Mishew Edgerton Smith
American debutante (1935–1981)
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Mishew Ellen Edgerton Smith (May 29, 1935 – September 1, 1981) was an American debutante and socialite. In 1953, she was selected by the Terpsichorean Club to lead the North Carolina Debutante Ball.
May 29, 1935
Holton-Arms School
Junior College of Washington
Mishew Edgerton Smith | |
|---|---|
| Born | Mishew Ellen Edgerton May 29, 1935 Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | September 1, 1981 (aged 46) Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S. |
Resting place | Historic Oakwood Cemetery |
| Education | Ravenscroft School Holton-Arms School Junior College of Washington |
| Occupation | socialite |
| Spouse | Alton Battle Smith |
Early life and family
Smith was born Mishew Ellen Edgerton on May 29, 1935, in Raleigh, North Carolina, to Mishew Ellen Rogers Edgerton and Norman Edward Edgerton.[1] She grew up at Tatton Hall, her family's palatial mansion on Oberlin Road.[2][1] They were members of Carolina Country Club.[2][3] Her father was a prominent businessman who owned the Raleigh Bonded Warehouse and served as president of the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, president of the Raleigh Kiwanis Club, and president of the Raleigh Shriners.[4] Her grandfather, Noah Edgerton, owned a cotton mill in Selma, North Carolina.[4] Her grandmother was a niece of the philanthropist Richard Stanhope Pullen of Pullen Plantation.[4]
Smith was educated at the Ravenscroft School in Raleigh, the Holton-Arms School in Maryland, and Junior College of Washington.[1]
Adult life
In September 1953, she was presented to society at the North Carolina Debutante Ball, where she was selected as head debutante.[1][5] She wore a gown designed by Willie Otey Kay for the occasion.
On April 20, 1956, she married Alton Battle Smith, the grandson of Senator Willis Smith, at Edenton Street United Methodist Church.[1][6] The ceremony was officiated by Bishop Paul Neff Garber of the North Carolina Annual Conference and Rev. Dr. Howard P. Powell.[1] A reception was held at Tatton Hall.[6] The couple honeymooned in Montego Bay, Jamaica.[6]
She was a member of the Junior League of Raleigh and, prior to her marriage, was a member of the Spinster's Club of Washington, D.C.[1] Like her parents, she was a benefactor of Edgerton Memorial United Methodist Church in Selma.[7]
She had a son, Alton Battle Smith Jr., who inherited her father's company, and a daughter, Mishew Edgerton Smith, who followed in her footsteps as a lead debutante at the North Carolina ball.[8][4]
Smith died in Raleigh on September 1, 1981, and was buried in Historic Oakwood Cemetery. A pair of 18th-century Delftware vases that once belonged to Smith were donated in her memory to the Joel Lane House Museum.[9]