“S” is for Smyth, Ellison Adger (1847-1942)

“S” is for Smyth, Ellison Adger (1847-1942). Industrialist. A Charleston native, Smyth’s business career began after the Civil War when he took a position as a junior clerk with a hardware wholesaler. By the end of the 1870s he was convinced that it was better to invest in the emerging textile industry of the upstate than in Charleston. In cooperation with Charleston capitalist Francis J. Pelzer, Smyth decided to organize a cotton mill on the Saluda River in Anderson County. The first mill of the Pelzer Manufacturing Company was built in 1881 and over the next fifteen years three more mills were added to Pelzer. Ellison Adger Smyth served as president of the Pelzer Manufacturing Company for forty-three years. He helped found the Cotton Manufacturers Association of South Carolina and was active in the American Cotton Manufacturers Association.