Dale County AlArchives Biographies.....Smith, Mitchell A. September 26 1856 - living in 1893 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/al/alfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Ann Anderson alabammygrammy@aol.com May 18, 2004, 9:26 pm Author: Brant & Fuller (1893) MITCHELL A. SMITH, merchant and cotton buyer of Charlton, was born in Dale county, Ala., September 26, 1856. He is a son of Rev. Caswell and Susie (Haaks) Smith, the former of whom was born in Stewart county, Ga., in 1825, and there grew to manhood. He received a liberal education and was married at the age of twenty-eight years. In 1840, he removed to Alabama and settled near Speller's old mill, five miles east of Ozark, where he bought a plantation of over 400 acres, and much of which he improved and got under cultivation. About 1850 he entered the ministry of the Missionary Baptist church, filling the pulpit of that denomination the rest of his life. He was for many years a notary public and became one of the best known men in that section of the country. He had the reputation of having married more people than any other man in southern Alabama. During his ministerial career he baptised and converted many hundreds of people. He was a great church and school organizer. He was efficient in the early shaping of the policy of Dale county. While in the pulpit, he was suddenly taken ill, and from this sickness he never recovered. This was at Rocky Head church, and his death occurred January 27, 1892. Thus suddenly closed a long, brilliant and useful career, and a vacancy was caused which will be extremely difficult to fill. His influence was always exerted for good for all with whom he carne in contact. The mother of Mitchell A. Smith was born in Stewart county, Ga., where both her parents died when she was quite young. She grew to womanhood in the home of her brother, John Haaks, and was married at the age of twenty years. She was the mother of ten children, eight of whom reached maturity, and seven of them still survive. She was a member of the Missionary Baptist church from early life until her death, which occurred in 1867. The father of Mitchell A. Smith was married, the second time, in the latter part of 1867 to Miss Sophronia Andrews, a native of Dale county. She was well educated, well known as a school teacher, and was a lady of cultured mind and refined habits. She was married at the age of twenty-eight years and is now the mother of five children, four girls and one boy. She is the daughter of John Andrews. Since early life she has been a member of the Missionary Baptist church. Mitchell A. Smith was brought up on the farm until he was twenty-two years of age. He was fairly educated and at the age just mentioned engaged in the mercantile business at Haw Ridge, Dale county, Ala., where he remained doing a good and increasing business until 1889, when he removed to the town of Charlton, erected the first business house in the town, and now has a well stocked store and a fine building which was put up in 1892, 24x88 feet in size. He constantly carries a stock of from $3,000 to $5,000 and does a business of $30,000 dollars annually. He also buys cotton and other farm produce. Mr. Smith was married in 1879 to Miss Mary Passmore, daughter of John F. Passmore, of Crawford county, Ga. She was born in that county in 1860, there grew to womanhood, received a good education and was married in her nineteenth year. She is the mother of four children, only two of whom survive. The children were Mitchell D., born at Haw Ridge in August, 1883, now deceased; Frank, born December 29, 1887: Frankie M., born March. 1889, and the baby which died in infancy. Mrs. Smith is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, south, while Mr. Smith is a member of the Missionary Baptist church. Mr. Smith is a democrat and has held the office of mayor of Charlton. He became a Mason in 1880 and is a member of Haw Ridge lodge, No. 399. He is one of Dale county's brightest young business men, and was among the first to endeavor to secure the construction of a railroad through this section of the state. He was also one of the first to establish a home market for cotton. He takes a reasonable amount of interest in the politics of the day and is in every sense a public-spirited citizen. Additional Comments: from "Memorial Record of Alabama", Vol. I, p. 838-839 Published by Brant & Fuller (1893) Madison, WI This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/alfiles/ File size: 4.7 Kb