Cicero Smith Cicero (pronounced: SIS-A-ROW) was born in LaFayette, Walker County, Georgia on April 27th 1845. He was born into a farming family. By 1860, at the age of fifteen, he was still at home helping work the farm. Soon after the War arrived, he enlisted as a Private on July 22nd 1862, at Ringgold, Georgia into Company 'K' of the 4th Georgia Cavalry, "Bradshaw's Rangers." His regiment was known for its fine horses and scout service. His company, numbering at one time one hundred and thirty-five men, had nine out of every ten killed or wounded, and at the time of surrender numbered only eighteen. It was in seventy-two engagements, its hardest service being at Chickamauga, siege of Nashville, Resaca, Ga., and the siege of Atlanta. He was wounded only once, and that was on his first raid near Nashville, Tenn, when he was taken prisoner. After a few days in the hospital he made his escape and rejoined his command. He was with Wheeler in all of his main raids. On the 22nd of July, ninety-five men of Company 'K' distinguished themselves at Peachtree Creek by getting in the rear of one hundred and twenty-five Union zouaves of McPherson's command and capturing them without firing a gun. His last service as scout was when he, with seventy-one other boys, went to Missionary Ridge, and after routing the Federal guard, took possession of eleven hundred beef cattle and shipped them to Selma, Alabama, for Hood's starving army. Cicero's rank at the end of the war was Corporal. The regiment was surrendered on April 18th 1865. Cicero rejoined his family at Chulafinnie, Alabama, ( a location the family had moved to during the war while Cicero was away,) and he shortly moved to Panola County, Texas. In October of 1866, he married Malinda Jane Stephens (1849-1883) in Panola County. Cicero and Malinda farmed there for fourteen years. By 1880, he, Malinda and four children, ages six to thirteen were in Cass County, Texas where he was working as a hotel keeper. It was there where Malinda passed away in August of 1883. Being in the East Texas piney woods of Cass County, he began to take stock of what he could do with the vast local lumber resource, so in 1883, he began his first sawmill. As his business grew he expanded from saw mills into lumber yards and owned a number of them across Texas and into Oklahoma. Cicero married Julia Rose Prior (1864-1893) on January 13th 1884. When 1900, rolled around he moved the family to Palo Pinto County, Texas and settled in the town of Mineral Wells for the health benefits of the mineral water. He used his wealth to begin a bank, became its president and became invested in eleven banks across north Texas and into Oklahoma. He also had large mining interests in Old Mexico. His wife, Julia, passed away in 1893 and Cicero remarried in 1898, to Genevrie Roper. Cicero continued to expand his influence in Mineral Wells and Palo Pinto County financially assisting numerous entrepreneurs and businesses. He was a member of the Stonewall Jackson Camp of the United Confederate Veterans, and held memberships in Elk Lodge of Ft Worth, Masonic Lodge of Dallas, Knights Templers of Weatherford, and Shriners of Dallas. He was a Thirty-second degree mason of the Scotish Rite and on the staff with General VanZandt with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He was a philanthropist and made liberal donations to many worthy causes. He made large donations to the Mineral Wells Baptist Church of which he was a member, and was an annual contributor to many charitable institutions. For six years he gave, (at Christmas time,) a pair of shoes to every poor person in Mineral Wells. After a short bout with pneumonia, Cicero passed away on February 2nd 1914. He was laid to rest at Elmwood Cemetery in Mineral Wells. A photo of his graveside memorial is shown below. His brother, John Henry Smith was buried there beside Cicero when he died in 1930. It's been said that both brothers were buried in their Confederate uniforms. (Sources: Confederate Veteran Magazine, FindAGrave notes, and Ancestry.com)
(photo above) Elmwood Cemetery, Mineral Wells, Texas - Monument over the graves of Cicero and his brother John proudly wearing their Confederate uniforms in death as they did in life. It isn't know which brother is which. Little is known about his older brother, John Henry Smith (1842 - 1930), other than they served together in the same Company. John was married to Margaret Ella (Johnson) Smith and they had three children, Gordon, Wilburn, and Helen.			. Prominent North Texas Philanthropist A lumberman from his days in Georgia, he was president of the Cicero Smith Lumber Company in Mineral Wells. He had extensive saw-mill operations in East Texas, and in connection with his mills, has operated lumber yards in a number of towns in Central and West Texas. Cicero was prominent in fraternal organizations and held memberships in Elk Lodge of Ft Worth, Masonic Lodge of Dallas, Knights Templers of Weatherford, and Shriners of Dallas. He was a Thirty-second degree mason of the Scotish Rite. He was a philanthropist and made liberal donations to many worthy causes. He made large donations to the Mineral Wells Baptist Church of which he was a member, and was a annual contributor to many charitable institutions. For the last six years he has been giving, at Christmas time, a pair of shoes to every poor person in Mineral Wells. Besides his connection with the Western National Bank of Fort Worth and the First National Bank of Mineral Wells, he is a director of the Landon National Bank of San Angelo; Citizens National Bank at Gainsville and other banks. He also had large mining interest in Old Mexico.
Cicero Smith Passed Away Feb 2nd 1914 - Cicero Smith, age 69, lumberman, banker, philanthropist, and capitalist died Monday night at 10 o'clock in Mineral Wells, Texas. he had been ill for only about a week with pneumonia. Although his death was unexpected until a few days ago, his wife and eight children were by his bedside while he was alive. His funeral was held Wednesday the 4th at First Baptist Church of Mineral Wells and services at the graveside were under the auspices of the Masonic Lodge.
Cicero poses in front of his home at the East Mountain residential area of Mineral Wells, Texas.