Edgeworth Sliced tobacco was the first pipe tobacco product to be advertised nationally. Broken into smaller pieces, Edgeworth Ready-Rubbed was introduced in 1912. ... In 1935, Larus bought the plug tobacco plant, Sparrow and Graveley of Martinsville, Virginia, which was closed in 1942 because it was unprofitable.

From 1878 to 1897, the company relied on prison labor at the Virginia State Penitentiary.  After that, it operated for more than 75 years on Twenty-first Street (along Tobacco Row)  in Richmond. Larus and Brother Company incorporated in 1900.   By 1901, the company's workers were represented by the Tobacco Workers International Union(TWIU).
Edgeworth tobacco products were introduced in 1903 and became the best selling pipe tobacco in its price class. Edgeworth Sliced tobacco was the first pipe tobacco product to be advertised nationally. Broken into smaller pieces, Edgeworth Ready-Rubbed was introduced in 1912

Charles D. Larus

 Charles D. Larus and Herbert C. Larus purchased the Richmond-based Harris Tobacco Company and founded Larus and Brother Company in 1877. They manufactured pipe and chewing tobacco . In 1882, Herbert Clinton Larus died and William Thomas Reed, his nephew, became the company's partner and general manager. For the rest of its history, the company was led by members of the Reed and Larus families.

Edgewood Tobacco Company

The company began to manufacture cigarettes after it purchased the Reed Tobacco Company and adopted it as a subsidiary in 1913. Distribution companies were opened in San Francisco  and Boston in the early 1930s. In 1935, Larus bought the plug tobacco plant, Sparrow and Graveley of Martinsville, Virginia, which was closed in 1942 because it was unprofitable. The plug tobacco operations were transferred to Richmond. Holiday, the aromatic smoking tobacco company, was purchased in 1942. Holiday and Edgeworth were Larus' best selling products. The company's tobacco supply went to the United States Army and aid agencies during World War I and II. Packets of four cigarettes were labeled with the words, "I Shall Return", and distributed secretly in the Philippines.
The company was dissolved on June 10, 1968. Larus Investing Company, a holding company, was established for the tobacco and media businesses. The tobacco subsidiary, Larus and Brother Company, was sold later that year. In 1969, the last media subsidiary was sold. The Virginia Historical Society holds Larus and Brother Company records at the Reynolds Business History Center.