CHARLES SMITH

The following bio was taken from page 388 of the book entitled "Rusk County History" compiled and edited and used with permission of the Rusk County Historical Commission.

Transcribed by Claudia Schuster

Submitted by Gloria Briley Mayfield, Rusk County TX Coordinator

Charles Smith was born in Georgia about 1820 and died in Timpson, Texas about 1909 or 1910. His obituary states that if he had lived until February 23, 1910 he would have been ninety-one years old. He ran away from home when he was about twelve or thirteen and did not communicate with his people for several years, but according to the Rusk County Deed Records, he was in Texas in 1859.

Charles married Narcissa P. Smith, who was born August 2, 1825 and died July 20, 1877 and is buried in the Ross Cemetery in Mt. Enterprise, Texas. His second wife was Mary Zalene Clinton, who is buried by his side in the Timpson Cemetery. They are in large cement vaults without any markings of any kind.

According to family legend, the Smiths came to Texas by wagon train and settled in the Concord Community near the Joseph Pollards. They brought horses and mules to sell and had many slaves.

Near Minden on the Shiloh Road, Charles opened a saloon which he operated for a while, but later moved to Henderson where he became a wealthy businessman with a considerable amount of real estate in the city.

He owned and operated a hotel just behind the County Courthouse, owned several brick buildings on the south side of the city square, and established a livery stable on South Street, which his son Pink managed.

In 1898, he decided to sell his hotel and made a trade with Frank Whitson of Timpson to exchange their property. The hotel was first called the Charles Smith Hotel, later was known for many years as the Whitson Hotel, and afterwards became the Randolph.

Charles was said to have been a very active man until his last illness and would have passed as a sixty-year-old. He was called "Old Hoss" by his friends and was liked for his cheerfulness, good humor, and friendly disposition

The children of Charles Smith were: Charles A. Smith; Jasper, who married Annie; Mary, who married John Mathis; Eck (Alex) who married Elmira; Emma, who married Merritt; Pinkney, who married Laura Westfall; Lady Dean, who married Dan Pollard; and Tom, who married Jessie. There were possibly other children.

Several of Charles Smith’s descendants still live in Henderson, including Louise Boren, Keenan Barrett, Willard Wright, and Margaret Brown.

Submitted by Margaret Brown