CHARLES AURELIUS SMITH__"Man of Mark in South Carolina_1908"
SMITH, CHARLES AURELIUS, president of the Citizens
Bank of Timmonsville, of Timmonsville, Florence county,
South Carolina, was born in Hertford county, North Caro-
lina, on January 22, 1861. His father, Joseph Smith, was a
farmer whose ancestors were North Carolina people. Born on
his father's farm, and passing all his early years in the country,
he had excellent health in his boyhood and early manhood; and
while a boy he became familiar with the work done on the farm
and with the management of farm help. After attending the
country schools near his home, in order to complete his prepara-
tion for college he was sent to the Reynoldson Male institute in
Gates county, North Carolina. While attending this institution
he definitely determined to secure for himself, no matter at what
cost, the better preparation for life which he believed would be
his if he received a college education.
Through family friends he was able to borrow the money to
defray the expenses of his college course, Admitted to Wake
Forest college, North Carolina, in 1879, he was graduated from
that institution in 1882 with the degree of A. B. The determi-
nation to repay as promptly as possible the money which he had
borrowed to enable him to secure a college education led him to
begin work as a teacher at once after he was graduated from
college, and he accepted a position at Timmonsville, South Caro-
lina.
On January 3, 1884, he was married to Fanny L. Byrd.
They have had nine children, of whom eight are living in 1908.
After a few years of teaching, Mr. Smith became actively
connected with several of the important business enterprises in
Timmonsville. The earnestness of his devotion to these enter-
prises, and the cordial recognition on the part of his fellow-
citizens of his business enterprise and public spirit, are shown in
the list of offices which he has occupied in the past, most of which
he still fills. He is president of the Citizens Bank of Timmons-
ville; president of the Timmonsville Oil company; president of
the Charles A. Smith company (general merchandise) of Tim-
monsville; president of the Smith- Williams company, of Lake
City, South Carolina; and he is also president of the Bank of
Lynchburg, South Carolina, which was organized in November,
1907. In 1903 he was chosen mayor of Timmonsville, and he still
discharges the duties of that office.
In his political affiliations he is actively identified with the
Democratic party; and he has never departed from strict party
allegiance.
By religious conviction he is a member of the Baptist church.
In 1903 he was chosen president of the Baptist state convention,
and he still occupies that position. In 1905 he was made a vice-
president of the Southern Baptist convention; and since 1902 he
has served as moderator of the Welsh Neck Baptist association.
It is a natural consequence of his proved executive ability,
as well as of his own interest in all that concerns education and
his own record as a successful teacher, that he should have been
chosen trustee of several important institutions for the higher
education. He is president of the board of trustees of Furman
university; trustee of Greenville Female college, at Greenville,
South Carolina, and a trustee of the Welsh Neck high school, at
Hartsville, South Carolina.
While Mr. Smith understands the need of physical exercise
for most boys and men, if they are to acquire and enjoy good
health, and feels it to be the duty of every man to keep his body
in condition to serve well his mind and will, he does not care to
declare himself as particularly addicted to, or as favoring, any
one particular form of exercise or amusement. And he feels that
the estimate which he places upon the civic virtues of truthful-
ness, strict integrity, promptness in meeting obligations, and
sympathetic helpfulness in the life of the community, he would
have others infer from his own manner of attempting to meet
and discharge the duties of the various offices he has filled and
is now filling, rather than have others listen to anything which
he might say, or read anything which he might write upon these
subjects.
His business life at Timmonsville might, perhaps, be taken
as a type of the quiet and faithful discharge of duty by a
conscientious business man who wants to be helpful to his fellow-
citizens, while he fills with faithfulness and energy the offices to
which he has been called, and does the work with which he feels
himself especially entrusted.
Men of Mark in South Carolina___Ideals of American Life
A Collection of Biographies of Leading Men of the State (SC)
J. G. HEMPHILL
Editor of "The News and Courier"
Editor-in-Chief
VOLUME III
Illustrated with Many
Full Page Photo-Steel Engraved Portraits
MEN OF MARK PUBLISHING COMPANY
Washington, D. C. .
1908
