Bio: E. M. Smith, Caddo Parish La
Source: Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Northwest Louisiana
The Southern Publishing Company, Chicago & Nashville,  1890

Submitted by: Suzanne Shoemaker


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E. M. SMITH is a real estate dealer of Shreveport, La., and as he has been
interested in this business for years past his judgment is acknowledged to
be second to none on values, and the utmost confidence is reposed in him by
all who know him.  He is a South Carolinian, his birth occurring in
Anderson County in 1836, in which State his parents, W. C. and Caroline
(Majors) Smith, were also born.  Mr. Smith's ancestors were early settlers
of that State, but the maternal great-grandfather was left an orphan in
North Carolina when quite young, and was compelled to fight the battle of
life for himself.  He lived to be one hundred and four years of age, and
was known as Canon Brezeal.  The mother's father was also left an orphan in
his youth, but was left with a large fortune, which he afterward lost.  W.
C. Smith was ordained a minister of the Baptist Church when twenty years of
age, and in connection with his ministerial duties he owned and operated a
large plantation successfully for many years.  In the discharge of his
ministerial duties he became noted as an evangelist, and the work he did
for the cause of the Master is almost untold.  In 1852 he moved to Hall
County, Ga., in which place he died in 1889 in his eighty-first year.  His
widow survives him, and makes her home in Georgia.  Although she bore her
husband a large family of children; only seven grew to maturity--six sons
and one daughter--of whom the subject of this sketch is the eldest.  He was
taken to Georgia when about fourteen years of age, and in this State
received the principal part of his education, becoming familiar with farm
work, and there continued to make his home until 1859, when he came to
Louisiana, and after traveling over this State and also Texas, looking for
a location, in the latter part of that year he decided to take up his abode
in Alexandria.  He immediately engaged in planting as a calling, with which
he was most familiar, but gave this up in the latter part of 1862 to enlist
in the First Louisiana Battalion, and was a faithful soldier until the fall
of 1864.  He was captured at Holly Springs, Miss., but made good his escape
before reaching St. Louis, and passed his way through as a brakeman to
Canada.  He had a friend who loaned him money, and he accordingly took
passage in a sailing vessel, passing along the east coast of the United
States until he reached Matamoras, Mexico.  After the surrender he was
paroled and given transportation back to Alexandria, landing without a cent
or a decent suit of clothes, but, notwithstanding this, he managed to make
his way to Shreveport, and being of a mechanical turn of mind, he went to
laying brick for a livelihood, putting up for his first building what is
now the Cotton Exchange.  He manufactured brick, and was engaged in
building until the fall of 1869, during which time he had erected many
buildings and had saved enough money to buy a little place to feed his
stock, and gradually drifted into the fine stock and dairying business, a
calling which received his attention for seven years.  He then moved to his
now beautiful residence, but still conducts his plantation.  he is an
extensive real estate dealer, and is the owner of 2,500 acres of land, with
600 or 700 acres under cultivation, besides some valuable city property,
and is making a good interest from his real estate business.  He is one of
the chief promoters and organizers of the State Fair Association, and is
interested in laudable enterprises.  His marriage, which occurred in 1869,
was to Miss Eliza A. Likens, of Alabama, by whom he has four children:  Lee
L., Carrie W., Alex A. and Albert M.