CHARLES AURELIUS SMITH

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