it. The price at the time for an Ella Smith doll ranged from $1.15 to $12.15 depending on size, clothing and hair. A tenth of her dolls were painted black to resemble African American girls. She was likely the first manufacturer to market dolls based on people of African descent in the Southern United States. Smith was known for working with a hymn-singing parrot perched on her shoulder. At a time when she was planning to expand her operation, a train wreck caused the disastrous loss of many orders. At the same time, a lawsuit arising from a bad business deal cost her a large settlement. Mrs. Smith, who suffered from diabetes and kidney disease, died in 1932 and is buried in Cedarwood Cemetery (Roanoke, AL). References External links Roanoke Doll Encyclopedia of Alabama 1868 births 1932 deaths LaGrange College alumni People from Roanoke, Alabama American manufacturing businesspeople Businesspeople from Alabama 19th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American businesspeople 19th-century American businesswomen 20th-century American businesswomen Dollmakers