Smoking Tobacco, and that gambling folklore. Family patriarch John was Lynchburg's first millionaire, a fortune he made by manufacturing and selling tobacco products. Lynchburg is located on the James River, and the city's tobacco history began in colonial times when local farmers sent their dark leaf tobacco downriver to market. A long slender boat known as a bateaux was manned by three slaves who, using long poles, could transport 7,000 to 10,000 pounds of tobacco in a single trip to Richmond. Ocean going ships docked there would then load the large hogsheads as cargo bound for England. Federal Hill is a prominent residential area in Lynchburg, and in 1874 John built his Victorian mansion at the top. This large home overlooked Lynchburg's many river front tobacco warehouses, and is still considered a city landmark. Besides their popular Lone Jack Smoking Tobacco, the Carrolls also made Lone Jack, Special, Ruby, and My Sweetheart cigarettes. These cigarettes were made during the 1880's using the Bonsack cigarette machine. When James 'Buck' Duke learned that the Lone Jack Cigarette Company had a secret contract with the Bonsack Machine Company that was better than his own secret contract, he sued. John's son William has his name on the beautiful die-cut and embossed My Sweetheart showcard pictured below. However, the company was best known as The Lone Jack Cigarette Company of Lynchburg, Virginia.